Alkaloids from Cephalotaxus lanceolata and their cytotoxicities.

A phytochemical investigation of the branches and leaves of Cephalotaxus lanceolata resulted in the isolation of three new cephalotaxus alkaloids, cephalancetines A, B, and D (1, 2, and 4, resp.), together with ten known alkaloids, 3 and 5-13. The structures of the alkaloids were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicities against four human tumor cell lines, A549, HCT116, SK-BR-3, and HepG2. Compounds 12 and 13 showed remarkable activities against A549, HCT116, and HepG2 cell lines.