Antiproliferative Butyrolactones from Mezilaurus crassiramea

Abstract

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract from the leaves of Mezilaurus crassiramea, which was toxic to Artemia salina larvae, afforded 3′-acetylrubrenolide (1), 2′,3′-diacetylrubrenolide (2), and rubrenolide (3) from the active dichloromethane soluble fraction. Compound 1 is new, while 2 and 3 are first reported from a natural source and in the Mezilaurus genus, respectively. Compound 3 showed significant cytotoxicity against UACC-62, MCF-7, HT-29, and PC-3 human cancer cell lines, with GI₅₀ values ranging from 3.3 to 9.9 µg/mL, while 1 and 2 exhibited marginal activities against at least five of the six investigated cell lines. The structures of 1–3 were established on the basis of 1D- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry data and specific optical rotation values.

Key words

Mezilaurus crassiramea - Lauraceae - γ-lactones - rubrenolide - cytotoxicity

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