Abstract
Myrrh, a resin derived from the damaged bark of Commiphora genus, has traditionally been used for treatment of various human diseases, such as amenorrhea, ache, tumors, fever, and stomach pains. In spite of this widespread use of the myrrh in Ethiopia, the pharmacological activity and chemical composition have not been studied in detail. A new tricyclic triterpene acid (3S,4S,14S,7E,17E,21Z)-3,30-dihydroxypodioda-7,17,21-trien-4-carboxylic acid (commafric A) has been isolated from a crude methanolic extract of Commiphora africana (A. Rich.) Engl. resin along with the known pentacyclic triterpene α-amyrin. The structure of commafric A was characterized using different spectroscopic techniques such as 1D and 2D NMR, IR, and VCD combined with computations. The anti-proliferative activity of both isolated compounds was evaluated using SRB based colorimetric cellular assay against four human cancer cell lines. Etoposide was used as a positive control. Commafric A showed significant anti-proliferative effects against non-small cell lung cancer (A549) with IC50 values of 4.52 μg/ml. The pentacyclic triterpene α-amyrin showed a weak anti-proliferative activity against A2780 (ovarian cancer), MIA-PaCa-2 (pancreatic cancer), and SNU638 (stomach cancer) cell lines tested with IC50 values ranging 9.28 to 28.22 μg/ml. Commafric A possessed anti-proliferative activity against non-small cell lung cancer (A549), which suggests that commafric A has potential to be further optimized being a lead compound in the search for new drugs against cancer diseases.
Highlights
Natural products are very inspiring in the drug discovery process
Characterization of compound 1 Compound 1 was obtained as a white powder, with [α]2D2 : +4o (c 1.0, C HCl3) and its molecular formula was established on the basis of a high resolution positive-ion mode HR-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS2 scanned from 170.00 to 600.00 m/z
In our study for in vitro anti-proliferative activity, we found that the crude extract and related n-hexane fraction is lower than 30 μg/ml, which is within the limit of criteria set by the American National Cancer Institute for further purification [38]
Summary
Natural products are very inspiring in the drug discovery process. Aziz et al [1] reviewed several drugs that have been obtained from different plant sources. Some of them can be obtained from Commiphora africana (Burseraceae), which is a bush about 1.5 m tall and is wide-spread in African countries, such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique [2]. Bark and leaves are traditionally used to treat. The resin of C. africana contains betulin [7], which has been shown to have antitumor activity, especially in combination with cholesterol [8]. Betulinic acid derivatives can inhibit HIV-1 [9].
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