Four New Natural Products from Mongolian Medicinal Plants Scorzonera divaricata and Scorzonera pseudodivaricata (Asteraceae)

Eleven Scorzonera species are found in Mongolia, one species is endemic, four of which are sub-endemic [1]. Two of these, Scorzonera pseudodivaricata Lipsch., a sub-endemic perennial species, and S. divaricata Turcz. are used in the Mongolian traditional medicine [2]. Since only a few papers have been published on this genus and no previous chemical work has been recorded on S. divaricata and S. pseudodivaricata, this arose our interest to do further phytochemical work on these plants. Investigation of the (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) DPPH-active EtOAc extract of aerial parts of S. divaricata, which showed radical scavenging activity, yielded two new 1-O-caffeoylquinic acid derivatives. From the cytotoxic EtOAc extract of aerial parts of S. pseudodivaricata, a novel phenolic glucoside and an unsual terpene lactone were isolated. The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously established based on NMR spectroscopic (¹H, ¹³C, COSY, HMBC) and mass spectrometric (ESIMS) data.

References: 1. Grubov, V. I. (1982), Key to the Vascular Plants of Mongolia, Leningrad, Nauka, pp. 263–264. 2. Ligaa, U. (1996), Medicinal Plants from Mongolia Used in Mongolian Traditional Medicine, KSA Press, p. 337.