Merrilactone A, a novel neurotrophic sesquiterpene dilactone from Illicium merrillianum

Merrilactone A, isolated from the pericarps of Illicium merrillianum, shows an intriguing neurotrophic activity in the cultures of fetal rat cortical neurons. Its structure has been elucidated to be a unique sesquiterpene bearing two γ-lactones and an oxetane ring by extensive analyses of spectral data and then confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Further, the absolute configuration has been established by the modified Mosherʹs method.