Two Pairs of 7,7'-Cyclolignan Enantiomers with Anti-Inflammatory Activities from .

(L.) Britt. (Labiatae), a medicinal plant, has been widely used for the therapy of multiple diseases since about 1800 years ago. It has been demonstrated that the extracts of exert significant anti-inflammatory effects. In this research, two pairs of 7,7'-cyclolignan enantiomers, possessing a cyclobutane moiety, (+)/(-)-perfrancin [(+)/(-)-] and (+)/(-)-magnosalin [(+)/(-)-], were separated from leaves. The present study achieved the chiral separation and determined the absolute configuration of (±)- and (±)-. Compounds (+)- and (-)- have notable anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors (NO, TNF-α and IL-6) and the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators (iNOS and COX-2). These findings indicate that cyclolignans are effective substances of with anti-inflammatory activity. The present study partially elucidates the mechanisms underlying the effects of .