In this detailed phytochemical study of Narcissus cv. Professor Einstein, we isolated 23 previously known Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (1-23) of several structural types and one previously undescribed alkaloid, 7-oxonorpluviine. The chemical structures were identified by various spectroscopic methods (GC-MS, LC-MS, 1D, and 2D NMR spectroscopy) and were compared with literature data. Alkaloids which had not previously been isolated and studied for cytotoxicity before and which were obtained in sufficient amounts were assayed for their cytotoxic activity on a panel of human cancer cell lines of different histotype. Above that, MRC-5 human fibroblasts were used as a control noncancerous cell line to determine the general toxicity of the tested compounds. The cytotoxicity of the tested alkaloids was evaluated using the WST-1 metabolic activity assay. The growth of all studied cancer cell lines was inhibited by pancracine (montanine-type alkaloid), with IC50 values which were in the range of 2.20 to 5.15 µM.

ADINACO Research Group Department of Pharmaceutical Botany Faculty of Pharmacy Charles University Heyrovského 1203 500 05 Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Medical Biochemistry Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové Charles University Šimkova 870 500 03 Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry Faculty of Pharmacy Charles University Heyrovského 1203 500 05 Hradec Králové Czech Republic

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