Isolation, structural identification and cytotoxic activity of hexanic extract, cyperenoic acid, and jatrophone terpenes from Jatropha ribifolia roots

The cytotoxicity of a hexanic fraction produced from the ethanolic crude extract, obtained from Jatropha ribifolia (Pohl) Baill, Euphorbiaceae, roots was evaluated against ten human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, NCI-ADR/RES, OVCAR-3, PC-3, HT-29, NCI-H460,786-O, UACC-62, K-562, U251) compared with doxorrubicine as positive control. Compounds jatrophone and cyperenoic acid were isolated from the hexanic extract and characterized by spectroscopic techniques (NMR of 1H, 13C and IR). The in vitro antiproliferative activity of jatrophone showed selectivity in a concentration dependent way with Total Inhibition growth of: glioma 0.57 µg mL-1 (U251), breast cancer 9.2 µg mL-1 (MCF-7), adriamycin-resistant ovarian cancer 0.96 µg mL-1 (NCI-ADR/RES), kidney 4.2 µg mL-1 (786-0), prostate cancer 8.4 µg mL-1 (PC-3), colon cancer 16.1 µg mL-1 (HT29) and leukemia 0.21 µg mL-1 (K-562).