Unusual Guaiane Sesquiterpenoids from Artemisia rupestris

Abstract Two new guaiane sesquiterpenoids, (1 β ,5 β )‐1‐hydroxyguaia‐4(15),11(13)‐dieno‐12,5‐lactone ( 1 ) and 1,5‐epoxy‐4‐hydroxyguai‐11(13)‐en‐12‐oic acid ( 2 ), together with five known compounds, rupestonic acid ( 3 ), strobilactone A ( 4 ), antiquorin ( 5 ), isosclerone ( 6 ), and 5‐hydroxy‐2′,3′,4′,7,8‐pentamethoxyflavone ( 7 ), were isolated from a 95% EtOH extract of Artemisia rupestris. Compounds 1 and 2 are rare examples of guaiane sesquiterpenoids, incorporating a 12,5‐lactone group or featuring a 1,5‐epoxy ring, respectively. The structures of 1 and 2 were identified by various spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1, 4 , and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against the human lung cancer 95‐D cell line with IC 50 values of 11.3, 19.8, and 34.5 μ M , respectively.