Three new compounds, (7
E)-2
,3
-dihydroxy-megastigm-7-en-9-one (
1), 3-[5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxo-4
H-chromen-8-yl]-4-methoxybenzoic acid (
2), and 4'-
O-methyl myricetin 3-
O-(6-
O-
-
L-rhamnopyranosyl)-
-
D-glucopyranoside (
3), were isolated from
Ginkgo biloba, together with27 known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were determined primarily from 1D-and 2D-NMR analysis. The 4-
O-methylbenzoic acid structural feature at C-8 in
2 is encountered forthe first time. The antioxidant activities of 29 compounds isolated from
Ginkgo biloba were evaluatedon intracellular reactive oxygen species in HL-60 cells. It was found that quercetin, kampferol, andtamarixetin had antioxidant activity that was approximately 3-fold greater than that of their respectiveglycosides and also approximately 3-fold greater than that of a standard ascorbic acid with an IC
50at maximum effectiveness.Keywords:
Ginkgo biloba; flavonoid; megastigmane; antioxidant activity