Two novel butyrolactone lignan dimers from leaves of Castanopsis chinensis and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Castanopsis genus (Fagaceae) were rich in plant polyphenols and often used as medicinal plants. In this study, two new lignan dimer compounds with anti-inflammatory activity and four known compounds were isolated and identified from 80% methanolic extract of Castanopsis chinensis leaves. The structure determination supported by computational chemistry and extensive spectroscopic analysis. Two new lignan dimer compounds significantly inhibited LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 cells at 10 µM without cytotoxicity.