ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the chemical constituents with anti-oxidative activity from the fruits of Illicium micranthum. Methods: DPPH Radical scavenging assay was used for screening the active fractions. The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various column chromatographic methods such as silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. The structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analyses. Results: The ethyl acetate layer of methanol extract from the fruits of I. micranthum showed anti-oxidative activity, from which 14 compounds were separated. Their structures were identified as gynurenol (1), β-elemol (2), epi-carrisone (3), 6-hydroxy-eudesm-4(14)-ene (4), β-eudesmol (5), trans-eudesmane-4, 11-diol (6), 1R, 2R, 4R-trihydroxy-p-menthane (7), 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-cyclohexanol (8), (-)-isopulegol (9), 4-isopropenyl-1-methyl-cyclohexanol (10), palmitic acid (11), triacontanoic acid (12), p-hydroxy-benzoic acid (13), and β-daucosterol (14). Conclusion: Except for compound 14, all the other compounds are isolated from the fruits of I. micranthum for the first time, while compounds 1-4, 7, and 8 are isolated from the plants in Illiciaceae family for the first time.