Dicarabrones A and B, a pair of new epimers dimerized from sesquiterpene lactones via a [3 + 2] cycloaddition from Carpesium abrotanoides.

Dicarabrones A and B, a pair of epimers possessing a new skeleton featuring a cyclopentane ring connecting two sesquiterpene lactone units, were isolated from the whole plant of Carpesium abrotanoides L. Their full structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data and were further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. They were presumably biosynthesized from two sesquiterpenoid monomers through a [3 + 2] cycloaddition. Dicarabrones A and B showed moderate effects on HL-60 cells with IC50 values of 9.1 and 8.2 μM, respectively.