Influenza A (H1N1) antiviral and cytotoxic agents from Ferula assa-foetida

Two new sesquiterpene coumarins, designated 5′-acetoxy-8′- hydroxyumbelliprenin (1) and 10′R-acetoxy-11′-hydroxyumbelliprenin (2), and a new diterpene, 15-hydroxy-6-en-dehydroabietic acid (3), along with 27 known compounds, were isolated from a CHCl3-soluble extract of Ferula assa-foetida through bioassay-guided fractionation. The structures of the new metabolites 1-3 were identified by spectroscopic data interpretation and by the Mosher ester method. Compounds 4 and 6-13 showed greater potency against influenza A virus (H1N1) (IC50 0.26-0.86 μg/mL) than amantadine (IC50 0.92 μg/mL), and 11 exhibited the best potency (IC50 0.51, 2.6, and 3.4 μg/mL) of these compounds against the HepG2, Hep3B, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, respectively. © 2009 American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy.