Four non-alkaloidal metabolites: Stemanthrene C, methyl ferulate, methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate and B-sitosterol were isolated from the roots of Stemona cochinchinensis plants which were collected in Savannakhet Province (Laos). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses. Stemanthrene C exhibited medium cytotoxic activity against the KB cell line with an IC50 value of ug mL−1. | JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF HNUE Chemical and Biological Sci. 2012 Vol. 57 No. 8 pp. 9-15 This paper is available online at http A CYTOTOXIC STILBENOID AND 4-HYDROXYCINNAMATES FROM Stemona cochinchinensis PLANTS GROWING IN SAVANNAKHET PROVINCE LAO PDR Vonganatha Khamko1 2 Dang Ngoc Quang1 and Pham Huu Dien1 1 Faculty of Chemistry Hanoi National University of Education 2 Faculty of Chemistry Savannakhet University Savannakhet Province Lao PDR Abstract. Four non-alkaloidal metabolites stemanthrene C methyl ferulate methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate and β-sitosterol were isolated from the roots of Stemona cochinchinensis plants which were collected in Savannakhet Province Laos . Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses. Stemanthrene C exhibited medium cytotoxic activity against the KB cell line with an IC50 value of µg mL 1 . Keywords Stemona cochinchinensis stemanthrene C methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate methyl ferulate cytotoxic activity. 1. Introduction Various species of the genus Stemona Stemonaceae are widely used in Vietnam Laos and other countries of Southeast Asia as an anti-cough remedy and for their antiparasitic properties. Specifically extracts made from the tuberous roots of Lour. Gagnep. and have been used in Vietnamese and Laotian traditional medicine in a broad range of applications including relief of cough and asthma and reduction of enteric helminths and ectoparasites in humans and cattle 1-4 . Chemical investigations of Stemona genus species have resulted in the isolation of more than 90 different alkaloids most of which share the common pyrrolo 1 2-a azepine basic nucleus a minor fraction also containing the pyrido 1 2-a azepine skeleton 5-7 . However ofthe non-alkaloid components of this genus less than 20 compounds mostly of the dihydrophenanthrenes and dihydrostibenes have been investigated 8 9 . Herein Received May 25 2012. Accepted October 1 2012. Chemistry Subject Classification .
