Abstract
The plant Aeschynomene fascicularis (Fabaceae) has been used in Mayan traditional medicine in the Yucatan peninsula. However, the compounds present in the plant responsible for its curative properties have not yet been investigated. Aeschynomene fascicularis root bark was extracted with 100% methanol to obtain a crude extract. The methanol extract was partitioned successively with solvents with increasing polarity to obtain the corresponding hexane (Hx), dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate fractions (EtOAc), as well as a residual water-alcoholic fraction. These fractions were tested for their cytotoxic activities using an MTT assay against Hep-2 cancer cell lines. The Hx fraction led to the isolation of spinochalcone C (1), spinochalcone A (2), isocordoin (3) and secundiflorol G (4). Their structures were identified based on spectroscopic evidence and chemical properties. All compounds were subjected to cytotoxicity and antiproliferative assays against a panel of seven cell lines, including one normal-type cell line. Spinochalcone A (2) exhibited cytotoxic activity against DU-145 cell line and antiproliferative activity against the KB cell line. Secundiflorol G (4) showed strong cytotoxic activity towards KB and Hep-2 cell lines. In addition, isocordoin (3) showed moderate activity on KB, Hep-2 and DU-145 cell lines. The active Compounds 2, 3 and 4 are potential therapeutic entities against cancer.
Highlights
The flora of the Yucatan peninsula is rich in vascular plants, including 2600–3000 species [1].Some of these species have been used in traditional medicine by local communities for the treatment of a large number of diseases [2,3,4]
In the Yucatan, medicinal plants have been used in urban and rural communities as a common practice for the control of many types of diseases, including cancer. They are used in the treatment of conditions consistent with the symptoms of cancer: abscesses, calluses, corns, hard lumps, polyps, tumors or warts
The results indicated that Aeschynomene fascicularis root bark has a pronounced cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines
Summary
The flora of the Yucatan peninsula is rich in vascular plants, including 2600–3000 species [1] Some of these species have been used in traditional medicine by local communities for the treatment of a large number of diseases [2,3,4]. In the Yucatan, medicinal plants have been used in urban and rural communities as a common practice for the control of many types of diseases, including cancer. They are used in the treatment of conditions consistent with the symptoms of cancer: abscesses, calluses, corns, hard lumps, polyps, tumors or warts. In a preliminary screening for cytotoxic constituents from plants used in
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