Two new guaiane-type sesquiterpenes, kwangsiensis A and B (1-2) were isolated from the roots of Curcuma kwangsiensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including NMR, circular dichroism (CD) and high-resolution mass-spectrometry. The anti-inflammatory activity of the two compounds was evaluated on the basis of their inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 27.4 and 35.1 μM, respectively.
Keywords: anti-inflammatory; guaiane sesquiterpenes.