Brine Shrimp Lethality of a Glutarimide Alkaloid from Croton sylvaticus Hochst

Abstract

Cytotoxic properties of pure compounds from the leaves of Croton sylvaticus (Euphorbiaceae) against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) larvae were investigated. A glutarimide alkaloid, julocrotine (1) showed very high cytotoxic activity with a LC50 (95 % CI) value of 0.074 (0.052-0.105) µg/ml when tested in vitro while lupeol (2) and penduliflaworisin (3) were inactive in brine shrimp lethality test. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by modern spectroscopic methods.