A new sesquiterpene ester inhibiting no production from the fruits of Celastrus orbiculatus

A new β-dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene ester, 1β,2β,6α, 13-tetraacetoxy-9α-cinnamoyloxy-β-dihydroagarofuran (1), and the known compound 1β,6α,13-triacetoxy-9α-benzoyloxy-β-dihydroagarofuran (2), have been isolated from the fruits of Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. Their structures have been elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 shows moderate activity of inhibiting LPS-induced nitric oxide production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, with an IC50 of 55.4 μM.