Alkaloid Profiling of Hippeastrum Cultivars by GC-MS, Isolation of Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids and Evaluation of Their Cytotoxicity

Abstract

Different species, hybrids and varieties of the genus Hippeastrum (Amaryllidaceae) are planted for ornamental purposes and at the same time they represent a rich source of interesting secondary metabolites called Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. These compounds display a wide spectrum of biological activities. In the current study, six Hippeastrum taxa were evaluated for their alkaloid profile by GC-MS. Using preparative TLC, five alkaloids were isolated in pure form, and three of them evaluated for cytotoxic and antiproliferative potencies on a panel of human cancer cells of different histotype (Jurkat, MOLT-4, A549, HT-29, PANC-1, A2780, HeLa, MCF-7 and SAOS-2). In parallel, normal MRC-5 human fibroblasts were employed to determine the compounds overall toxicity against non-cancer cells. The most intriguing cytotoxic profile was demonstrated by montanine (1) with IC50 values between 1.04 -1.99 M.