Cytotoxic activity and effect on nitric oxide production of tirucallane-type triterpenes

Hexane extract from the bark of Amphipterygium adstringens, as well as its principal constituents, masticadienonic acid and 3alpha-hydroxymasticadienolic acid, inhibited the growth of five human cancer cell lines. Derivatives of, namely 24,25 S-dihydromasticadienonic acid and masticadienolic acid, were also evaluated. The results showed that both and had greater activity than on colon cancer cell lines. The effects of on the production of nitric oxide (NO) from both resting and lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages were determined. It was found that and caused an increase in NO release from resting macrophages; in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages, only and caused an increase in NO production.