Isolation and identification of cytotoxic compounds from the wood of Pinus resinosa

Methanol extracts of wood from Pinus resinosa were found to be selectively cytotoxic against human lung carcinoma cells, A549 (IC 50 41 ± 6 µg/mL), human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, DLD‐1 (IC 50 47 ± 4 µg/mL) in comparison with healthy cells, WS1 (IC 50 130 ± 11 µg/mL). Five known compounds were isolated and identified by 1 H, 13 C NMR spectroscopy and HR‐ESI‐MS mass spectrometry as, pinosylvin monomethyl ether (1), pinosylvin (2), pinosylvin dimethyl ether (3), pinobanksin (4) and (‐)‐norachelogenin (5). Compound 4 was isolated for the first time in P. resinosa . The cytotoxicity of compounds 1–5 was evaluated against A549, DLD‐1 and WS1. Compound 1 exhibited the strongest cytotoxicity against both tumor cell lines and the healthy cell line with an IC 50 of 25 ± 4 µ m for A549, 20 ± 1 µ m for DLD‐1 and 34 ± 3 µ m for WS1. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.