This invention relates to a compound or group of compounds present in an active principle derived from plants of species Euphorbia peplus, Euphorbia hirta and Euphorbia drummondii, and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds. Extracts from these plants have been found to show selective cytotoxicity against several different cancer cell lines. The compounds are useful in effective treatment of cancers, particularly malignant melanomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compound is selected from the group consisting of jatrophanes, pepluanes, paralianes and ingenanes, and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts or esters thereof, and more particularly jatrophanes of Conformation II.

Peplin Research Pty. Ltd.

Anti-cancer compounds

Peplin Biotech Pty. Ltd.

This invention relates to a compound or group of compounds present in an active principle derived from plants of the species Euphorbia peplus, Euphorbia hirta and Euphorbia drummondii, and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds. Extracts from these plants have been found to show selective cytotoxicity against several different cancer cell lines. The compounds are useful in effective treatment of cancers, particularly malignant melanomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compound is selected from the group consisting of jatrophanes, pepluanes, paralianes and ingenanes, and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts or esters thereof, and more particularly jatrophanes of Conformation II.

The present invention provides a novel diterpene compounds with antineoplastic activities. The novel diterpene compounds of the present invention are represented by the general formula (I). R1 to R6 in the formula represent an aliphatic group, or a radical represented by the general formula RCO--, wherein R represents an aliphatic, an aromatic or a heteroaromatic group. The compounds of the present invention may be prepared by extracting roots of Euphorbia kansui L. with an organic solvent such as chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol. These extracted compounds may be used as starting materials for the preparation of the compounds represented by the general formula (I). The compounds of the present invention have antineoplastic activities, and therefore, useful as antineoplastic agents. ##STR00001##

euphorbia grandicornis/antikancer

Anti-cancer compounds

Anti-cancer compounds

Anti-cancer compounds

Diterpene compounds

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