Analysis of bioactive ferulates from gum guggul (Commiphora wightii)

For centuries, guggul has been used extensively by Ayurvedic physicians to treat a variety of diseases, especially for disorders of lipid metabolism. In the present study, major constituents in freshly prepared guggul gum were isolated and identified. Furthermore, bioactivity-directed fractionation and purification afforded three cytotoxic components (D1, D2, and D3) of fresh Commiphora wightii. D1 was characterized as a mixture of two novel ferulates with an unusual skeleton by spectral and chemical methods, including NMR, GC-MS and chemical derivatization. Similarly, D2, as well as D3, was identified as the novel ferulate with the same skeleton as D1. D1 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity in detailed activity test, and showed moderate scavenging effect against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals.