Two new 2,3-seco-hopane triterpene derivatives from Megacodon stylophorus and their antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities.

Chemical investigation of the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Megacodon stylophorus led to the isolation and identification of two new seco-hopane triterpenoids, 2,3-seco-22(29)-hopene-2-carboxyl-3-aldehyde (1) and 2,3-seco-4(23),22(29)-hopene-2-carboxyl-3-aldehyde (2), along with 10 known compounds, 3-12. All the isolates were reported from this plant for the first time. The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by detailed analysis of their spectral data including 1D and 2D NMR. In addition, compound 1 was further analyzed by X-ray crystallography. Compounds 1-3 were evaluated for their in vitro anti-proliferative activities on HeLa, MCF-7, and Hep-G2 tumor cell lines. Compound 2 was active against the three cell lines with IC50 values of 3.6, 7.5, and 13.6 µM, respectively, while compound 1 exhibited cytotoxicity on MCF-7 (IC50 14.0 µM) and HeLa (IC50 18.2 µM) cell lines. Antimicrobial activities of compounds 1-2 (minimum inhibitory concentration values in the range of 3.12-12.50 mg/mL) were also observed. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.