Phytother Res. 2002 Jun; 16(4): 320-5.

Cytotoxic flavonoids from the stem bark of Lonchocarpus aff. fluvialis.

Blatt CT, ChÃ¡vez D, Chai H, Graham JG, Cabieses F, Farnsworth NR, Cordell GA, Pezzuto JM, Kinghorn AD.

Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

Activity-guided fractionation of a chloroform-soluble extract of Lonchocarpus aff. fluvialis stem bark using a human epidermoid (KB) tumour cell line as a monitor afforded five rotenoids, one pterocarpan, one chalcone, three flavanones, one flavone and one triterpenoid. All of the compounds isolated proved to be of previously known structure. Among them, the rotenoids (-)-sumatrol and (+/-)-villosinol, the dibenzoylmethane derivative (+)-3,4-methylenedioxy-2'-methoxy-[2",3":4',3']-furanodibenzoylmethane, and the flavanones (-)-isoglabrachromene and (-)-candidone have been shown to exhibit significant cytotoxic activity against human cancer cells for the first time. This is the first report of the chemical constituents of this species, and the profile of compounds obtained was in accordance with the established chemosystematic patterns of species in the tribe Tephrosieae (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae).Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.