Antitumor constituents of the wetland plant Nymphoides peltata: a case study for the potential utilization of constructed wetland plant resources.

The efficient utilization of plant resources is a necessary and important measure for sustainable management of constructed wetlands. Screening bioactive metabolites from wetland plants could reveal potential solutions for the utilization of constructed wetland plant resources. In this study, the constructed wetland macrophyte Nymphoides peltata was screened for constituents with antitumor activity. The secondary metabolites of N. peltata were extracted and separated by MCI gel, silica gel, and Sephadex gel column chromatography. Antitumor tests were then carried out with MTT assay against the human prostate cancer cell PC3 and the human osteosarcoma cell U2OS. The secondary metabolite group with the most significant antitumor activity was further examined, and four constituents were obtained and identified. This study provides a scientific basis for the potential efficient utilization of N. peltata and other constructed wetland plant resources.