Panduratins Q-Y, dimeric metabolites from Boesenbergia rotunda and their antiausterity activities against the PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cell line.

Abstract A methanolic extract of the rhizomes of Boesenbergia rotunda showed potent preferential cytotoxicity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under nutrient deficiency conditions with a PC50 value of 6.6 μg/mL. Bioactivity-guided phytochemical investigation of the rhizomes of B. rotunda led to the isolation of nine undescribed dimeric metabolites, panduratins Q–Y. Their structures were elucidated based on NMR, MS, and ECD spectroscopic data interpretation. Panduratins Q–S and U–W exhibited potent cytotoxicity towards PANC-1 cell line with the PC50 values ranging from 0.8 to 6.3 μM. Panduratin W, which possessed a cyclohexenylchalcone-linked flavanone skeleton, showed the most cytotoxicity with a PC50 value of 0.8 μM under nutrient-deprived medium.