Cytotoxic Prenylated Stilbenes Isolated from Macaranga tanarius

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Phytochemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Macaranga species are a rich source of bioactive compounds.
• Prenylated stilbenes exhibit diverse biological activities, including cytotoxicity.
• The schweinfurthin series is of interest for potential anticancer agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discover novel cytotoxic prenylated stilbenes from Macaranga tanarius.
• To investigate the chemical constituents of Macaranga tanarius fruits.
• To evaluate the anticancer potential of isolated compounds.

Main Methods:

• Phytochemical investigation using molecular networking.
• Isolation and structure elucidation of compounds using spectroscopic data (NMR, ROESY).
• Cytotoxicity assays against human glioblastoma (U87) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines.

Main Results:

• Seven new prenylated stilbenes, schweinfurthins K-Q, were isolated and characterized.
• Known compounds vedelianin, schweinfurthins E-G, mappain, and methyl-mappain were also identified.
• The cytotoxic activities of all 13 isolated compounds were evaluated against U87 and A549 cell lines.

Conclusions:

• Macaranga tanarius yielded new prenylated stilbenes with potential cytotoxic properties.
• The study expands the known schweinfurthin series with novel chemical entities.
• Further investigation into the anticancer mechanisms of these compounds is warranted.