AIM: To study the bufadienolides in the Chinese traditional drug "Ch'an Su" and their cytotoxic activity.METHOD: Various chromatographic techniques were used to isolate the constituents, and their structures were elucidated through physical and spectroscopic data.RESULTS: Twenty compounds were isolated, and eighteen were evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxic activity against A-549 and K-562 cells.CONCLUSION: Compound 1 (bufalin 3â-acrylic ester) was a new bufadienolide and exhibited the most potent activity against the two tumor cell lines with IC50 values of 7.16 and 6.83 nmol · L(-1). The relationships between structure and activity are discussed.
Amphibian Venoms Antineoplastic Agents