Cytotoxic steroids from Sarcococca saligna.

Two new C₂₁-steroidal esters, sarsaligates A(1) and B(2), and two new steroidal alkaloids, sarsaligenines A(3) and B(4), together with four known compounds (sarcovagine, sarcorucinine, dimethylamino-3 β-pregnane-20-one, and β-sitosterol 5- 8, respectively), were isolated from the leaves and stems of Sarcococca saligna. The structures of compounds 1-4 were elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic analysis. Of the compounds tested, 5 and 6 were the most cytotoxic against the cell lines K562, SK-BR-3, and PANC-1, with IC₅₀ values in the range of 2.25-5.00 µM, while 3 and 4 selectively inhibited HL-60 cells with IC₅₀ values of 2.87 and 3.61 µM, respectively. Compounds 3-6 therefore deserve further evaluation of their cytotoxic potentials. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.