Cytotoxic sesquiterpenes from Hedychium spicatum: isolation, structure elucidation and structure-activity relationship studies

Abstract

Phytochemical investigation of chloroform extract from rhizomes of Hedychium spicatum resulted in the isolation of six new sesquiterpenes (1-6) along with fifteen known compounds (7-21). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of the extensive spectroscopic analyses (IR, Mass and NMR) and by comparison of the data with those reported in the literature. Further, cytotoxic activities of all the isolates were evaluated by determining their inhibitory effects against A-549, B-16, Hela, HT-29, NCI-H460, PC-3, IEC-6 and L-6 cancer cell lines. Results indicated that compounds 1 and 3 may serve as an important natural lead compounds for future development as they showed potent cytotoxic activity against Hela cell lines with an IC50 value of 0.3 μg/mL and 1.80 μg/mL, respectively.