Chemistry Letters, Vol.34, No.6, 764-765, 2005
Sesquiterpene esters from the fruits of Celastrus orbiculatus
Two new-dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene esters, 1 beta 2 beta,6 alpha-triacetoxy-9 alpha-cinnamoyloxy-beta-dihydroagarofuran (1) and 1 beta,8 beta-diacetoxy-9 beta-cinnamoyloxy-2 beta-hexanoyloxy-beta-dihydroagarofuran (2), and four known compounds (3-6) have been isolated from the fruits of Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. In murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, compounds 2 and 6 inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide production with the IC50 values of 67.3 mu M and 63.5 mu M, respectively.