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Planta Med 2007; 73(14): 1486-1490
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-990258
Natural Product Chemistry
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Cytotoxic Agents from Terminalia arjuna

Mohit Saxena1 , Uzma Faridi2 , Rupal Mishra1 , M. M. Gupta1 , M. P. Darokar2 , S. K. Srivastava1 , Digvijai Singh1 , Suaib Luqman2 , S. P. S. Khanuja2
  • 1Analytical Chemistry Division, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, P.O. CIMAP, Lucknow, India
  • 2Genetic Resource and Biotechnology Division, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, P.O. CIMAP, Lucknow, India
Further Information

Publication History

Received: June 4, 2007 Revised: September 26, 2007

Accepted: October 2, 2007

Publication Date:
16 November 2007 (online)

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Abstract

Although a number of chemicals have been isolated from Terminalia arjuna, only a few have been evaluated for their biological significance. As a part of our drug discovery programme for cytotoxic agents from Indian medicinal plants, four novel cytotoxic agents arjunic acid (1), arjungenin (2), arjunetin (3) and arjunoglucoside I (4) were isolated from the bark of T. arjuna. Out of the four compounds, arjunic acid (1) was significantly active against the human oral (KB), ovarian (PA 1) and liver (HepG-2 & WRL-68) cancer cell lines. Further, the most active compound arjunic acid was converted into seven semi-synthetic ester derivatives 5 - 11. 2-O-Palmitoyl arjunic acid (6) showed two times more activity, while 2, 3-di-O-acetyl-, 2-O-p-anisoyl-, 2, 3-di-O-benzoyl- and 2, 3-di-O-p-nitrobenzoyl arjunic acid (7 - 10) showed 1.7 - 2.3 times less activity than the cytotoxic drug vinblastine against the liver cancer cell lines HepG-2 and WRL-68 respectively.

Key words

Terminalia arjuna - Combretaceae - arjunic acid - cytotoxic - cytotoxicity assay - human oral - colon - liver cancer cell lines

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S. K. Srivastava

Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

P.O. CIMAP

Lucknow - 226015

India

Phone: +91-522-235-8723

Phone: +91-522-235-9624

Fax: +91-522-235-7136

Email: santoshkumar_1955@yahoo.com

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