大錦蘭(Anodendron benthamianum Hemsl.)屬夾竹桃科(Apocynaceae)錦蘭屬(Anodendron)的攀緣性藤本植物,為臺灣固有種。本研究發現大錦蘭莖部之甲醇抽出物對於人類肝癌細胞(hepatocellular carcinoma cells; SK-Hep-1)、前列腺癌細胞(prostate cancer cells; PC-3)及抗藥性卵巢癌細胞(paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells; TOV-21G-RTx)等細胞株皆顯現有細胞毒活性,而在高濃度(100 g/ml)時對此三種細胞株的生長皆有抑制作用(細胞存活率皆< 0 %);在低濃度(25 g/ml)作用時對抗藥性卵巢癌細胞仍呈現強效的抑制效果(細胞存活率< 0 %),而肝癌細胞抑制效果次強(細胞存活率0±5 %),抑制前列腺癌細胞效果則稍弱(細胞存活率10±0 %),因本植物對抗藥性卵巢癌細胞具有強的細胞毒殺效果,同時實驗結果亦顯示對於肝癌細胞及前列腺癌細胞也呈現強的抑制效果,故著手進行研究。利用生物活性導向分離試驗及光譜分析法,由大錦蘭莖部之活性乙酸乙酯層萃取分離得到三十個化合物,包括一個新化合物((+)-amisbenzoic acid)及二十九個已知化合物。
Anodendron benthamianum Hemsl. (Apocynaceae) is a climbing shrub , endemic to Taiwan and grows at low to medium altitudes. The methanolic extract of the whole plants of this species showed cytotoxic activity to hepatocellular carcinoma cells (SK-Hep-1), prostate cancer cells (PC-3), and paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells (TOV-21G-RTx), and the data indicated that the methanolic extract of the stem of A. benthamianum was cytotoxic (survival rate < 0 %) to all the cancer cell lines under high concentration (100 g/ml), as for the low concentration (25 g/ml) showed strong cytotoxicity to TOV-21G-RT and SK-Hep-1 while minor cytotoxic to PC-3 instead. Bioassay-guided fractionation of active ethyl acetate-soluble layer from the stem of A. benthamianum led to the isolation of thirty compounds, including one new compound, (+)-amisbenzoic acid, as well as twenty-nine known compounds. The structures of these isolates were elucidated by spectral analysis. The successive isolation of chemical constituents and their cytotoxicity assay are still in progress.