Phenanthrenes and a dihydrophenanthrene from Tamus communis and their cytotoxic activity

From the petroleum ether extract of the rhizomes of Tamus communis, four phenanthrenes 1-4 and a dihydrophenanthrene (5) were isolated. Compounds 1 and 3-5 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity on cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cells; especially 1 and 3 exerted significant cell growth-inhibitory effects, with IC50 8.52 and 3.64 μM, respectively.