Polyhydroxylated sterols from Monascus purpureus-fermented rice.

Using a cell-based cytotoxicity assay, two new polyhydroxylated sterols, 16(S),22(S)-epoxy-3ß,5α,6ß,20(R),23(R),25-hexahydroxy-7-ergostene and 3ß,7ß,8α,25-tetrahydroxy-5,22E-ergostadiene were isolated from the ethyl acetate portion of the ethanolic extract of Monascus purpureus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and in comparison with those reported in the literature. Both compounds showed cytotoxic activity against the lung adenocarcinoma (A549) with IC50 values of 12.6 and 18.5 µM, exhibited moderate activities against human ovarian cancer (A2780), with IC50 values of 8.8 and 9.4 µM.