Antiviral and cytotoxic evaluation of coumarins from Prangos ferulacea

Prangos ferulacea (L.) Lindl. (Apiaceae) is a perennial plant found in the Middle-East, where it is commonly used as an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is a rich source of coumarins.

To purify several coumarins from P. ferulacea and to screen their cytotoxicity and anti-herpes activity.

Acetone extract of roots of P. ferulacea was subjected to several chromatographic separations to render pure coumarins (1-8). Anti-herpes virus effects of 1-7 were evaluated at concentration 2.5, 5, and 10 µgmL(-1), on a confluent monolayer of Vero cells infected with 25 PFU of HSV1. Cytotoxic effects of 1 and 2 were evaluated on an A2780S cell line using the MTT assay. The cells were exposed to a series of concentrations of coumarins (0.01-2.5 mM, 37°C, 72 h).

Compounds 1-8 were identified as osthole, isoimperatorin, oxypeucedanin, psoralen, oxypeucedanin hydrate, gosferol, oxypeucedanin methnolate, and pranferol. This is the first report of occurrence of 4 and 7 in this plant. Compound 1 showed a viability of 9.41% ± 2.4 at 2.5 mM on A2780S cells (IC50 = 0.38 mM). The cell survival of 2 at 2.5 mM was 46.86% ± 5.5 with IC50 equal to 1.1 mM.

Compound 1 shows cytotoxic effects on the A2780S cell line. Compound 2 is a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor and the A2780S cell line does not express COX-2 which may interpret the non-toxic effect of the compound on this cell line. None of the tested compounds showed an anti-HSV effect at non-toxic concentrations.