Phytochemical investigation of the stems of Cucumis melo led to the isolation and identification of 21 cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, including nine new compounds (1-9) and 12 known compounds. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, chemical methods, and comparison with spectroscopic data in the literature. Two known compounds, cucurbitacin B (10) and cucurbitacin A (11), showed significant cytotoxic activity against the proliferation of A549/ATCC and BEL7402 cells in vitro. Of the new compounds, only compound 7 was weakly cytotoxic. The inhibitory effects of all compounds on the Jak-Stat3 signaling pathway were evaluated, but only cucurbitacin B (10) showed significant inhibitory activity of phosphotyrosine STAT3.
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude extract of Elaeocarpus hainanensis (Elaeocarpaceae), using the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer A549/ATCC and human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7402 cells as a monitor, led to the isolation of ten cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, including three new compounds (1-3) and seven known compounds (4-10). Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, chemical methods, and comparison with spectroscopic data in literature. The two known compounds, cucurbitacins D (5) and I (10) were found to exhibit the strongest cytotoxicity against A549/ATCC and BEL-7402 cells in vitro with IC50 values of less than 1 microM.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.