Objective To investigate the chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory activity of the dried roots of Tibetan medicine Carpesium lipskyi. Methods The ethanol extract of C. lipskyi was isolated and purified using chromatographic techniques including silica gel column chromatography and Sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified based on their physicochemical properties, spectroscopic methods (MS, NMR), and literature data. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds was evaluated using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory model in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Results Nine compounds were isolated from the roots of C. lipskyi and identified as (1R,7R,10R,11S)-1-hydroxy-eudesma-3(4),5(6)-dien-11-oic acid methyl ester (1), (1R,4S,5R,7R)-1-acetoxy-11-hydroxy-eremophil-9(10)-ene (2), careudesmane D (3), isoalantolactone (4), 11-hydroxy-eremophil-1(10)-en-2,9-dione (5), carperemophilane A (6), carperemophilane B (7), protocatechuyl aldehyde (8), and umbelliferone (9). Compounds 2 and 7 inhibited LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of (13.62 ± 1.30) μmol/L and (19.47 ± 2.67) μmol/L, respectively. Conclusion Compound 1 is a new eudesmane-type sesquiterpene and designated as carpesiol A, and compound 2 is a new eremophilane-type sesquiterpene and designated as carpesiol B. Compounds 3—7 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 2 and 7 show potential for development as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Tibetan medicine  /  Carpesium lipskyi Winkl.  /  sesquiterpene  /  carpesiol A  /  carpesiol B  /  anti-inflammatory activity