Cytotoxicity studies of semi-synthetic derivatives of theveside derived from the aqueous extract of leaves of 'suicide tree' Cerbera odollam.

We report the isolation of two known iridoid glucosides theviridoside (1) and theveside (2) from the aqueous extract of leaves of Cerbera odollam and semi-synthetic derivatisation of theveside prepared in a single step under protection group-free conditions. Derivatives 2a-j were evaluated for cytotoxicity towards five human cancer cell lines of different origins, namely SKBR3 (breast), HeLa (cervical), A375 (skin), HepG2 (liver) and HCT-116 (colon), and IC50 values were determined. Derivatives 2b and 2h exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against HCT-116 and A375 cell lines, respectively.