Antifeedant properties and chemotaxonomic implications of sesquiterpene lactones and syringin from Rhaponticum pulchrum

From aerial parts of Rhaponticum pulchrum the guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactones aguerin B, janerin, 19-deoxyjanerin, chlorojanerin, 15-dechloro-15-hydroxychlorojanerin, cynaropicrin, cebellin G, repdiolide and repensolide were isolated, together with the phenylpropanoid glucoside syringin. In no-choice and two-choice feeding experiments aguerin B, chlorojanerin and syringin were shown to be good antifeedants against the three species of the stored product insect pests Sitophilus granarius, Trogoderma granarium and Tribolium confusum, while janerin and cynaropicrin inhibited feeding of the latter species. However, the highest antifeedant activity was recorded for the extract of the plant enriched in sesquiterpene lactones. The unexpected finding was that syringin inhibited feeding of the insects.