Polyacetylenes from the roots of cultivated-wild ginseng and their cytotoxicity in vitro.

Column chromatographic separation of the roots of cultivated-wild ginseng (Jangnoisam) led to the isolation of seven polyacetylenes (1-7). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods to be panaxynol (1), ginsenoyne-A (2), panaxydol (3), 10-methoxy heptadeca-1-ene-4, 6-dyne-3, 9-diol (4) (3R, 9R, 10R)-panaxytriol (5), panaxyne (6), and ginsenoyne-C (7). These compounds were isolated from this source for the first time. The compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activity against four human cancer cell lines (A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15) in vitro using the SRB method. Panaxydol (3) and panaxyne (6) showed significant and selective cytotoxicity against SK-OV-3 with ED50 values 2.93 and 1.40 microM, respectively.