Moldavica acid A, a new salicylic acid derivative from Dracocephalum moldavica .

In this paper, we present the discovery of a novel salicylic acid derivative, moldavica acid A ( 1 ), and a new natural dibenzo[b,f]oxepin, moldavica acid B ( 2 ), together with four known phenylpropionic acids ( 3 - 6 ) and protocatechuic acid ( 7 ) that were isolated from Dracocephalum moldavica L. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic methods, including infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance. Compound 1 is the first example of salicylic acid linking a carboxylated α -pyrone via an ethyl bridge. Beyond expanding the knowledge of the chemical diversity of D. moldavica , both compounds 1 and 2 were shown to upregulate the expression of Kruppel-like factor 2, which could serve as a prospective therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.