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Phenanthrenes and a dihydrophenanthrene from Tamus communis and their cytotoxic activity.

Kovács A, Forgo P, Zupkó I, Réthy B, Falkay G, Szabó P, Hohmann J

Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Szeged, Eötvös u. 6, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary.

From the petroleum ether extract of the rhizomes of Tamus communis, the 7-hydroxy-2,3,4,8-tetramethoxyphenanthrene (1) was isolated, together with the known 2,3,4-trimethoxy-7,8-methylenedioxyphenanthrene (2), 3-hydroxy-2,4,-dimethoxy-7,8-methylenedioxyphenanthrene (3), 2-hydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxyphenanthrene (4) and 2-hydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (5), through cytotoxic assay guidance. The structures were determined by means of HREIMS, (1)H NMR, JMOD and NOESY experiments. The cytotoxic effects of the isolated compounds were tested on cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cells, with the MTT assay. The results demonstrated that, with the exception of 2, all these compounds displayed pronounced cytotoxic activity; especially 1 and 3 exhibited significant cell growth inhibitory effects, with IC(50)=8.52+/-0.70 and 3.64+/-0.12muM, respectively.

Published 23 February 2007 in Phytochemistry, 68(5): 687-91.
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