Cytotoxic Phenylpropanoid Derivatives and Alkaloids from the Flowers of L.

Regarding our growing interest in identifying biologically active leads from Amaryllidaceous plants, the flowers of L. (Amaryllidaceae) were investigated. Purification of the cytotoxic fractions of the alcoholic extract of the flowers gave a new glycoside, 3-[4-(-D-glucopyranosyloxy)phenyl]-2-()-propenoic acid methyl ester (), together with the previously reported compounds 3-methoxy-4-(-D-glucopyranosyloxy)benzoic acid methyl ester (), 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-1-ol-1--D-glucopyranoside (), ()-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acrylic acid methyl ester (), caffeic acid (), dihydrocaffeic acid methyl ester (), and pancratistatin (). Interestingly, compounds and are phenolic--glycosides, while the glucose moiety in is attached to the propanol side chain. This is the first report about the existence of - in the genus . Further, glycosides - from the Amaryllidaceae family are reported on here for the first time. The structures of - were determined by analyses of their 1D (H and C) and 2D (COSY, HMQC, HMBC) NMR spectra, and by high-resolution mass spectral measurements. Pancratistatin displayed potent and selective growth inhibitory effects against MDA-MB-231, HeLa, and HCT 116 cells with an IC value down to 0.058 µM, while it possessed lower selectivity towards the normal human dermal fibroblasts with IC of 6.6 µM.