Two New Enantiomers of Phenylethanoid and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

In this phytochemical investigation, two pairs of new phenylethanoid derivative enantiomers (1a/1b and 2a/2b), a new phenylethanoid derivative 3b, and seven known compounds (3a, 4-9) were isolated from the leaves of Picrasma quassioides. Spectroscopic techniques were used for the elucidation of their chemical structures, and the absolute configurations were determined by a comparison between the experimental and calculated ECD data, as well as the application of Snatzke's method. Compounds (1a/1b-3a/3b) were measured for their production of NO levels in LPS-induced BV-2 microglial cells. The results showed that all compounds exhibited potential inhibitory effects, and compound 1a showed stronger activity than the positive control.