Sesquiterpene lactones from Carpesium abrotanoides L. fruits: characterization and bioactivity profiling

Carpesium abrotanoides L. fruit serves as a key anthelmintic remedy in herbal medicine of China. As a continuation of previous research, two undescribed sesquiterpene lactones, carpeabrolactones A and B (1 and 2), and four known sesquiterpenoids (3-6) were obtained from the dichloromethane extract of fruits. The structures were established through sufficient spectral data examination and ECD calculation. Compound 3 displayed moderate anti-influenza A (H3N2) activity (IC50 = 37.04 μM). In addition, acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitory effects of the isolates were also evaluated in vitro, but none of these presented obvious anti-AchE activities.