Abstract
Boophone disticha (Amaryllidaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine in southern Africa. Several alkaloids, volatile oils and fatty acids have been isolated from the plant. However, there has been no literature report of a triterpene from B. disticha. Cycloeucalenol, a cycloartane triterpene, together with its regio-isomer, was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the bulbs using column chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography. Structural elucidation was carried out using 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectroscopy. The MTT and neutral red assays were used to assess the cytotoxicity of the compound in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. The compound was obtained as a mixture of two regio-isomers, which were separated for the first time by chromatographic optimization. Integration of the 1H NMR spectrum showed that cycloeucalenol and its regio-isomer were present in a ratio of 1.04:1. A dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was observed using both cytotoxicity assays. IC50 values of 173.0 ± 5.1 μM and 223.0 ± 6.4 μM were obtained for the MTT and neutral red assays, respectively, indicative of the low toxicity of the compound. This work describes for the first time, the presence of triterpene compounds from the genus Boophone.