Antibacterial sesquiterpenoid derivatives from Ferula ferulaeoides

Three new sesquiterpenoid derivatives 1, 2, and 3 were isolated from Ferula ferulaeoides. To confirm the structure, compound 2 was also synthesized via a condensation reaction between compound 1 and 2,2-dimethoxypropane. The structures of these three compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic and chemical methods. Their antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were evaluated with MIC values in the range of 0.5-128 µg/mL. Compounds 1 and 3 were capable of inhibiting efflux of ethidium bromide using an in vitro assay. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated on cultured HEK293 cells, and none of them showed toxicity to HEK293 cells at a concentration of 125 µg/mL.