ScienceAsia 18 (1992): 187-194 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.1992.18.187

CYTOTOXIC DITERPENOID CONSTITUENTS FROM ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA NEES. LEAVES

P. SIRIPONG^a, B. KONGKATHIP^b, K. PREECHANUKOOL^a, P. PICHA^a, K. TUNSUWAN^c, AND W.C. TAYLOR^d

ABSTRACT: In our search for antineoplastic constituents from Thai medicinal plants, the methanolic extract from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata Nees. (Acanthaceae), known as "Fha Talai Joan", was found to show significant cytotoxicity against K.B and P388 cells. Bioactivity guided chromatographic fractionation has led to the isolation of three diterpenoids. Interestingly, andrographolide, a major constituent, has been shown for the first time to have potent cytotoxic activity against K.B cells cultures as well as P388 lymphocytic leukemia, whereas 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide and neoandrographide have shown no cytotoxic activity in the tumor cell lines. In addition, stigmasterol was isolated from the hexane extract of this plant. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic data.

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a Research Division, National Cancer Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.
b Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
c Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khan Kaen, Thailand.
d Department of Organic Chemistry, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Received September 24, 1992