Bioactivity-guided isolation of cytotoxic constituents of Brucea javanica collected in Vietnam

Five new triterpenoids (1–5), together with two known quassinoids, bruceantin (6) and bruceine A (7), and a known flavonolignan, (−)-hydnocarpin (8), were isolated from the chloroform-soluble subfraction of a methanol extract of the combined twigs, leaves, and inflorescence of Brucea javanica collected in Vietnam. The structures of the new compounds 1–5 were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity against a small panel of human cancer cell lines. Quassinoids 6 and 7 were found to be highly active against these cell lines. (−)-Hydnocarpin (8) showed a potentiating effect when combined with both 6 and 7, during cytotoxicity testing using the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line.

Eight compounds were isolated from a chloroform-soluble subfraction of the methanol extract of the combined twigs, leaves, and inflorescence of Brucea javanica collected in Vietnam. Among these compounds, 1–5 were characterized as five new triterpenoids. Two known quassinoids, bruceantin (6) and bruceine A (7), demonstrated highly inhibitory activities against a small panel of human cancer cell lines, and the cytotoxic potencies of 6 and 7 for the MCF-7 cell line were increased in the presence of (−)-hydnocarpin (8).Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide