Three cardenolide glycosides, calotropin (1), frugoside (2), and 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylfrugoside (3), were obtained as the cytotoxic principles of "akond mul" (roots of Calotropis gigantea L.). The cytotoxicity of these compounds against various cell lines of human and mouse origin was tested.
Two 15beta-hydroxycardenolides (1,2) and a 16alpha-hydroxycalactinic acid methyl ester (3) along with eleven known compounds including 16alpha-hydroxycalotropagenin, coroglaucigenin, 16alpha-hydroxycalotropin, calactinic acid, calotoxin, 6'-O-(E-4-hydroxycinnamoyl)desglucouzarin,