New prenylated C6-C3 compounds from the roots of Illicium henryi

•Four prenylated C6-C3 compounds were isolated from the roots of Illicium henryi.•Three prenylated C6-C3 compounds were characterized as new compounds.•One compound was a new dimeric prenylated C6-C3.

One new dimeric prenylated C6-C3 compound, namely, illihendione A (1), two prenylated C6-C3 compounds, illihenryifunone C (2) and illihenryipyranone A (3), and one known dimeric prenylated C6-C3 compound, illicidione A (4), were isolated from the roots of Illicium henryi. The structures and absolute configurations of these compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic and chemical analyses, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD) and a modified Mosher method. Compound 1 exhibited a weak inhibitory ratio for β-glucuronidase release induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF) in rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNS) in vitro.

Graphical abstractOne new dimeric prenylated C6-C3 compound, namely, illihendione A (1), two prenylated C6-C3 compounds, illihenryifunone C (2) and illihenryipyranone A (3), and one known dimeric prenylated C6-C3 compound, illicidione A (4), were isolated from the roots of Illicium henryi.Download full-size image