Isolation of Hopenone-I from the Leaves of Mangrove Plant Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea and Its Cytotoxic Properties

Aims: The present study was aimed to isolate active anti proliferative compound/s from the hexane extract of leaves of the mangrove plant Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea C.F.Gaertn. and evaluate their cytotoxic properties.

Place and Duration of the Study: At the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, between January 2015 to November 2015.

Methodology: The hexane extract of the leaves of S. hydrophyllacea which was found to be cytotoxic was fractionated using normal phase column chromatography and fractions obtained from column chromatography were tested for anti proliferative effects. Active fractions obtained were further fractionated using normal phase column chromatography to obtain compound 1. Structure of the isolated compound was elucidated with combination of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry techniques. Anti proliferative properties of compound 1 in three cancer cell lines {MCF-7 (estrogen receptor positive breast cancer), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) and AN3CA (endometrial cancer)} was evaluated by MTT assay after 24 and 48 h incubations.

Results: Isolated compound was found to be hopenone-I, a triterpenoid and this is a novel finding for the presence this compound in the mangrove plant S. hydrophyllacea. Hopenone-I showed some promising anti proliferative effects in all the cancer cells in a time and dose dependent manner after 24 and 48 h incubations {MCF-7: 14.98 µM (24 h) and 7.76 µM (48 h), HepG2: 29.24 µM (24 h) and 11.60 µM (48 h), AN3CA: 12.15 µM (24 h) and 4.99 µM (48 h)}.

Conclusion: Based on the overall results of the present study, we conclude that hopenone-I isolated for the first time from S. hydrophyllacea leaves possess prominent anti proliferative effects in MCF-7, AN3CA and HepG2 cell lines.