Phenanthrenes from Juncus effusus

Abstract

A chemical investigation of the EtOAc-soluble fraction from the ethanol extract of the medullae of Juncus effusus led to the isolation of three new 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes, juncuenins E–G (1–3); two new phenanthrenes, dehydrojuncuenins D–E (4–5); one new feruloylated glycoside (6); and one known 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (7). The structures of these compounds were determined by analyzing their spectroscopic data. Metabolites 1–4 and 7 were further evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against seven human cancer lines (A549, MCF-7, BEL-7402, HeLa, COLO205, BGC-823, and SK-OV-3). Among them, compound 1 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines. Compound 7 showed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 9.17 and 19.6 µM, respectively.

Key words

Juncus effusus - Juncaceae - phenanthrenes - feruloylated glycoside - cytotoxic activities

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