Ecdysteroids of Vitex scabra stem bark

Two new ecdysteroids, 24-epi-pinnatasterone (1) and scabrasterone (2), together with 11 known ecdysteroids, calonysterone, pterosterone, 24-epi-makisterone A, 20-hydroxyecdysone (3), polypodine B, ajugasterone C, pinnatasterone (4), 11alpha-hydroxyecdysone, 24-epi-abutasterone, 20,26-dihydroxyecdysone, and turkesterone (5), were isolated from the stem bark of Vitex scabra. This plant species contained a very high concentration (1.8%) of 3 and thus provided a good source of this parent ecdysteroid and related rare ecdysteroids. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited very low moulting activity in the Musca bioassay. The low biological activity of these two ecdysteroids was in agreement with those of other 22-deoxyecdysteroids.