In vitro cytotoxic activity of isolated acridones alkaloids from Zanthoxylum leprieurii Guill. et Perr

Abstract: Chemical investigation of the roots and fruits of Zanthoxylum leprieurii Guill. et Perr. led to the isolation of three new alkaloids including two acridone derivatives, 3-hydroxy-1,4-dimethoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone (2) and 3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone (3) named helebelicine A and B, respectively, and one secobenzo[c]phenantridine, 10-O-demethyl-12-O-methylarnottianamide (10), together with thirteen other compounds. The structures of compounds 2, 3 and 10 as well as those of the known compounds were elucidated by using spectroscopic methods and by comparison with reported data. The brine-shrimp (artemia salina) lethality bioassay of the chloroform extract of the fruits showed modest cytotoxicity with LD50 at 13.1μg/mL. Isolated compounds 1, 4–6 were found to be moderately active against lung carcinoma cells (A549), colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (DLD-1) and normal cells (WS1) with IC50 values ranging from 27 to 77μM. In contrast to the positive control etoposide used, the cytotoxicity of the most active compound 4 was found to be selective against cancer cells in comparison to normal cells WS1 with IC50 of 51±8μM and 4.3±0.4μM, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]