Phytomedicine. 2003 May; 10(4): 325-33.

Bioactive crude plant seed extracts from the NCAUR oilseed repository.

Cantrell CL, Berhow MA, Phillips BS, Duval SM, Weisleder D, Vaughn SF.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Illinois, USA. c.cantrell@hauser.com

Over four-hundred crude extracts from 202 plant species distributed among 131 plant families were evaluated for their bioactivity against brine shrimp (Artemia salina). Activity was determined for both the organic (CH2Cl2:MeOH) and aqueous extracts against A. salina in a 96 well-plate assay. Of the greater than four-hundred extracts tested, 21 organic and 6 aqueous extracts demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity (LC50 = < 100 microg/ml). Three of these organic extracts (Crateva religiosa, Diospyros dichrophylla, and Olax subscorpioidea) were chosen for chemical investigations due to their high activity and a lack of prior investigations. Chemical analysis of these extracts resulted in the isolation of oleanolic acid (1) and 4-epi-hederagenin (2) from C. religiosa, isodiospyrin (3) from D. dichrophylla, and santalbic acid (4) from O. subscorpioidea.