New chalcone and pterocarpoid derivatives from the roots of Flemingia philippinensis with antiproliferative activity and apoptosis-inducing property

Abstract Investigation of the roots of Flemingia philippinensis resulted in the isolation of two new chalcones, flemiphilippinones B ( 1 ) and C ( 2 ), and one new pterocarpoid, demethylwedelolactone-11-methyl ether ( 3 ), together with 12 known compounds ( 4 - 15 ). The antiproliferative activity against PC-3 cells was evaluated and most compounds showed cytotoxicity, among which, compound 2 exhibited GI 50 value of 14.12 μM. The antiproliferative activity of 2 against Bel-7402 and CaEs-17 cells was also measured, with GI 50 values of 1.91 and 2.58 μM, respectively. Intensive mechanism study showed that 2 caused cell-cycle arrest at S/G 2 phase and induced apoptosis in Bel-7402 cells through mitochondria-related pathway.