Novel neurotrophic sesquiterpene-neolignans from magnolia obovata

Abstract Novel sesquiterpene-neolignans, eudesobovatols A (1) and B (2) isolated from Magnolia obovata have been assigned structures on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses and chemical degradation, and eudesobovatol A has been found to exhibit neurotrophic activity at 10 −5 M $$$ 10 −7 M on neuronal cell culture system of fetal rat cerebral hemisphere.