Sesquiterpene lactones from Saussurea involucrata.

Bioassay-directed separation of the ethyl acetate extract from the aerial parts of Saussurea involucrata (Kar. et Kir. ex Maxim) led to the isolation of three new sesquiterpene lactones sausinlactones A (1), B (2), C (3) and six known ones (4-9). The structures were established by spectroscopic data (UV, IR, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR). CD technique was also employed to determine the absolute configurations of new compounds 1-3. The anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1-9 and antitumor activities of new compounds 1-3 were tested. The results presented that compounds 5 and 6 were responsible for anti-inflammatory activities, and compounds 1 and 2 showed significant cytotoxic activities against A549 cells.