13C-nmr spectral assignment and evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of rotenone.

Unambiguous 13C-nmr assignments for the widely used pesticide rotenone have been made through the judicious use of APT, CSCM 1D, and selective INEPT spectroscopy. Also, in order to more fully characterize the biologic potential of rotenone, studies were performed with cultured cells. Intense, but nonspecific, activity was observed in the P-388 lymphocytic leukemia, KB carcinoma of the nasopharynx, and a number of human cancer cell types: e.g., HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma, LU-1 lung cancer, COL-2 colon cancer, MEL-2 melanoma, and BC-1 breast cancer cell lines in vitro.