Bioactive phenolics from the fruits of Livistona chinensis

This study investigated the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of the phenolics isolated from the fruits of Livistona chinensis. Four new compounds, 1-(omega-isoferul[6- (4-hydroxybutyl)pentadecanoic acid])-glycerol (1), E-[6'-(5 ''-hydroxypentyl)tricosyl]-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamate (2), 2-(3'-hydroxy-5'-methoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxylmethy1-7-methoxy-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-5- carboxylic acid (3), 7-hy3droxy-5,4'-dimethoxy-2-arylbenzofuran (4), together with eleven known phenolics (5-15), were isolated and identified. Among these compounds, 1-4, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid (5), caffeic acid (7), and 3-O-caffeoylshikimic acid (8) showed potent antioxidant activity. 1-5, and 8 showed potent antiproliferative activities with 1050 values among 5-150 mu M against HepG2 human liver cancer, HL-60 human myeloid leukemia. K562 human myeloid leukemia, and CNE-1 human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. On the basis of these findings, it could be proposed that the fruits of L chinensis may serve as attractive mines of powerful anticancer and antioxidant agents for various purposes. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.