Prenylated Flavonoids from the Root Bark of Berchemia discolor, a Tanzanian Medicinal Plant

Abstract

Five new prenylated flavonoids (1–5) were isolated from the root bark of Berchemia discolor, collected in Tanzania, along with 10 known compounds, by bioactivity-guided fractionation. The structures of compounds (1–5) were elucidated using various spectroscopic techniques. Of these isolates, compound 4, and the known compounds, nitidulin (6), amorphigenin (7), and dabinol (8), exhibited cytotoxic activity when evaluated against a small panel of human cancer cells. Nitidulin (6) was further tested in an in vivo hollow fiber assay, and found to be active against LNCaP (human hormone-dependent prostate cancer) cells implanted intraperitoneally, at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/ kg.