Isolation, structure elucidation, and biological evaluation of 16,23-epoxycucurbitacin constituents from Eleaocarpus chinensis

J Nat Prod. 2012 Mar 23;75(3):444-52. doi: 10.1021/np200879p. Epub 2012 Jan 12.

Abstract

Eight new 16,23-epoxycucurbitacin derivatives, designated as elaeocarpucins A-H (1-8), and five known cucurbitacins (9-13) were isolated from the chloroform-soluble partitions of separate methanol extracts of the fruits and stem bark of Elaeocarpus chinensis collected in Vietnam. Isolation work was facilitated using a LC/MS dereplication procedure, and bioassay-guided fractionation was monitored using HT-29 human cancer cells. The structures of compounds 1-8 were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation, with the absolute configurations of isomers 1 and 2 established by the Mosher ester method. Compounds 1-13 were evaluated in vitro against the HT-29 cell line and using a mitochondrial transmembrane potential assay. Elaeocarpucin C (3), produced by partial synthesis from 16α,23α-epoxy-3β,20β-dihydroxy-10αH,23βH-cucurbit-5,24-dien-11-one (13), was found to be inactive when evaluated in an in vivo hollow fiber assay using three different cancer cell types (dose range 0.5-10 mg/kg/day, i.p.).

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / isolation & purification*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
  • Cucurbitacins / chemistry
  • Cucurbitacins / isolation & purification*
  • Cucurbitacins / pharmacology*
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Fruit
  • HT29 Cells
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Plant Bark / chemistry
  • Vietnam

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Cucurbitacins