title: The toxicity of some quassinoids from Eurycoma longifolia.
abstract: The 50 % aqueous ethanol extract of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceace) roots was partitioned with diethyl ether, n-butanol and then water. Acute toxicity studies of each fraction on mice administered orally and brine shrimps revealed that the n-butanol fraction was the most toxic. Toxicity-guided chromatographic fractionation of the n-butanol fraction identified eurycomanone as the most toxic component. 13,21-Dihydroeurycoma-none, eurycomanol, longilactone, 14,15 beta-dihydroxyklaineanone and eurycomanol-2- O-beta-glucopyranoside were 2.8, 33, 44, 88.9 and > 100 times less toxic on brine shrimps, respectively. A C 20 -type quassinoid, an alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone in ring A, an exomethylene function at C-13 and an oxymethylene bridge connecting C-8 and C-11 of ring C contributed to increased toxicity.
authors.forename: Kit-Lam
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Chee-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Choo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia / Q000187:drug effects*; D006576:Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D029641:Simaroubaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006576:Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings