One new phenylpropanoic acid congener, 2R-(5'-methoxy) pandanusphenol B (1), along with 26 known isolates, were isolated from Zanthoxylum nitidum. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data and circular dichroism analyses. All compounds, except 4, 7-10, 15, 17, 19 and 25, were reported from Z. nitidum for the first time. Among them, 16 compounds (1-3, 5-6, 12-14, 16, 20-24 and 26-27) were discovered from genus Zanthoxylum for the first time, while 15 compounds (1-3, 5-6, 12-14, 20-24 and 26-27) were isolated from the Rutaceae family for the first time. All isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against five human cancer cell lines and the results showed that compound 27 exhibited significant cytotoxicity toward HepG2 and T24, with IC50 values of 2.49 and 7.0 μM, respectively.
Keywords: Rutaceae; Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC; benzenoid derivative; cytotoxicity.