ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the chemical constituents from the twigs and leaves of Illicius majus. Methods: The compound was isolated by column chromatography over silica gel, Sephadex HL-20, and flash chromatography coupled with preparative HPLC. The structure was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis including HR-ESI-MS, 1D-NMR, and 2D-NMR. The cytotoxic activities were assessed by MTT. Results: A new seco-prezizaane-type sesquiterpenoid named majusatone (1) was isolated from the twigs and leaves of I. majus. Compound 1 exhibited the cytotoxic activity against HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGC-823, and A549 with IC50 values of 42.3, 48.5, 51.1, and 39.9 μmol/L, respectively. Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new special seco-prezizaane-type sesquiterpenoid, and shows no significant cytotoxic activities against HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGC-823, and A549.