From the roots of Ligularia muliensis, a novel bieremophilanolide and a new eremophilanolide have been isolated and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques, including HRMS, IR, UV, 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and CD spectra.

Four new eremophilenolides, 1-4, have been isolated from the whole plant of Ligulariopsis shichuana. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR experiments. Structures of compounds 1 and 2 were unequivocally established by X-ray diffraction experiments. All of these sesquiterpenes have eremophilane skeletons with 7(11)-en-8(12) lactone units. Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate antibacterial activities against E. coli and B. subtilis.

Two new acetylxylosides, ent-manool-13-O-β-D-2'-acetylxylopyranoside (1) and entmanool 13-O-β-D-2', 4'-diacetylxylopyranoside (2) were isolated from Aster veitchianus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.

Chemical investigation of the roots of Ligularia sagitta has resulted in the characterization of six eremophilenolides 6β,8βdimethoxy-1Oβ-hydroxyeremophil-7(11)-en-12,8a-olide (1), 6βan-geloyloxy-1Oβ-hydroxy-8β-methoxyeremophil-7(11)-en-12,8a-olide (2), 6/3-(2'-methylbutanoyloxy)-10β-hydroxy-8β-methoxy-eremophil-7(11)-en-12,8a-olide (3), 6β-angeloyloxy-1Oβ-hydro-xy-8a-methoxyeremophil-7(11)-en-12,8β-olide (4), 6β-(2'me-thylbutanoyloxy)-10β-hydroxy-8a-methoxyeremophil-7(11)-en-12.8β-olide (5) and 8β. lOβ-dihvdroxv-6β-methoxveremoohil-7(ll)-en-12,8a-olide (6), together with one monoterpene (3R,4R,65)-3,6-dihydroxy-l-menthene (7), two triterpenes lupeoi (8) and ursolic acid (9), and β-sitosterol (10). The structures of five new constituents (1-5) were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 2D-NMR experiments. The compounds 1, 5 and 7 showed antibacterial activity by being assayed against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coll.

A survey of the whole plant of Saussurea parviflora afforded three compounds 11,12,13-trihydroxy-4 (15), 8-eudesmadiene-9-one, eudesman-813,12-olide-l-O-13-D-glucoside and 113,313-dihydroxyursa-9(11), 12-diene-3-octadecanoate, as well as 13 known compounds. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral evidence, especially by using NMR spectroscopic techniques. In addition, encelin exhibited effective antitumor activity on L02, SMMC-7721 and HO-8910 cells.