New chalcone and pterocarpoid derivatives from the roots of Flemingia philippinensis with antiproliferative activity and apoptosis-inducing property.

Investigation of the roots of Flemingia philippinensis resulted in the isolation of two new chalcones, flemiphilippinones B (1) and C (2), and one new pterocarpoid, demethylwedelolactone-11-methyl ether (3), together with 12 known compounds (4-15). The antiproliferative activity against PC-3 cells was evaluated and most compounds showed cytotoxicity, among which, compound 2 exhibited GI50 value of 14.12µM. The antiproliferative activity of 2 against Bel-7402 and CaEs-17 cells was also measured, with GI50 values of 1.91 and 2.58µM, respectively. Intensive mechanism study showed that 2 caused cell-cycle arrest at S/G2 phase and induced apoptosis in Bel-7402 cells through mitochondria-related pathway.