Unambiguous structure of atractyloside and carboxyatractyloside

Atractyloside (ATR) was characterized in 1868 and until now structural studies on diterpenic moiety had been done through the characterization of ATR derivatives; while the glycosidic moiety seemed to be a beta-D-glucopyranose a recent crystal structure of the mitochondrial ATP/ADP carrier in complex with CATR showed an alpha-D-glucopyranose. We decided to re-examine the ATR and CATR structures by crystallographic study of ATR. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.