Cytotoxicity of 3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl) etioline, a steroidal alkaloid from Solanum diphyllum L.

In continuation of our interest in phytochemical screening of the Egyptian flora for potential drugs, the reinvestigation of the methanolic extract of the roots of Solanum diphyllum, which grows naturally in the south of Egypt and is recorded as new to the Egyptian flora, afforded an interesting, highly cytotoxic compound, named 3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl) etioline [(25S)-22,26-epimino-3beta-(beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy) cholesta-5,22(N)-dien-16alpha-ol]. The chemical structure of this compound was determined by comprehensive NMR studies, including DEPT, COSY, HMQC, and MS. The compound exhibited high cytotoxic effects against the cervical cancer cell line, Hela cells, with an IC50 value of 150 microg/mL.