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Lupane Triterpenes with Antileukemia Activity from Maytenus quadrangulata

Quintão SVM, de Aguilar MG, Souza LC, Freitas TR, Jardim MECDS, de Souza LBE, Sabino AP, Duarte LP et al.

ACS omega, 2026

Abstract

Maytenus quadrangulata occurs naturally in the Brazilian biomes Caatinga and Atlantic Forest, and previous studies have demonstrated its potential as a source of bioactive molecules. In light of this, a phytochemical study of the chloroform extract of Maytenus quadrangulata branches was carried out, yielding the new triterpene 30-oxo-2,3-seco-lup-20-(29)-ene-2,3-dioic acid (1) and a mixture containing the new semisynthetic triterpene 25-hydroxy-7-oxofriedelan-3α-yl acetate (2). In addition, seven known compounds were also obtained: friedelan-3-one (3), friedelan-3β-ol (4), friedelan-3α-ol (5), a mixture of long-chain fatty acids of β-sitosterol and lupeol-β-sitosterol alkanoate (6) and lupeol alkanoate (7), friedelane-3,7-dione (8) and 2,3-seco-lup-20-(29)-ene-2,3-dioic acid (9). Structural elucidation of the isolated metabolites was performed using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The chemical structures of the new compounds, 1 and 2, were confirmed by the analysis of two-dimensional NMR spectra (HSQC, HMBC, COSY, and NOESY). An in vitro cytotoxicity assay against the THP-1 and K-562 leukemia cell lines and an in silico analysis using ADMETLab 3.0 were performed for compounds 1 and 9. The novel triterpene (1) exhibited the highest cytotoxicity and the most favorable drug-like profile, underscoring its potential as an anticancer therapeutic.

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