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DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1084447
Studies on the constituents of Chloranthus spicatus (Thunb.) Makino
Our studies on the Chinese ethnological herbal medicines used by minor ethnic groups in Yunnan Province aimed at searching new leads for therapeutic agents. There are ca. 17,000 plants growing in Yunnan Province, many of which are used medicinally. As a part of this research program, we have investigated on the roots of Chloranthus spicatus, which are used for the treatment of high-blood pressure in combination with several herbal plants by Tai ethnic group. The EtOAc-soluble fraction from the MeOH extract of C. spicatus roots was separated by repeated column chromatography to give two new and one known compounds. These compounds are dimeric lindenane-type sesquiterpenes, and their structures were characterized by the 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. Their absolute stereostructures were elucidated by CD spectroscopic analyses. The dimeric lindenane-type sesquiterpenes, in which two lindenane units are bounded at C-6-C-8' and C-15-C-9' by endo Diels-Alder cycloaddition, with a unique 18-membered macrocyclic trilactone ring, are characteristic compounds in the genus Chloranthus, and several biological activities have been reported so far.