Unusual nor-sesquiterpene lactone from the fruits of Illicium henryi

Henrylactone F (1), an unusual nor-sesquiterpene lactone, together with a pair of stereoisomers, henrylactone G (2) and anislactone B (3), was discovered from the fruits of Illicium henryi. Their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data analyses as well as X-ray diffraction. The anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of the isolates against the HBV transfected Hep G2.2.15 cell line was evaluated. Anislactone B (3) possessed a high therapeutic index (TI = 43.4) on HBeAg secretion of the Hep G2.2.15 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.079 +/- 0.035 mM. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.