PROFILE OF ANTICANCER AND RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITIES OF STEROIDS FROM STEMS OF POLYGONUM PULCHRUM

Five steroids have been isolated and identified from methanol extracts of stems of Polygonumpulchrum (Bambu-bambu, Tolakinese, a South East Sulawesi Ethnic), namely; (1) sigmasta-4, 25-diene-3,6-diol; (2) 6β-hydroxystigmasta-4.22-dien-3-one, (3) stigmasterol, (4) stigmasta-4.22-dien-3-on, and (5) ergosterol peroxide.  The isolation was worked by using chromatography method including thin layer chromatography (TLC), vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) and radial chromatography (RC) with silica gel as adsorbent and solvents mixture as eluent. The compound structures were evaluated by spectroscopic data (FTIR and NMR data) and then the results were compared with the existing data from references. Biological activities of all compounds  were evaluated toward DPPH (1,1 Diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazyl) as a radical source and WiDr cells lines. The radical scavenger activities and anticancer potency of all compounds were indicated by IC₅₀ value. The values of IC₅₀ (µM) of sigmasta-4, 25-diene-3,6-diol, 6β-hydroxystigmasta-4.22-dien-3-one,  stigmasterol,  stigmasta-4.22-dien-3-one, ergosterol peroxide, and Vitamine C (standard) toward DPPH were obtained at 165.4 ± 0.22;233.4 ± 0.28; 372.3 ± 0.33; 144.80 ± 0.24; 1083.1 ± 0.38and 68.9 ± 0.12, respectively. Moreover, potency the compounds as anticancer against WiDr cells lines were specified by IC₅₀ value (mM) i.e. 3.44; 2.95;1.55;5.30; 6.35; and 3.0 x 10^-3 for sigmasta-4,25-diene-3,6-diol, 6β-hydroxystigmasta-4.22-dien-3-one, stigmasterol, stigmasta-4.22-dien-3-one, ergosterol peroxide, and doxorubicine (standard), respectively. According to above data, potency of isolated steroids as radical scavengers are better than as anticancer against WiDr cells lines.