A phytochemical study of the root and bark of Brucea antidysenterica J. F. Mill. (Simaroubaceae) afforded three new compounds, including a stilbene glycoside bruceanoside A (1), and two canthinone alkaloids bruceacanthinones A (3) and B (4), along with ten known secondary metabolites, rhaponticin (2), 1,11-dimethoxycanthin-6-one (5), canthin-6-one (6), 1-methoxycanthin-6-one (7), 2-methoxycanthin-6-one (8), 2-hydroxy-1,11-dimethoxycanthin-6-one (9), β-carboline-1-propionic acid (10), cleomiscosin C (11), cleomiscosin A (12), and hydnocarpin (13). The structures of all the compounds were determined using spectrometric and spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR, and HRSEIMS. The identities of the known compounds were further confirmed by comparison of their data with those reported in the literature. The root and bark methanolic extracts, the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions, and the isolated compounds (3-13), were assessed for their cytotoxicity against the cancer cell lines A-549, MCF-7, and PC-3. The results suggested that compounds in the extracts might possess a synergic action in their cytotoxicity.

Centre for Natural Products Discovery School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Liverpool John Moores University James Parsons Building Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK

Department of Biological Sciences School of Science and the Environment University of Worcester Henwick Grove Worcester WR2 6AJ UK

Department of Chemistry Faculty of Science University of Douala P O Box 24157 Douala Cameroon

Laboratory of Growth Regulators Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR and Palacký University Šlechtitelů 27 78371 Olomouc Czech Republic

Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry Department of Chemistry Bielefeld University 33501 Bielefeld Germany

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