Quassinoids from the Roots of <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> and Their Anti-Proliferation Activities

oleh: Wei-Qun Yang, Wei Tang, Xiao-Jun Huang, Jian-Guo Song, Yue-Yue Li, Yu Xiong, Chun-Lin Fan, Zhen-Long Wu, Ying Wang, Wen-Cai Ye

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-09-01

Deskripsi

A phytochemical investigation on the roots of medicinal plant <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> resulted in the isolation of 10 new highly oxygenated C<sub>20</sub> quassinoids longifolactones G‒P (<b>1</b>–<b>10</b>), along with four known ones (<b>11</b>–<b>14</b>). Their chemical structures and absolute configurations were unambiguously elucidated on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and X-ray crystallographic data. Notably, compound <b>1</b> is a rare pentacyclic C<sub>20</sub> quassinoid featuring a densely functionalized 2,5-dioxatricyclo[5.2.2.0<sup>4,8</sup>]undecane core. Compound <b>4</b> represents the first example of quassinoids containing a 14,15-epoxy functionality, and <b>7</b> features an unusual α-oriented hydroxyl group at C-14. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferation activities on human leukemia cells. Among the isolates, compounds <b>5</b>, <b>12</b>, <b>13</b>, and <b>14</b> potently inhibited the in vitro proliferation of K562 and HL-60 cells with IC<sub>50</sub> values ranging from 2.90 to 8.20 μM.