RETICULATACIN - A NEW BIOACTIVE ACETOGENIN FROM ANNONA-RETICULATA (ANNONACEAE)

A new bioactive monotetrahydrofuran acetogenin, reticulatacin, containing 37 carbons, has been isolated from a 95% EtOH extract of the bark of A. reticulata by directing the fractionation with brine shrimp lethality. Another previously reported highly potent antitumor, adjacent ring bistetrahydrofuran acetogein, bullactacin, has als been isolated in large quantity. Two known diterpenes, (-)-kau-16-en-19-oic acid and methyl 16-beta,17-dihydro-(-)-kauran-19-oate and a known alkaloid, liriodenine, have also been isolated. Some of these componds showed selective cytotoxic activities for certain human tumor cell lines.