Evelynin, a cytotoxic benzoquinone-type Retro-dihydrochalcone from Tacca chantrieri.

A new benzoquinone-type retro-dihydrochalcone, named evelynin, was isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Tacca chantrieri. The structure was elucidated on the basis of the analysis of spectroscopic data and confirmed by a simple one-step total synthesis. Evelynin exhibited cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-435 melanoma, MDA-MB-231 breast, PC-3 prostate, and HeLa cervical carcinoma cells, with IC(50) values of 4.1, 3.9, 4.7, and 6.3 μM, respectively.