Synthesis of alpha-amyrin derivatives and their in vivo antihyperglycemic activity.

Ficus racemosa belongs to the family of Moraceae and is commonly known as 'Gular' in north India. Bio-activity guided isolation work on the fruits of F. racemosa resulted in the identification of antidiabetic active principle, alpha-amyrin acetate 7. Compound 7 lowered the blood glucose levels by 18.4 and 17.0% at 5 and 24 h, respectively, in sucrose challenged streptozotocin induced diabetic rat (STZ-S) model at the dose of 100 mg/kg body weight. Fifteen novel derivatives viz, 9-21, 24, 25 of alpha-amyrin 8 were prepared and their antihyperglycemic activity profile was assessed. The p-chlorobenzoic acid derivative 9 and nicotinic acid derivative 14 showed potent antihyperglycemic activity at 100 mg/kg body weight.