Daucane sesquiterpenes from Ferula hermonis

The roots of Ferula hermonis Boiss yielded two new daucane esters, 14-(4'-hydroxybenzoyloxy)dauc-4,8-diene (1) and 14-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxybenzoyloxy)dauc-4,8-diene (2), together with the four known sesquiterpenes jaeschkeanadiol p-hydroxybenzoate (3), jaeschkeanadiol benzoate (4), jaeschkeanadiol (5), and epoxyjaeschkeanadiol (6). The identities of the isolated compounds were ascertained primarily using NMR and MS data. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with IC50 1.5 and 3.5 mug/mL, respectively, and against Methicillin-resistant S. aureus with IC50 2.0 and 4.0 mug/mL, respectively.