Asitrilobins C and D: Two new cytotoxic mono-tetrahydrofuran annonaceous acetogenins from Asimina triloba seeds

Two new bioactive mono-tetrahydrofuran (THF) :gamma-lactone acetogenins, as itrilobins C (1) and D (2), were isolated from the seeds of Asimina triloba (Annonaceae) by directing the fractionation with brine shrimp lethality. C ompounds 1 and 2 have a relative stereochemical relationship of threo/trans /threo across the mono-THF ring with its two flanking hydroxyls. Their stru ctures were established on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence. Com pounds 1 and 2 showed selective cytotoxicity comparable with adriamycin for the breast carcinoma (MCF-7) and the colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lin es. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.