Aim: To investigate the quinoline alkaloids from the roots of Dictamnus angustifolius G.Don ex Sweet (Rutaceae).
Method: The quinoline alkaloids were isolated by various column chromatographic methods and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis.
Results: A new quinoline alkaloid, 5-methoxylrobustine (1), along with five known quinoline alkaloids were obtained, and their structures were identified as dictamnine (2), robustine (3), isopteleine (4), γ-fagarine (5), and skimmianine (6). Cytotoxicity testing of these alkaloids showed that all of them had weak cytotoxic activities against human breast cancer cells (MCF7).
Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new quinoline alkaloid. Alkaloid 3 showed stronger anti-proliferation effect than the other alkaloids.
Keywords: 5-Methoxylrobustine; Cytotoxicity; Dictamnus angustifolius; Quinoline alkaloids.
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