| Summary: | Lignans are known to be an important class of phenylpropanoid secondary metabolites. In the course of our studies on the chemodiversity of lignans, the necessity arose to develop a method for the fast detection and identification of bioactive lignan subclasses. In this study, we detected 10 lignan derivatives of different extracts of <i>F. viridissima</i> by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. Lignan glycosides (<b>1</b> and <b>2</b>), lignans (<b>3</b> and <b>4</b>), and lignan dimers (<b>5</b>−<b>10</b>) were identified by analysis of their exact masses and MS<sup>e</sup> spectra along with the characteristic mass fragmentation patterns and molecular formulas. We further investigated NO inhibitory effects of <i>F. viridissima</i> fractions and their major lignan derivatives to evaluate those anti-inflammatory effects. The methylene chloride fraction of <i>F. viridissima</i> as well as compounds <b>8</b> and <b>10</b> showed potent dose-dependent NO inhibitory effects on RAW 264.7 cells. Corresponding to the NO inhibition by compounds <b>8</b> and <b>10</b>, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was notably reduced by both compounds. Our combined data with the bioactive results and the component analysis by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS suggest that the methylene chloride fraction of <i>F. viridissima</i> roots could be potential anti-inflammatory agents and these are related to major lignans including dimeric dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans.
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