ANTITUMOR AGENTS .138. ROTENOIDS AND ISOFLAVONES AS CYTOTOXIC CONSTITUENTS FROM AMORPHA-FRUTICOSA

Eight cytotoxic compounds have been isolated from the CHCl3 extract of Amorpha fruticosa. One compound, 6'-O-D-beta-glucopyranosyldalpanol [ 10], is a new cytotoxic rotenoid. Another known rotenoid, 12abeta-hydr oxyamorphigenin [6], was first shown to exhibit extremely potent cytot oxicity (ED50 < 0. 00 1 mug/ml) in six neoplastic cell lines. In addit ion to these compounds, three isoflavones (afrormosin [1], 7,2', 4', 5 '-tetramethoxyisoflavone [2], 8-methylretusin [3]) and five rotenoids (amorphispironone [4], amorphigenin [5), dalpanol [7], 12abeta-hydroxy dalpanol [8], and tephrosin [9]) were isolated. Compound 8 was isolate d for the first time as a natural product from this plant. The structu res of these compounds were established on the basis of spectral data; some were further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.