Cytotoxic caffeic acid derivatives from the rhizomes of Cimicifuga heracleifolia

Activity profiling of the n-BuOH extract from Cimicifuga heracleifolia rhizomes led to the identification of three cytotoxic caffeic acid derivatives, carboxymethyl isoferulate (2), cimicifugic acid A (3), and cimicifugic acid B (4) together with a series of structurally related inactive compounds. The extract was separated by time-based fractionation in a gradient HPLC condition, and cytotoxicity of each fraction was evaluated using HCT116 colon cancer cells in vitro. HPLChyphenated spectroscopy including LC/NMR and LC/PDA/MS provided structural information for phenolic compounds contained in the extract, and further preparative isolation of active compounds 2-4 was achieved by semi-preparative HPLC. Compounds 2-4 showed cytotoxic activity against cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner at the concentrations of 2.5-40 mu M, and western blotting analysis showed that these compounds increased expression of cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), a critical apoptosis marker.