Heteroatom-Containing Natural Sesquiterpene Lactones and Methods for their Obtaining

This review shows the data about isolated heteroatom-containing sesquiterpene lactones from various genera of Asteraceae family, natural occurence, isolation methods and their biological activity. Chlorinecontaining sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from genera of Artemisia L., Achillea L., Acroptilon Cass , Centaurea L., Chartolepis Cass , Eupatorium L., Jurinea Cass , Rhaponticum Adams , Saussurea DC. The greatest quantity of chlorine-containing sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from Centaurea genus. 25 new sesquiterpene lactones with chlorine atom in molecule were isolated and characterized. The sesquiterpene lactones, which in their structure contained a sulphur atom as a component of various alkoxyl-, thiohydroxygroups and acid residues, were isolated from genera of Eupatorium L., Petasites Mill, Helenium L., Acritopappus R.M. King and H. Rob., Arctium L., Saussurea DC. Nitrogen atom in the structure of natural sesquiterpene lactones is present in the form of amino groups as a part of ester groups as well as amino acids as Michael adducts. Nitrogen-containing sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from Acanthospermum Schrank, Saussurea DC. Isolated heteroatom-containing sesquiterpene lactones possess bactericidal, antifungal, cytotoxic, antiviral, virucidal, antiulcer and others activities. Another method for obtaining heteroatom-containing sesquiterpene lactones is a directed synthesis of chlorine-, fluorine-, bromine-, sulphur- and nitrogen-containing sesquiterpene lactones. On the basis of sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin known as an effective antimalarial preparation, we synthesized over 200 derivatives, among which fluorine-, chlorine-, bromine-, nitrogen-, sulphur- and azide-containing derivatives of artemisinin were obtained.