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Neurotoxic Sesquiterpenoids from the Yellow Star Thistle Centaurea solstitialis L. (Asteraceae)
Author(s) -
Wang Ying,
Hamburger Matthias,
Cheng Celine H. K.,
Costall Brenda,
Naylor Robert J.,
Jenner Peter,
Hostettmann Kurt
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
helvetica chimica acta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.74
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1522-2675
pISSN - 0018-019X
DOI - 10.1002/hlca.19910740114
Subject(s) - thistle , asteraceae , centaurea , chemistry , sesquiterpene , neurotoxicity , sesquiterpene lactone , botany , biology , toxicity , stereochemistry , organic chemistry
Ingestion of yellow star thistle ( Centaurea solstitialis L. ) by horses produces parkinsonism due to nigro‐pallidal degeneration. The toxin responsible has not been identified so far. A CH 2 Cl 2 extract from the aerial parts of C. solstitialis exhibited significant neurotoxicity against primary neuronal cultures of foetal rat brain. Activity‐guided fractionation yielded the known sesquiterpene lactones solstitialin A ( 1 ), 13‐ 0 ‐acetylsolstitialin A ( 3 ), cynaropicrin ( 4 ), and the hitherto unknown 3‐ O ‐acetylsolstitialin A ( 2 ). In the bioassay with rat foetal full cell culture, 3 and 4 were toxic in a concentration‐dependent manner and may be responsible for the ability of the plant to cause neurodegenerative changes in the brain of horses.