Isolation and Identification of a Novel Anticancer Compound from Solanum nigrum

To identify and isolate anticancer active compounds from Solanum nigrum, S. nigrum was extracted with MeOH and then fractionated with various organic solvents (CH2Cl2, EtOAc, n-BuOH, and H2O). The cytotoxic effects of the MeOH extracts from S. nigrum and its organic solvent-soluble fractions were also tested in HT29 cells. All the MeOH extracts of S. nigrum and its organic-solvent extracts induced cytotoxicity in the HT29 cells. Among the extracts, H2O was the most effective. The H2O extract was purified further by repeated silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, Diaion HP20, and RP-18 column chromatography. An active anticancer compound, Des-N-26-methylene-dihydrotomatidine, was isolated with a molecular weight of 416 and a molecular formula of C28H48O2. Analysis of the cytotoxic effects of Des-N-26-methylene-dihydrotomatidine on the HT29 cells compared to those of tomatine and tomatidine are similar in its structure, is higher than tomatidine above the 40 μg/ml concentration, but lower than tomatine. This is the first study to describe the anticancer activity of Des-N26-methylene-dihydrotomatidin, isolated from S. nigrum. Des-N-26methylene-dihydrotomatidine seems to have potential as a natural bioactive compound.