Chemical constituents of Blumea balsamifera of Indonesia and their protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitory activity.

A methanol extract of the leaves of Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. (Asteraceae) afforded a new guaian-type sesquiterpene, epiblumeaene K (1), together with four known guaian-type sesquiterpenes (2-5), three known sesquiterpenes (6-8), and nine known flavonoids (9-17) by a combination of chromatography and preparative TLC techniques. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and comparison with the literature data. Among the isolated compounds, a known sesquiterpene, beta-caryophyllene 8R,9R-oxide (6), exhibited a significant PTP1B inhibitory activity in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 25.8 microM (5.62 microg/mL).