Phytochemical investigation of Artemisia persica: Isolation and characterization of new monoterpenoids.

In this study, ten previously undescribed monoterpenoids, including four pairs of enantiomers, were isolated from the chloroform-soluble fraction of the aerial parts of Artemisia persica Boiss. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY), HR-ESI-MS, and UV data. The absolute configurations of the enantiomeric pairs were further determined by comparing the experimental and time-dependent DFT-calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by measuring the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, the cytotoxicity was examined against several human cancer cell lines using the MTT assay, and the antioxidant potential was determined by DPPH and ABTS methods. None of the compounds exhibited inhibition rates higher than 50% at the tested screening concentrations (100 μM in the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant assays and 50 μM in the cytotoxicity assay); therefore, IC50 values were not determined.