Cytotoxic activity of some anatolian Salvia extracts and isolated abietane diterpenoids

Salvia hypargeia Fisch. et Mey. (Larmiaceae) root extract, among 16 Salvia extracts, showed the high est activity against the human ovarian cancer cell line. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of this plant extract has yielded four abietane-type diterpenes [5,6-didehydro-7-hydroxytaxodone (1), 14-deoxycoleon U (=6-hydroxysalvinolone) (2), demethylcryptojaponol (3), and salvicanaric acid (4)] two triterpenes (lupeol and lupeol-3-acetate), and a fatty acid mixture consisting mainly of palmitic acid (51.6%) and palmitoleic acid (6.4%). Compounds 2 and 3 were found to be active against A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line with IC50 values of 3.9 an 1.2 mu g/mL, respectively, and the fatty acid composition was the most active part of the extract (IC50 = 0.6 mu g/mL).