Lignans with neuroprotective activity from the fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida

Seven lignans (1a/1b-2a/2b and 3-5), including six new compounds (1b, 2a/2b, 3-5), were isolated from the fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1b/1b-2a/2b were two pairs of enantiomers and the absolute configurations were determined by comparison of their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis suggested that more than a third of diseases were related to the nervous system. Therefore, all compounds were evaluated for neuroprotective effects toward human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells injury induced by H2O2. Among them, compound 1a exhibited moderate protective effect.