New 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives from agarwood and their inhibitory effects on tumor cells.

Two new chromone derivatives, 7-hydroxy-2-[2-(3'-methoxy-4'-hydroxyphenyl)-ethyl]chromone (1), and 6,7-dimethoxy-2-[2-(3'-hydroxyphenyl)-ethyl]chromone (2) were isolated from the EtOH extract of agarwood of Aquilaria sinensis, together with eleven known analogues. Their structures were established by detailed HR-ESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, as well as comparison with the literature data. Selected the isolates (1, 2, 4-8, 10, 11) were tested for their antitumor activities against SMMC-7721, MGC-803 and OV-90 cell lines using the MTT method with cisplatin and paclitaxel as the positive control. All the tested compounds showed weak cytotoxic activities with IC₅₀ values ranged from 18.82 to 37.95 µg/ml.