Chemical structure and antifungal activity of a number of triterpenoids.

Antifungal activity was tested in 49 pentacyclic triterpenoids and their glycosides, of plant and semisynthetic origin. Several of these compounds inhibited the multiplication of the yeast Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. The highest antifungal activity was found in the triterpene glycosides oleanolic acid and hederagenin, which have a free carboxyl group at C 28(27). Triterpenes of the meristotropic acid, macedonic acid, and lupan types had no fungistatic activity at concentrations up to 100 microgram/ml.

[Effect of triterpene glycosides on RNA biosynthesis in a yeast cell culture of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis]. / Vliianie nekotorykh triterpenovykh glikozidov na biosintez RNK v kul'ture drozhzhevykh kletok Saccharomyces carlsbergensis.

The effect of triterpen glycosides of cauloside C from Caulophyllum robustum, theasaponine from Thea sinensis ahd stichoposide A from Stichopus japonicus on multiplication and biosynthesis of RNA in the cells of a 7-hour culture of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis was studied. It was shown that cauloside C, theasaponine and stichoposide A in concentrations of 7.5 gamma/ml inhibited multiplication of the yeast cells by 65, 10 and 90 per cent respectively. The summation RNA of the yeast cells is divided into 3 zones on Sephadex G-100. The glycosides induced no pronounced changes in the chromotographic profile of RNA. Biosynthesis of the transport and ribosomal RNA were inhibited to the same extent. Triterpen glycosides inhibited the biosynthesis of RNA at the stage of 14C-uridine in corporation into the nucleotide pool of the yeast cells.