A New Sesquiterpene Isolated From The Aerial Parts of Ferula caspica Bieb.

Ferula (Apiaceae) is represented by 23 species, 13 of which are endemic to Turkey [1,2]. Ferula species used for diabetes, stomach ache, gynecological disorders and hypercholesterolemia, also known to be immunostimulant, demulcent, digestive, carminative, antihelmentic and aphrodisiac in Traditional medicine [3] are important biological sources to investigate. Aim of this study was elucidation of structures of secondary metabolites from F. caspica Bieb. Powdered aerial parts of the plant were extracted with petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol respectively. Chromatographic studies on chloroform extract resulted in the isolation of 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-2-[4′,8′-dimethyl-3′,7′-nonadienyl]-furo[3,2,c]coumarin (1), 1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7,11-trimethyl-3-vinyl-6(E),10-dodecadien-1-one (2), 3-(4',8'-dimethylnona-3',7'-dienyl)-2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-6-ol (= caspican) (3), laserine/2-epilaserine isomeric mixture (4A/4B) and stigmasterol/β-sitosterol mixture (5A/5B) [2]. The structures of compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (1 H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HMQC, HMBC, COSY and Mass Spektrometry). Compound 1 (= caspican) was structurally identified to be a new compound obtained from nature; the other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time.

[1] Davis PH, Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Vol 4. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press; 1972: 440 – 453

[2] Kahraman C. PhD thesis, 2016: 1 – 8

[3] Altundag E, Ozturk M. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 2011; 19:756 – 777