Dihydro-& beta;-agarofuran sesquiterpenoids from the roots of Tripterygium regelii and their inhibitory effect on NO production

Two new dihydro-& beta;-agarofuran sesquiterpenoids (1 and 2) together with eight known analogs (3-10) were isolated from the roots of Tripterygium regelii. The chemical structures of these isolates were determined by 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and X-ray crystallography. In addition, all compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity using the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 inflammatory cell model. Compounds 1 and 10 inhibited NO production in RAW 264.7 cells by more than 70 % at 100 & mu;M.