A new caffeic acid tetramer from the Dracocephalum moldavica L

A new caffeic acid tetramer compound, named (+) methyl rabdosiin (4), together with seven known caffeic acid multimers (1-3, 5-8) and one caffeic acid monomer (9), were isolated from the aerial parts of Dracocephalum moldavica L. The structures of these compounds were assigned on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry analyses. The protective effects of compounds 2-4 against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced apoptosis were evaluated in primary cardiomyocytes of SD neonatal rats in vitro by the MTT method. Three compounds exhibited potent protective activities at 12.5 μg/mL.