Planta Med 2014; 80 - CL15
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1382348

Diterpenes from the endangered goldenrod Solidago shortii

RB Williams 1, L Du 2, VL Norman 1, MG Goering 1, M O'Neil-Johnson 1, S Woodbury 3, MA Albrecht 3, DR Powell 2, RH Cichewicz 2, GR Eldridge 1, CM Starks 1
  • 1Sequoia Sciences, Inc., 1912 Innerbelt Business Center Dr., St. Louis, MO 63114, USA
  • 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
  • 3Missouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166, USA

Species extinction is tantamount to loss of chemical diversity, and so it is important to seize all opportunities to study species on the brink of extinction. Such studies are often hampered by the limited material available, but that obstacle is surmountable through collaboration with botanical gardens and advances in instrumentation. The goldenrod Solidago shortii (Asteraceae) is one example of an endangered species native to the United States. From S. shortii, one known diterpene (1), two novel diterpenoids (2 and 3), and three previously unreported hydrolysis products are described. This work was made possible through collaboration with the Missouri Botanical Garden, and with the use of highly sensitive microcryoprobe NMR technology for structure elucidation and VCD spectroscopy for the determination of absolute configuration.

Fig. 1