title: Bioactive sesquiterpene lactones from Centaurea species and their cytotoxic/cytostatic activity against human cell lines in vitro.
abstract: Sesquiterpene lactones isolated from the aerial parts of various species of the genus Centaurea were examined for their in vitro cytotoxic/cytostatic activity against five human cell lines (i. e., DLD1, SF268, MCF7, H460 and OVCAR3). Compounds 1 - 4 were isolated from C. zuccariniana, 5 and 6 from C. achaia, 7 from C. thessala ssp. drakiensis and compounds 8 and 9 from C. deusta. Compound 1, 8alpha- O-(3,4-dihydroxy-2-methylenebutanoyloxy)dehydromelitensine was found to be the most active, exhibited a considerable growth inhibiting activity against three of the cell lines tested, while compound 5 8alpha- O-(3-hydroxy-2-methylenepropanoyl)dehydromelitensin exhibited a growth inhibiting effect against most of the tested cell lines. A new eudesmanolide (8alpha-hydroxysonchucarpolide, 4) was isolated from C. zuccariniana and its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods.
authors.forename: Ekaterini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koukoulitsa
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Skaltsa
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karioti
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demetzos
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dimas
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007783:Lactones; D012717:Sesquiterpenes