Zantholic acid, a new monoterpenoid from Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides.

From the extract of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides fruits, a new menthane monoterpenoid, (4R,7R)-8-carboxy-7,9-dihydroxy-trans-menthane, tentatively, named as zantholic acid along with several known compounds was isolated. Its structure was determined using spectroscopic methods. The cytotoxic activity of zantholic acid against a panel of cancer cell lines was evaluated using the MTT assay. The results show that zantholic acid possesses a selective cytotoxic activity towards breast cancer cell lines.