Limonoids, triterpenes, sterols, and flavonoids from Cedrela odorata L. and their cytotoxic activity

The isoflavonoid cedrelin (1), isolated for the first time, and two new limonoids with mexicanolide skeleton, the 15-O-acetyl-12-oxo-fissinolide (2) and 15-O-acetyl-fissinolide (3), were isolated together with fifteen other known compounds from the stem bark of Cedrela odorata. Among the known compounds were the limonoid 7α,11β-diacetoxydihydronomilin (4) and the triterpene pentaol (5), whose 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data interpretation and structural elucidation are discussed here for the first time. Cell culture assays demonstrated that some of the compounds isolated from this plant possess moderate cytotoxic activity in representative human cancer cell lines. These cytotoxicity studies, along with previous reports, revealed that at least 6 of the isolated compounds exhibit activity against cancer cell lines, which aligns with the popular use in the cancer treatment for this medicinal plant.