Stereochemical analysis of leubethanol, an anti-TB-active serrulatane, from Leucophyllum frutescens.

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the methanolic root bark extract of Leucophyllum frutescens led to the identification of leubethanol (1), a new serrulatane-type diterpene with activity against both multi-drug-resistant and drug-sensitive strains of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Leubethanol (1) was identified by 1D/2D NMR data, as a serrulatane closely related to erogorgiane (2), and exhibited anti-TB activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations in the range 6.25-12.50 μg/mL. Stereochemical evidence for 1 was gleaned from 1D and 2D NOE experiments, from 1H NMR full spin analysis, and by comparison of the experimental vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectrum to density functional theory calculated VCD spectra of two diastereomers.