Isolation, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of bioactive compounds from Alseodaphne semecarpifolia Nees

Alseodaphne semecarpifolia (Lauraceae) is a traditional medicinal plant historically used in Indian Western Ghats to treat various human diseases. From the past few decades it has been traditionally recognized as an effective agent in cancer treatment. The phytochemical investigation of the stem bark and leaves of A. semecarpifolia led to the isolation of bioactive flavonoid compounds Icariin and Baicalein. Their structures were elucidated from obtained spectral data ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, (1)H (1)H COSY, FTIR and MS). Cytotoxic activity of Icariin and Baicalein evaluated against MCF-7 cells revealed their potent activity with an IC(50) of 42.15 ± 4.78 μg/ml and 44.37 ± 3.46 μg/ml, respectively, while very least effect was observed on normal cells (L6). Present study has suggested that both Icariin and Baicalein have potent cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells.