Corymbulosins I-W, Cytotoxic Clerodane Diterpenes from the Bark of Laetia corymbulosa.

The isolation studies of a crude MeOH/CH(2)Cl(2) (1:1) extract (N005829) of the bark of Laetia corymbulosa yielded 15 new clerodane diterpenes, designated corymbulosins I-W (1-15), as well as four known diterpenes, 16-19. The structures of 1-15 were characterized on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS analyses. The absolute configurations of newly isolated compounds 1-15, as well as known 16-19, which were reported previously with only relative configurations, were determined through ECD experiments, X-ray analysis, chemical methods, including Mosher esterification, and comparison of their spectroscopic data. The isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. Flow cytometric and immunocytochemical observations of cells treated with cytotoxic clerodanes demonstrated that the chromatin was fragmented and dispersed with formation of apoptotic microtubules.