A practical and economical K2S2O8-mediated oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling of N-aryl glycine derivatives with olefins has been established, affording structurally diverse quinoline-2-carboxylates in good to high efficiency. The low cost, negligible toxicity, and ease of handling of K2S2O8 combined with the absence of hazardous byproducts and the easy workup consisting of simple filtration are attractive based on economic and environmental factors.

Four abietane diterpenoids, inflexanin C, inflexanin D, inflexuside A and inflexuside B, were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon inflexus. Their respective structures were established by NMR, mass spectrometry and CD as (+)-(1S,4R,5S,7S,8S,10S,13S)-1,7,18-trihydroxy-abieta-9(11)-ene-12-one 1-monoacetate, (+)-(1S,4R,5S,10S,13S)-1,18-dihydroxy-abieta-7,9(11)-diene-12-one 1-monoacetate, (−)-(1S,5S,10S,11R,13R)-1,11,13-trihydroxy-abieta-8-ene-7-one 1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and (−)-(1S,5S,10S,11R,13R)-1,11,13-trihydroxy-abieta-8-ene-7-one 1-O-(2-O-coumaroyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside. All compounds showed strong inhibitory activity against nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 lipopolysaccaride (LPS)-activated macrophages.Graphical abstractFour abietane diterpenoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon inflexus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory effects of these compounds on nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 lipopolysaccaride (LPS)-activated macrophages were assayed.Highlights► Two abietane diterpenoids and two diterpenoid glycosides were isolated from I. inflexus. ► The absolute configurations of isolates were determined from their CD spectra. ► The isolates exhibited potent inhibitory effect on NO production in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells.

A practical and economical K2S2O8-mediated oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling of N-aryl glycine derivatives with olefins has been established, affording structurally diverse quinoline-2-carboxylates in good to high efficiency. The low cost, negligible toxicity, and ease of handling of K2S2O8 combined with the absence of hazardous byproducts and the easy workup consisting of simple filtration are attractive based on economic and environmental factors.