title: Phenanthrenes and a dihydrophenanthrene from Tamus communis and their cytotoxic activity.
abstract: From the petroleum ether extract of the rhizomes of Tamus communis, the 7-hydroxy-2,3,4,8-tetramethoxyphenanthrene (1) was isolated, together with the known 2,3,4-trimethoxy-7,8-methylenedioxyphenanthrene (2), 3-hydroxy-2,4,-dimethoxy-7,8-methylenedioxyphenanthrene (3), 2-hydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxyphenanthrene (4) and 2-hydroxy-3,5,7-trimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (5), through cytotoxic assay guidance. The structures were determined by means of HREIMS, (1)H NMR, JMOD and NOESY experiments. The cytotoxic effects of the isolated compounds were tested on cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cells, with the MTT assay. The results demonstrated that, with the exception of 2, all these compounds displayed pronounced cytotoxic activity; especially 1 and 3 exhibited significant cell growth inhibitory effects, with IC(50)=8.52+/-0.70 and 3.64+/-0.12 microM, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Szeged, Eötvös u. 6, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Adriána
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forgo
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zupkó
authors.forename: Borbála
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Réthy
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Falkay
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hohmann
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D029765:Combretum / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D027343:Rhizome / Q000737:chemistry; D027744:Tamus / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010616:Phenanthrenes; D010936:Plant Extracts