Flavones and rosmarinic acid from Salvia limbata.

The genus Salvia (Lamiaceae) contains more than 50 shrub species in Iran, and Salvia limbata C.A. Meyer grows widely in the north and central parts of the country. Six flavones and rosmarinic acid were isolated from the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the flowered aerial parts of S. limbata collected from Semnan province. The separation process was carried out using several chromatographic methods. Structural elucidation was based on NMR data, in comparison with those reported in the literature. The isolated compounds were identified as ladanein (1), salvigenin (2), luteolin 7-methyl ether (3), cirsiliol (4), eupatorin (5), luteolin 7-O-glucoside (6) and rosmarinic acid (7). Some of these flavonoids have been reported to show antibacterial and cytotoxic activities.