Cytotoxic sesquiterpenoids from Winteraceae of Caledonian rainforest.

One secobutanolide, two butanolides and six drimane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the bark and leaves of Zygogynum pancheri and Zygogynum acsmithii (Winteraceae) along with six known drimanes, isodrimanial, 1beta-O-p-methoxy-E-cinnamoyl-bemadienolide, 7-ketoisodrimenin, drimenin, polygodial and 1beta-E-cinnamoyl-6alpha-hydroxypolygodial. Their structures were elucidated through analysis of spectroscopic data. Drimane sesquiterpenoids with a dialdehyde function exhibited significant inhibitory activities in the in vitro cytotoxic assays against KB, HL60 and HCT116 cancer cell lines.