12.

Isolation, Identification and Antiproliferative Activity of Triterpenes from the Genus Monotheca A. DC.

Shabnam Javed, Ikpefan E. Oise, Lutfun Nahar, Fyaz M. D. Ismail, Zaid Mahmood and Satyajit D. Sarker

Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore-54590, Pakistan

Department of Pharmacognosy and Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria

Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, England, UK

Abstract: The Monotheca A. DC. is a monotypic genus of the family Sapotaceae, which is widely distributed in Afghanistan, Djbouti, Northern Somalia, Oman, Pakistan and Southern Ethiopia. North-west Pakistan is the main region where Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC., the only species of this genus, locally known as “Gurgura”, grows abundantly. It is an evergreen, fruit-producing medicinal tree. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the aerial parts of M. buxifolia afforded lupeol (1), lupeol acetate (2), betulin (3), oleanolic acid (4) andβ-amyrin (5) from the n-hexane and the chloroform fractions. This is the first report on the isolation, and identification of triterpenes (1-5) as the major compounds in the active fractions with antiproliferative property, and also on the antiproliferative activity of M. buxifolia extract and fractions against the human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460 in vitro.

Keywords: Monotheca buxifolia ; Sapotaceae; antiproliferative property; triterpene; sulforhodamine B assay; lung cancer. © 2016 ACG Publications. All rights reserved.