Abstract
Phytochemical investigation on the stem of Euphorbia polyacantha Boiss. (Euphorbiaceae) afforded a new anthraquinone named as 1, 8-dihydroxy -3- (hydroxyl methyl) -5- methoxy anthracene- 9,10- dione (1) along with three known compounds, aloe emodin (2), 3, 4, 3'-tri-O-methyl ellagic acid (3), and 3,3',4, 4'- tetra-O-methyl ellagic acid (4). Their structures were determined on the basis of IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analysis. The effect of isolated compounds on oxidative burst of neutrophils and T-cell proliferation response was studied. Compounds 3 and 1 displayed strong oxidative burst inhibitory activity with IC50 2 +/- 0 and 3.5 +/- 1.1 mu g/mL respectively, whereas they moderately inhibited the T-cell proliferation with IC50 28.5 +/- 1.8 and 22.5 +/- 2.0 mu g/mL respectively. Compound 2 was relatively inactive with IC50 43.2 mu g/mL in oxidative burst and > 50 mu g/mL in case of T-cell proliferation. This is the first report on the phytochemical profile and biological activity of E. polyacantha.