Cytotoxic coumarins and lignans from extracts of the northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

Four pyranocoumarins; dipetaline, alloxanthoxyletin, xanthoxyletin and xant hyletin; and two lignans; sesamin and asarinin were isolated from the north ern prickly ash, Zanthoxylum ameticanum. To varying degrees, all inhibited the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into human leukaemia (HL-60) cells . Dipetaline was the most active with an IC50 of 0.68 ppm, followed by allo xanthoxyletin (1.31 ppm), sesamin (2.71 ppm), asarinin (4.12 ppm), xanthoxy letia (3.48 ppm) and xanthylletin (3.84 ppm). Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.