Two new phenolic compounds from Ficus rumphii and their antiproliferative activity

Abstract

Two new compounds 2 and 4, along with two known compounds 1 and 3, were isolated for the first time from 95% ethanolic extract of the leaves of Ficus rumphii. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physical evidences (elemental analysis, UV, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectra) and comparison with the literature compounds. Structural authentication of compound 4 was further validated by single-crystal X-ray analysis and DFT calculations. The compounds 1–4 were screened for in vitro cytotoxicity against cancer and non-cancer cells and also tested for genotoxicity (comet assay). Compounds 2 and 4 displayed significant activity against HL-60 with IC₅₀ values of 3.3 and 2.3 μM, respectively. The results revealed that compound 4 has better prospectus to act as cancer chemotherapeutic candidate which warrants further in vivo anticancer investigations.

Keywords::

• Ficus rumphii
• phenolic compounds
• X-ray study
• anticancer activity

Acknowledgements

A. Mohammed thanks the chairman, Department of Chemistry, A.M.U, Aligarh, for providing necessary research facilities and UGC is also acknowledged for UGC-Minor research project F. No. 41-1323/2012 (SR). P.S. Pereira Silva acknowledges the support by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the scholarship SFRH/BPD/84173/2012.