Leading Question:

Diterpenoids from Isodon plants, such as maoecrystal V, have been used in herbal medicines for some time. Some diterpenoids that exist in certain plants have been found to have medicinal properties (Lu, P.; Mailyan, A.; Gu, Z.; Guptill, D. M.; Wang, H.; Davies, H. M. L.; Zakarian, A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 17738-17749.). The earliest diterpenoid used as a form of medication, known as enmei-so, originated in Japan. Physicians used it as a medication for gastrointestinal disorders. The Chinese still use leaves with the diterpenoids in them to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal distress as well as bacterial infections, inflammation, and cancer (Peng, F.; Danishefsky, S. J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 18860−18867.). The cytotoxic activity that is generated by these diterpenoids makes them a promising inhibitor of cancerous cells. Maoecrystal V was found to be selectively cytotoxic against human cancerous cells. In 2004, maoecrystal V was first synthesized in lab. Unfortunately, the reaction had a very low yield. Researchers hope to optimize the reaction and discover other related compounds with similar anticancer activity.