A comparative study of the cytotoxic effect of dammaran row triterpenoids and betulin on early embryogenesis of the sea urchin

Abstract The relationship between chemical structure and cytotoxic effect of 35 triterpenes and of their dammaran row glycosides and betulin has been studied. Some of these compounds had a cytotoxic effect on developing sea urchin embryos. Depending on their structure and concentration, the glycosides cause anomalies in embryo development, arrest of egg division and blastomere lysis. The native aglycon of panaxoside A (XV), the aglycon of dihydropanaxoside A (X) and the diglucoside of panaxadiol (XXV) had highest cytostatic activity (10, 12 and 25 μg/ml, respectively). Betulin glycosides (100 μg/ml) have no cystostatic effect on developing sea urchin embryos.