ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the aqueous extract of Carthamus tinctorius. METHODS: Compounds were isolated by a combination of various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography on macroporous resin and Sephadex LH-20 and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by physiochemical properties and spectral analysis. RESULTS: Twelve compounds were isolated and identified as (2E, SE)-12R-tetradecadiene-4, 6-diyne-1, 12, 14-triol (1), (8Z)-decaene-4, 6-diyn-1-O-β-2)-glucopyranoside (2), (SE)-decaene-4, 6-diyn-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), (2S)-4′, 5, 6, 7-tetrahydroxy-flavavone 6-O-β-D-glucoside (4), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (5), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (6), dihydrophaseic acid methyl ester-3-O-β-Z)-glucoside (7), dihydrophaseic acid methyl ester (8), 4-hydroxy benzaldehyde (9), N, N′-dicoumaroyl-putrescine (10), 4-(4′,-hydroxyphenyl)but-3-en-2-one (11) and 4-hydroxyacetophenone (12). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1, 3-4, 6, 8, and 10 are isolated from this plant for the first time. The absolute configuration and C-NMR data of compound 1 are for the first time reported.