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DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-990258
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Cytotoxic Agents from Terminalia arjuna
Publication History
Received: June 4, 2007
Revised: September 26, 2007
Accepted: October 2, 2007
Publication Date:
16 November 2007 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/plantamedica/200714/lookinside/thumbnails/10.1055-s-2007-990258-1.jpg)
Abstract
Although a number of chemicals have been isolated from Terminalia arjuna, only a few have been evaluated for their biological significance. As a part of our drug discovery programme for cytotoxic agents from Indian medicinal plants, four novel cytotoxic agents arjunic acid (1), arjungenin (2), arjunetin (3) and arjunoglucoside I (4) were isolated from the bark of T. arjuna. Out of the four compounds, arjunic acid (1) was significantly active against the human oral (KB), ovarian (PA 1) and liver (HepG-2 & WRL-68) cancer cell lines. Further, the most active compound arjunic acid was converted into seven semi-synthetic ester derivatives 5 - 11. 2-O-Palmitoyl arjunic acid (6) showed two times more activity, while 2, 3-di-O-acetyl-, 2-O-p-anisoyl-, 2, 3-di-O-benzoyl- and 2, 3-di-O-p-nitrobenzoyl arjunic acid (7 - 10) showed 1.7 - 2.3 times less activity than the cytotoxic drug vinblastine against the liver cancer cell lines HepG-2 and WRL-68 respectively.
Key words
Terminalia arjuna - Combretaceae - arjunic acid - cytotoxic - cytotoxicity assay - human oral - colon - liver cancer cell lines
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S. K. Srivastava
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
P.O. CIMAP
Lucknow - 226015
India
Phone: +91-522-235-8723
Phone: +91-522-235-9624
Fax: +91-522-235-7136
Email: santoshkumar_1955@yahoo.com
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