Constituents from the stem barks of Canarium bengalense with cytoprotective activity against hydrogen peroxide-induced hepatotoxicity.

Phytochemical investigation of the stem barks of Canarium bengalense (Burseraceace) resulted in the isolation of a new flavone glycoside (5) together with six known compounds (1-4, 6, and 7). The chemical structure of the new compound was elucidated as 3'-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone-5-O-α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside by means of 1D and 2D NMR ((1)H-(1)H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) and MS analyses. To evaluate the in vitro cytoprotective effect, the isolates (1-7) were tested against hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced damage in primary cultured hepatocytes. The viability of hepatocytes was increased by treatment with each compound, except compound 1. Compounds 3, 4, and 7 exerted cytoprotective effects comparable to curcumin, the positive control. Our results suggest that the cytoprotective constituents of C. bengalense may contribute to its traditional use in the treatment of tumor and liver damage.