Neuroprotective Dihydroagarofuran Sesquiterpene Derivatives from the Leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii.

Thirteen dihydroagarofuran derivatives, including 12 new sesquiterpenoid esters and one known sesquiterpenoid alkaloid, were obtained from the leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii. Spectroscopic techniques and the ECD method were used for the structure elucidation of the compounds. The structures of compounds 1 and 8 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses. Compounds 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13 increased cell viability of the okadaic acid treated PC12 cells from 60.4 ± 23.0% to 72.4 ± 14.1, 71.5 ± 11.5, 75.7 ± 15.6, 81.2 ± 13.1, and 86.2 ± 25.5% at 10 μM, respectively.