Three new insecticidal sesquiterpene polyol esters from Celastrus angulatus

Area of Science:

• Natural Products Chemistry
• Insecticide Discovery
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Celastrus angulatus is a plant source of bioactive compounds.
• Sesquiterpene polyol esters are known for their biological activities.
• Insect pests like Mythimna separata cause significant agricultural damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize new insecticidal compounds from Celastrus angulatus.
• To evaluate the insecticidal potential of novel dihydro-beta-agarofuran derivatives.
• To determine the efficacy of Kupiteng esters A-C against Mythimna separata larvae.

Main Methods:

• Methanol extraction of Celastrus angulatus root bark.
• Isolation and purification of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation via Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectral data analysis.
• Bioassays to determine insecticidal activity (KD50 values) against 4th instar Mythimna separata larvae.

Main Results:

• Three new insecticidal sesquiterpene polyol esters, Kupiteng esters A (1), B (2), and C (3), were identified.
• The compounds possess dihydro-beta-agarofuran skeletons.
• KD50 values were determined: 260.2 µg/g for compound 1, 445.5 µg/g for compound 2, and 1260.0 µg/g for compound 3.

Conclusions:

• Kupiteng esters A-C are novel insecticidal compounds from Celastrus angulatus.
• The identified compounds demonstrate varying degrees of insecticidal activity against Mythimna separata.
• These findings contribute to the discovery of new natural product-based insecticides.