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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Termite repellent sesquiterpenoids from Callitris glaucophylla heartwood

Journal of Wood Science volume 51, pages 514–519 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Fractions of methanol and ethanol extracts from the heartwood of white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla Thompson et Johnson) were investigated for their repellent activity against subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki worker using a two-choice semicircular filter paper test at 0.5% (w/w) concentration. Fraction CY-E2 composed of (−)-citronellic acid, guaiol, α-, β-, and γ-eudesmol isomers as well as an unknown compound, showed the highest statistically significant repellency (97.8% ± 2.2 SEM) of all fractions tested. Bioactivity-guided fractionations using high-performance liquid chromatography led to the isolation of two, oxygenated eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes with α-methylene moieties, both termite-repellent compounds. These compounds were subsequently identified as ilicic acid methyl ester (IAME) and costic acid by means of spectroscopic analyses, electron impact mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We report the isolation of both IAME and costic acid from C. glaucophylla heartwood for the first time.

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Author notes

  1. Tohru Mitsunaga

    Present address: Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu, 514-8507, Japan

    Yasutaka Watanabe, Rie Mihara & Tohru Mitsunaga

  2. Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, 611-0011, Japan

    Tsuyoshi Yoshimura

Authors
  1. Yasutaka Watanabe
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  2. Rie Mihara
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  3. Tohru Mitsunaga
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  4. Tsuyoshi Yoshimura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tohru Mitsunaga.

Additional information

Part of this paper was presented at the 47th Symposium on the Chemistry of Terpenes, Essential Oils, and Aromatics, Tokyo, November 2003

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Watanabe, Y., Mihara, R., Mitsunaga, T. et al. Termite repellent sesquiterpenoids from Callitris glaucophylla heartwood. J Wood Sci 51, 514–519 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-004-0683-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-004-0683-6

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