Moldavica acid A, a new salicylic acid derivative from Dracocephalum moldavica

Abstract

In this paper, we present the discovery of a novel salicylic acid derivative, moldavica acid A (1), and a new natural dibenzo[b,f]oxepin, moldavica acid B (2), together with four known phenylpropionic acids (3-6) and protocatechuic acid (7) that were isolated from Dracocephalum moldavica L. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic methods, including infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance. Compound 1 is the first example of salicylic acid linking a carboxylated α-pyrone via an ethyl bridge. Beyond expanding the knowledge of the chemical diversity of D. moldavica, both compounds 1 and 2 were shown to upregulate the expression of Kruppel-like factor 2, which could serve as a prospective therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Dracocephalum moldavica
• salicylic acid
• α-pyrone
• dibenzo[b,f]oxepin
• atherosclerosis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Project supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS No. 2021-I2M-1-028) and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Key Laboratory Open Project (No. 2022D04017).