Cardenolides of Leptadenia madagascariensis from the Madagascar dry forest

Investigation of the endemic Madagascar plant Leptadenia madagascariensis Decne. (Apocynaceae) for antiproliferative activity against the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line led to the isolation of the four new cardenolides 1-4. The structure elucidations of these compounds were based on analyzes of their 1D and 2D NMR spectra and mass spectrometric data. The cardenolides were strongly antiproliferative to the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line, with IC(50) values of 0.18, 0.21, 0.17, and 0.29microM line, and to the H460 human lung cancer cell line, with IC(50) values of 0.16, 0.68, 0.37, and 0.48microM, respectively.