Phenanthrene Derivatives from Cymbidium Great Flower Marie Laurencin and Their Biological Activities

A new phenanthrendione, ephemeranthoquinone B (1), two phenanthrenes, marylaurencinols A (2) and B (3), and a phenanthrene glucoside, marylaurencinoside A (4), Laurencin, along with six known phenanthrenes, 5-10. The were isolated from the roots of Cymbidium Great Flower Marie structures of these compounds were established by a combination of extensive NMR spectroscopy and/or X-ray crystallographic analysis and chemical degradation. The compounds were tested for antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae and for cytotoxic activity against the human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cell line. Compounds 1, 3, and 6 showed antibacterial activities with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the range of 4.88 to 65.10 mu M. Notably, ephemeranthoquinone B (1) had a strong antibacterial effect on B. subtilis. Furthermore, 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity (IC50 2.8 mu M) against HL-60 cells. Compounds 4-9 also showed weak cytotoxic activity against the HL-60 cell line with IC50 values of 19.3-52.4 mu M.