Isolation and characterization of compounds with anti-prostate cancer activity from Arctium lappa L. using bioactivity-guided fractionation

Abstract

The methanolic extract of the seeds of Arctium lappa was found to show inhibitory activity against prostate cancer cell lines. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of a 95% ethanol extract from the seeds of A. lappa led to the isolation of seven compounds: β-sitosterol (1), daucosterol (2), lappaol C (3), lappaol A (4), and arctignan E (5), lappaol F (6), and arctiin (7). Their structures were elucidated by UV, IR, MS, and NMR data, as well as by comparison with those of the literature. Compounds 3-7 were studied for their cytotoxicity using a prostate cancer cell line. Compounds 3, 4, and 6 showed activity against the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line with IC50 values of 8, 16, and 40 μg/mL, respectively.