Abstract
To elucidate the relationship between chemical structure and biological activity of alantolactone, and also to investigate the relationship between the growth of cells and the respiration of Chlorella pyrenoidosa affected by alantolactone, alantolactone and isoalantolactone were isolated from Inula helenium L., and di-, and tetrahydroalantolactones were prepared by the hydrogenation. At a concentration of 5$\times$10-5M alantolactone, the growth rate of Chlorella was greatly reduced. The viability of cells was also reduced over 50% within 2 hr at a concentration of 2.5$\times$10-4M alantolactone. However, oxygen uptake was increased by 20% over 3 hr. And 14CO2 production from glucose-1-14C, glucose-6-14C and 14C-acetate-U.L. was also increased by alantolactone. Biological activityof alantolactone was significantly reduced by cysteine, reduced glutathione or cystine but not by tryptophan or histidine. It was detected by spectrophotometrically and by TLC that alantolactone was also reacted with thiols except cystine. The solution of alantolactone reached with thiol gave the UV absorption spectrum of $\alpha$-saturated ${\gamma}$-lactone, and most of SH groups were disappeared by the addition reaction. From the reaction mixture of alantolactone and cysteine, a lactone adduct was isolated and purified. Isoalantolactone had shown similar activity as alantolactone, however, it was appeared that di-, and tetrahydroalantolactones were not only inactive biologically but also in vitro. It was concluded that there was no correlationship between increased respiration rate and mortality of Chlorella. During the respiration TCA cycle was activated, however it was uncertain that the activation of EMP or HMP was also appeared. Alantolactone and isoalantolactone were biologically active compounds but others were inactive. The reactivity of $\alpha$-methylene ${\gamma}$-lactone moiety toward SH group was principally responsible for its biological activity in sesquiterpene lactones.