The molecule malabaricane and its derivatives, the malabaricanes, are triterpene and triterpenoid compounds found in various organisms.[1] They are named after the rain forest tree Ailanthus malabarica (Ailanthus triphysa), from which they were first isolated in 1967 by scientists at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, India.[2] Later, great varieties of malabaricanes were discovered in other organisms, mostly in marine sponges such as Rhabdastrella globostellata.[3][4]
Isomalabaricanes are malabaricanes in which the three carbon rings of the molecule are connected in trans−syn−trans conformation, as opposed to other malabaricanes, where the rings are connected in trans−anti−trans conformation. They are of particular research interest because many of them have been reported to show anti-tumour activity in cell culture.[5][6]
References
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Buckingham J; Macdonald FM; Bradley HM; Cai Y; Munasinghe VRN; Pattenden CF. (1994–1995). Dictionary of Natural Products(PDF). London: Chapman & Hall. p. 130. ISBN0-412-46620-1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2010-06-04.