Cytotoxic constituents from the stem bark of Diospyros cuneata Standl

• Published in: Natural product research Vol. 27; no. 17; pp. 1594 - 1597
• Main Authors: Quintal-Novelo, C., Moo-Puc, R.E., Chale-Dzul, J., Cáceres-Farfán, M., Mendez-Gonzalez, M., Borges-Argáez, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01.09.2013; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Bark; Biotechnology; Cancer; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cervical cancer; Cervix; Cytotoxicity; Diospyros - chemistry; Diospyros cuneata; Ebenaceae; Evaluation; Humans; Ionization; MTT assay; naphthoquinone; Naphthoquinones - chemistry; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pentacyclic Triterpenes - chemistry; Phytochemicals; Plant Bark - chemistry; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Stems - chemistry; Plumbagin; Spectrometry; Triterpenes - chemistry; Tumor cell lines
• ISSN: 1478-6419; 1478-6427
• DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2012.738201

A phytochemical investigation of the stem bark of Diospyros cuneata (Ebenaceae) together with in vitro cytotoxic evaluation of the pure compounds in four human cancer cell lines KB, Hep-2, HeLa and SiHa led to the isolation of plumbagin, elliptinone, lupeol, atraric acid methyl ester, maritinone, betulin and betulinaldehyde. The structural determination of the compounds was established by nuclear magnetic resonance, electron ionisation mass spectrometric analysis as well as comparison with data from the literature. Plumbagin exhibited a potent cytotoxic activity (CC 50  = 3.56 µg mL −1 ) against KB cell lines whereas maritinone displayed cytotoxic activity against Hep-2 (CC 50  = 17.30 µg mL −1 ), cervical cancer (CC 50  = 21.10 µg mL −1 ) and the KB cell lines (CC 50  = 20.30 µg mL −1 ). This is the first report on a phytochemical and biological evaluation of D. cuneata.