S. Leclercq et al., Furanocembranoid diterpenes as defensive compounds in the Dufour gland of the ant Crematogaster brevispinosa rochai, TETRAHEDRON, 56(14), 2000, pp. 2037-2042
Two new furanocembranoid diterpenes, crematofuran [(1R*,11R*,12R*)-6,19:11,
12-bisepoxycembra-3,6,8(19),15-tetraene] (1) and isocrematofuran [(1R*,3S*,
4S*)-3,4:6,19-bisepoxycembra-6, 8(19), 11, 15-tetraene] (2), have been isol
ated from the Dufour gland secretion of the Brazilian ant Crematogaster bre
vispinosa rochai. Their structures, including the relative configuration, h
ave been determined by a combination of NMR and molecular mechanics methods
. The toxicity of 1 towards other ants is on the same level as that of nico
tine. This is the first report of cembranoid diterpenes as defensive compou
nds in an ant. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.