Antineoplastic agents. 573. isolation and structure of papilistatin from the papilionid butterfly Byasa polyeuctes termessa.

Bioassay-guided separation of an extract of the wings from a Taiwan butterfly, Byasa polyeuctes termessa, allowed isolation of a new cancer cell growth inhibitor designated papilistatin (1a). The structure was determined by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra and by HRMS. Against a panel of six human and the murine P388 leukemia cancer cell lines, papilistatin exhibited cancer cell growth inhibition with GI(50)'s of 0.093-3.5 microg/mL. Papilistatin was also found to have antibacterial activity.