Two new clerodane-type diterpenoids trivially named as ballotenic acid (1) and ballodiolic acid (2) have been isolated from Ballota limbata along with three the known compounds; beta-amyrin, oleanolic acid, and beta-sitosterol. The structure elucidation of the new compounds was based primarily on two-dimensional (2D)-NMR techniques including correlation spectroscopy (COSY), heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) experiments. Compounds 1 and 2 displayed inhibitory potential against lipoxygenase enzyme in a concentration-dependent fashion with IC(50) values of 99.6 microM and 38.3 microM, respectively. (+info)
Genetic diversity within and among sinai populations of three Ballota species (Lamiaceae).
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Ballota undulata, Ballota kaiseri, and Ballota saxatilis are very rare (and endemic--B. kaiseri), threatened species growing in St. Catherine Protectorate, southern Sinai, Egypt. They are subjected to a number of threats that have caused populations to decline in both number and size. For the long-term survival of these species, an appropriate conservation strategy for the maintenance of their genetic variation should be developed. This study measures genetic diversity within and among populations of these Ballota species and determines the conservation implications of the results. The genetic analyses demonstrated that the three Ballota species maintain relatively high levels of genetic diversity (He = 0.195-0.317) and that most of the their genetic diversity was found within populations (GST = 0.045-0.099). Indirect estimates of historical gene flow for B. undulata and B. saxatilis were relatively high (Nm(W) = 5.25 and 3.37, respectively) but suggest that there is somewhat less gene movement among B. kaiseri populations (Nm(W) = 2.29). The levels of genetic diversity maintained within populations of the three Ballota species indicate that an appropriate sampling design for ex situ safeguarding should capture the majority of the genetic diversity found within these taxa. (+info)