Abstract:
The stem and branch extract of
Tripterygium wilfordii (Celastraceae) afforded seven new dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene polyesters tripterysines A‒G (
1 ‒
7 ) and eight known ones (
8 ‒
15 ). The chemical structures of these new compounds were established based on combinational analysis of HR-ESI-MS and NMR techniques. The absolute configurations of tripterysines A‒C (
1 ‒
3 ) and E‒G (
5 ‒
7 ) were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis and circular dichroism spectra. All the compounds were screened for their inhibitory effect on inflammation through determining their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines TNF-
α and IL-6 in LPS-induced BV2 macrophages. Compound
9 exhibited significant inhibitory activity on NO production with an IC
50 value of 8.77 μmol·L
−1. Moreover, compound
7 showed the strongest inhibitory effect with the secretion of IL-6 at 27.36%.