New sesquiterpene from Vietnamese agarwood and its induction effect on brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in vitro

Agarwood, one of the valuable non-timber products in tropical forest, is a fragrant wood. whose ethereal fragrance has been prized in Asia for incense in ceremony, as well as sedatives in traditional medicine. We separated the 70% EtOH extract of Vietnamese agarwood, which showed significant induction effect on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in rat Cultured neuronal cells, to isolate a new compound and a 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivative. The new compound was determined to be a spirovetivane-type sesquiterpene, (4R,5R,7R)-1(110)-spirovetiven-11-ol-2-one, by spectroscopic data and showed induction effect of BDNF mRNA. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.