A cytotoxic diterpenoid from Croton membranaceus, the major constituent of anticancer herbal formulations used in Ghana

Abstract

Croton membranaceus is used by herbalists and traditional healers in Ghana for the management of various cancers, especially prostate cancers. A methanolic extract of the roots showed cytotoxic activities against two cancer cell lines, and bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract revealed that the cytotoxic activity resided mostly in the ethyl acetate fraction. Six compounds were isolated from this fraction, including a new furano-clerodane diterpenoid (1), for which the trivial name crotomembranafuran is suggested. This compound exhibited an IC50 value of 4.1 μg/mL (10.6 μM) against human prostate (PC-3) cells, providing some support for the traditional use of C. membranaceus in the treatment of cancers.