Phytochemical investigation and antitumor activity of coumarins from Sicilian accession of Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. roots

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area being present in Crete, Greece, Albania, and probably in Macedonia. From the roots of this accession of species, not previously investigated, four coumarins, grandivittin, aegelinol benzoate, felamidin and aegelinol, and two terpenoids, (2E)-3-methyl-4-[(3-methyl-1-oxo-2-buten-1yl)oxy]-2-butenoic acid and pressafonin-A, were isolated and spectroscopically characterized. The last one was never detected in Ferulago species. The evaluation of the anti-tumor effects of F. nodosa coumarins on colon cancer HCT116 cells showed only a modest effect on reduction of tumor cell viability. For aegelinol, the reduction of colon cancer cell viability already appears with 25 µΜ, while using 50 e 100 µM doses of marmesin the residual viability amounted to 70% and 54%, respectively. This effect resulted more evident at higher doses of compounds (at 200 µM from 80% to 0%). The most effective compounds resulted coumarins lacking ester group.