Constituents of Polyalthia jucunda. and Their Cytotoxic Effect on Human Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract4-Hydroxy-4, 7-dimethyl-α.-tetralone (1), 4,5-dihydroblumenol A (2), N.-trans.-feruloyltyramine (3), and 24–methylenelanosta-7, 9(11)-dien-3-β., 15α.-diol (4) were isolated from the stem bark of Polyalthia jucunda. (Piere) Finet & Gagnep (Annonaceae). All the compounds were evaluated for their effects on growth of four human tumor cell lines [ER(+) MCF-7, ER(−) MDA-MB-23, SF 268, and NCI-H460] and of a non–tumor cell line (MRC-5). Only compound 4 exhibited a dose-dependent growth inhibitory effect against both tumor and non–tumor cell lines but with less effect on the latter. Using the TUNEL assay, it was found that the inhibitory effect of compound 4 on NCI-H460 cells was probably caused by apoptosis.