Marine Drugs and Natural Products

Biography

Biography: Aman Dekebo

Abstract

Ethiopia is well known since ancient times as the original source of a variety of natural products such as civet, coffee, myrrh, frankincense, etc. Six known compounds were identified in myrrh, the resin of Commiphora myrrha. However, several other compounds were also reported in the literature to occur in myrrh when in fact these compounds are constituents of adulterants of myrrh. In the course of our work, we have clarified the adulterants responsible for the reported compounds. C. sphaerocarpa afforded a new furanosesquiterpene (1E)-8,12-epoxygermacra-1,7,10,11-tetraen-6-one together with the known compounds. Two new octanordammarane triterpenes, 15-hydroxymansumbinone and 28-acetoxy-15-hydroxymansumbinone, and the known compounds mansumbinone, mansumbinol, (16S, 20R)-dihydroxydammar-24-en-3-one and T-cadinol were isolated from C. kua. Four novel lignans, erlangerin A, erlangerin B, erlangerin C and erlangerin D were isolated from the resin of C. erlangeriana. The toxicity of Erlangerins was studied by measuring the viability of two human (HeLa and EAhy926) and two murine (L929 and RAW 264.7) cell lines. As assessed by the MTT assay, the effect of Erlangerin C and D closely follow the activity profile of podophyllotoxin and they induced a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in the murine macrophage cells (RAW 264.7) and a cytostatic effect in HeLa, EAhy926 and L929 cells. In contrast, Erlangerins A and B suppressed cell viability at relatively higher concentrations [EC(50) values higher than 3 μM as compared with nM concentration range for Erlangerins C and D and podophyllotoxin] and their activity appears to be consistent with a cytotoxic mode of action in all cell lines studied.