A new flavonone from Epimedium sagittatum Maxim and its anti-pulmonary fibrosis activity

Five compounds were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of a 70% ethanol extract of Epimedium sagittatum Maxim using a combination of chromatography techniques, including silica gel column chromatography, ODS column chromatography, and semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography techniques. The structures of these five compounds were identified as 5,4′-dihydroxy-3′-prenyl-7-prenyloxyflavanone (1), 5,4′-dihydroxy-7-prenyloxyflavanone (2), 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3′,8-diprenylflavanone (3), sebacic acid (4), and aurantiamide acetate (5), respectively, based on a comprehensive analysis of their physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data, such as NMR and MS. Notably, compound 1 was found to be a new flavonone compound, while compounds 2-5 were isolated from the Epimedium genus for the first time. Additionally, preliminary investigations indicated that compounds 1 and 3 exhibited potential anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities.