ANTITUMOR AGENTS .145. CYTOTOXIC ASPRELLIC ACID-A AND ACID-C AND ASPRELLIC ACID-B, NEW P-COUMAROYL TRITERPENES, FROM ILEX-ASPRELLA

Three new p-coumaroyl triterpenes, asprellic acids A [1], B [2], and C [3], were isolated from the EtOH extract of dried leaves of Ilex aspr ella. The structures for 1-3 have been established as 3, 27-di-O-trans -p-coumaroyl- [1], 3-O-trans-p-coumaroyl-27-O-cis-p-coumaroyl- [2], an d 3-O-cis-p-coumaroyl-27-O-trans-p-coumaroyl- [3] 3 beta,27-dihydroxyo lean-12-en-28-oic acid, respectively, by spectral and chemical examina tions. Asprellic acid A [1] exhibited potent cytotoxicity against the RPMI-7951 cell line with an ED(50) value of 0.62 mu g/ml, while the cy totoxicity of asprellic acid C [3] against RPMI-7951 was marginal (ED( 50) 5.5 mu g/ml). Compounds 1 and 3 also showed cytotoxicity against K B cells with ED(50) values of 3.75 and 2.86 mu g/ml, respectively. Asp rellic acid B [2] did not show cycotoxicity (>10 mu g/ml) against KB o r RPMI-7951 cell lines.