Sesquiterpene lactones, inhibitors of farnesyl protein transferase, isolated from the flower of Artemisia sylvatica

Five sesquiterpene lactones, 8-acetylarteminolide (1), artanomaloide (2), a rteminones (3 and 4), and dehydromatricarin (5), were isolated from the met hanolic extract of the flower of Artemisia sylvatica and characterized on t he basis of their spectral data. New sesquiterpene lactone 1 was identified as a configurational isomer of artanomaloide (2), and the new arteminones 3 and 4 are determined as stereoisomers. 8-Acetylarteminolide (1) strongly inhibited FPTase with an IC50 of 1.8 mu M, however, the other sesquiterpene lactones mildly inhibited the transferase with an IC50 of 22-300 mu M. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.