Euphorboside A, a cytotoxic meroterpenoid glycoside with an unusual humulene-phloroglucinol skeleton from Euphorbia kansuensis

Abstract

Euphorboside A (1), an unusual meroterpenoid glycoside featuring the incorporation of an acylphloroglucinol moiety into a humulene skeleton to form a 6/6/11 ring system, was isolated from the roots of Euphorbia kansuensis. Its structure was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, chemical methods, and ECD calculations. Compound 1 was screened for the cytotoxicity against nine cancer cell lines, and 1 showed marked inhibitory activities against human colon cancer RKO and human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 3.70 and 4.15 μM, respectively.

Keywords: Cytotoxicity; Euphorbia kansuensis; Euphorbiaceae; Euphorboside A; Meroterpenoid.