Bioassay-guided isolation of cycloartane-type triterpenes, their cytotoxic properties and identification of potential chemical markers from propolis.

Phytochemical investigation through cytotoxicity bioassay-guided isolation of propolis led to the identification of five cycloartane-type triterpenes, including mangiferonic acid , ambonic acid , mangiferolic acid , ambolic acid and cycloartenol . Their structures were established based on detailed spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. Compounds - were isolated for the first time in this species. From cytotoxicity MTT assay, compound inhibited the growth of breast (MCF-7) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cancer cell lines with IC of 5.08 and 4.82 µg/mL, respectively. Cytotoxicity of compounds - were reported for the first time against HepG2 cancer cell lines. Compounds - were suggested to serve as main and/or analytical markers for propolis based on HPLC analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation of bioactive constituents and identification of chemical markers for propolis.