Abstract
In the present study a cytotoxic secondary metabolite, 4-hydroxy-4-(4-nitrophenyl)butan-2-one (compound-1), was isolated from the fermentation broth of the terrestrial actinomycetes. The strain was collected from high altitude regions of Kashmir and it was confirmed as Streptomyces collinus (SRP-19) on the basis of 16S rDNA analysis. To the best of our knowledge the compound-1 has not been reported so far from natural sources. The structure of the isolated compound was established by means of spectroscopic analysis including H-1, C-13, 2D NMR and it was also evaluated for its cytotoxic potential against four cancer cell lines, viz., HeLa, PC-3, THP and Caco-2 cells. Compound 1 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity, having IC50 values within a range of 5.39-8.86 mu M.