Bioactive furanocoumarins from the berries of <i>Zanthoxylum americanum</i>

Abstract

Abstract Crude extracts of the berries of Zanthoxylum americanum showed significant lethality to brine shrimp larvae and exhibited cytotoxicity to human tumor cells. Activity‐directed fractionation led to 5 furanocoumarins (cnidilin, imperatorin, isoimperatorin, psoralen, and xanthotoxin), the last three of which are bioactive in these bioassays. All were previously known as natural compounds but are new to this plant species.