Compounds From the Root of Pueraria peduncularis (Grah. ex Benth.) Benth. and Their Antitumor Effects

Pueraria peduncularis belongs to the genus Pueraria DC., and has a wide range of medicinal and agricultural values. Previous studies have shown that methanol extracts of P. peduncularis had broad range bioactivities against different pests such as insects, phytopathogens, and snails; however, the specific studies with regard to active compounds against these pests have not been reported. In the current study, we systematically assessed the effects of P. peduncularis root extract against cancer cells, and we also isolated, purified, and analyzed the active ingredients of 8 different compounds from the root of P. peduncularis. To the best of our knowledge, coumestrol (compound 1), lupinalbin A (compound 2), wighteone (compound 6), and erythrinin C (compound 4) were the first isolated from the P. peduncularis root in our study. The extract of the P. peduncularis root had a significantly strong cytotoxic activity on the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 (31.0%) and breast cancer cell line MCF-7 (33.0%), respectively. Lupinalbin A (compound 2), erythrinin C (compound 4), pedunsaponin A (compound 7), and pedunsaponin C (compound 8) had more than 40% inhibitory effects on the lung adenocarcinoma line A549. Whereas erythrinin C (compound 4) and pedunsaponin C inhibited more than 47% breast cancer cell lines MCF-7. These results indicate that P. peduncularis is rich in anticancer substances that laid the foundation for a further understanding of P. peduncularis and need to be further explored for other diseases.