Abstract

Four new spirostanes functionalized with the butyrolactone moiety were efficiently synthesized and submitted to preliminary biological tests. Two practical synthetic routes were designed to enable the incorporation of the γ-lactone functionality into rings A and B. Butyrolactones 5 and 10 showed a promising plant growth-promoting activity which renders them good candidates for further biological studies.

Keywords: butyrolactones, biological activity, steroidal sapogenins, Steroids