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Amomum is a pungent and aromatic plant genus that contains 150–180 species, where Southeast Asia is the center of endemism, with Indonesia indigenous to 24 breeds. These species are used as spices and traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. This paper aims to provide Amomum species summarized data regarding phytochemistry and biological activities. Several studies have been carried out on the fruits, seeds, roots, rhizomes, and leaves of Amomum species from 1999 to 2024, as approximately 127 metabolites were isolated as flavonoid, diterpenoid, diarylheptanoid, monoterpenoid, sesquiterpenoid, phenylpropanoid, phenolic, and steroid groups. Besides cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory potentials; it also has an owed tendency for use as a chemical marker. The extracts and compounds obtained from the Amomum species were evaluated for biological activities, including cytotoxicity, antioxidant, anticancer, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, platelet antiaggregation, and antidiabetic properties. Tsaoko arilon (neolignane) had antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity, with the highest reactions considered as lead compounds for further development. The findings highlighted the significance of using compounds from the Amomum genus in traditional medicine and the discovery of new medicines. Therefore, the results supported the concept of utilizing Amomum species as a potential source for producing biologically active compounds.

The Aglaia species, which contains triterpenoids, is the most numerous in the Meliaceae family. The A. cucullata species, of which there are only a few known examples, has received scant research attention. This investigation aims to identify triterpenoids in an n-hexane preparation of A. cucullata stem bark and evaluate their effects against the A549 lung cancer cell line. Five dammarane-type triterpenoids were isolated from the A. cucullata trunk bark, which is (1) (20S)-20-hydroxydammar-24-en-3-one, (2) cabraleone, (3) cabralealactone, (4) eichlerianic acid, and (5) (+)-fouquierol. Their chemical structures were determined using infrared, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance, as well as through data comparison of the reported compounds. Compound 1 was priorly separated from the Aglaia genus, compounds 2–4 were first isolated from the A. cucullata species, and compound 5 has been reportedly isolated from the Meliaceae family and the Aglaia genus. All substances were tested for their lethal potential against the A549 lung cancer cell type. A seco structure in the A ring of dammarane-type triterpenoid might play an important part in the lethal activity of component 4, which showed the greatest activity with an IC50 value of 32.17 µM against the A549 lung cancer cell line.

Marine environment is known as a source of potential steroids with multiple biological activities, one of which is an anticancer agent. Atactodea striata are one of the seashells distributed in Indonesia located in the Kei Islands, Southeast Maluku. During the course of our continuing search for biologically active substances from Indonesia seashells, seven steroids have been isolated from the n-hexane fraction of A. striata and they were identified as 7β-hydroxy-sitosterol (1), campesterol (2), β-sitosterol (3), cholesterol (4), 5α,8α-epidioxycholest-6-en-3-β-ol (5), 7-keto-cholesterol (6), and 7α-hydroxy-cholesterol (7). The structure was identified by spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR techniques, FTIR, HRTOFMS, and chemical shift comparison with previously reported spectral data. Compounds 1-7 were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 breast cancer cells and showed weak or no anticancer activity.

Bacicyclin is a cyclic hexapeptide with antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of 8 and 12 µM, respectively. Studies on a reversed sequence of bacicyclin were conducted to investigate how the reversed peptide sequence affects its biological properties. A reversed-bacicylin, cyclo-(Gly-Leu-Val-Ile-Ala-Phe), was successfully synthesized by constructing the linear precursor on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin using a Fmoc-based strategy. The HATU/HOAt reagent was applied in all peptidic bond formations, and the desired linear hexapeptide (82% yield) was cleaved off the resin using a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid:dichloromethane (2:8). The linear peptide was cyclized using 1-[bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium-3-oxidehexa-fluorophosphate (HATU) as a coupling agent and diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) as the base in a very dilute solution (0.001 M) in dichloromethane, then purified by octadecyl silica gel (ODS) column chromatography to obtain the reversed-bacicyclin (43.7% yield). The purity of the cyclic product was analyzed using analytical RP-HPLC (tR = 20.01 min), and characterized by HR-TOF-MS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. The biological activity of the reversed-bacicyclin is much lower compared to bacicyclin, indicating that the amino acid sequence of the cyclopeptide dictates the antibacterial activity. This finding gives additional information on the relationship between peptide sequence and biological properties.

The diversity of structures of triterpenoids provides a variety of interesting pharmacological effects, one of them being anticancer. Sources of triterpenoids are found in Dysoxylum excelsum, it is still rarely studied, and it potentially contains triterpenoids with cytotoxic activity. Therefore, the research aimed to isolate the triterpenoids from the stem bark of D. excelsum and determine their cytotoxic efficacy against the breast cancer cells of MCF-7. The dried stem bark of D. excelsum was macerated using methanol and then fractionated with n-hexane and ethyl acetate to obtain the corresponding fractions. Two triterpenoids, 3α,7α-dihydroxyapotirucalla-14,24-Z-dien-26-oic acid (1) and masticadienonic acid or 3-oxo-tirucalla-7,24-Z-dien-26-oic acid (2) were isolated in the first place from the Dysoxylum genus. Compounds 1 and 2 were assayed for their cytotoxic potency anti- MCF-7 using the MTT assay and gave moderate IC50 values of 60.87 and 72.86 µM, respectively. Based on their analogs, partial structure modification of the compounds might increase the activity; thus, it can be further utilized as better lead compounds for anticancer drugs candidate.

The n-hexane fraction from the stem bark of Lansium domesticum Corr. Cv. Kokosan afforded 3 sesquiterpenoids, namely eudesm-4(15),7-dien-1β-ol (1), eudesm-4(15)-ene-1β,6α-diol (2), and octahydro-4-hydroxy-3a-methyl-7-methylene-a-(1-methylethyl)-1H-indene-1-methanol (3). These three compounds were discovered in the Lansium genus for the first time. Their chemical structures were determined based on data generated from various spectroscopic methods, including one- and two-dimensional NMR, as well as mass spectroscopy. Sesquiterpenoid compounds (1-3) have also been evaluated on MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and the compound 1 showed the strongest activity with an IC50 value of 17.97 µg/mL while compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate and weak activity with IC50 values of 121.65 and 201.57 µg/mL, respectively. The implication of the findings of these compounds is as an illustration that one of these sesquiterpenoids has potential as an anticancer with the presence of double bond which played important role in the cytotoxic activity that can be studied for new drug discovery.

Four sesquiterpenoid derivatives, i.e., 4β,10α-dihydroxyaromadendrane (1), caryophyllenol-II (2), senecrassidiol (3), and clovane-2β,9α-diol (4) have been isolated from the stem bark of Aglaia simplicifolia. The chemical structures of compounds 1-4 were determined based on spectroscopic data, including one and two-dimensional NMR and mass spectroscopy. In addition, these sesquiterpenoids 1-4, were also tested for their cytotoxic activity against B16-F10 melanoma skin cancer cell lines through in vitro assay. Among the isolated compounds 1-4, compound 1 showed the highest activity with an IC50 value of 44.8 μg/mL, suggesting the presence of a cyclopropane ring that plays an essential role in cytotoxic activity against B16-F10 melanoma skin cancer cell lines.

Three aromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoids, spathulenol (1), 4β,10α-dihydroxyaromadendrane (2), and 4α,10α-dihydroxyaromadendrane (3) were isolated from the stem bark of Aglaia harmsiana (Meliaceae). Compound 3 was isolated for the first time from Aglaia genus. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by various spectroscopic methods, including one and two-dimensional NMR, as well as mass spectroscopy analysis. These sesquiterpenoids 1-3 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The IC50 value of compound 1-3 were 31.65 ± 0.1, 8.41 ± 0.04 and 2.80 ± 0.02 µM, respectively. Among the aromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoids, compounds 2 and 3, which do not have a double bond, showed higher activity than compound 1. Whereas, compound 3 showed the strongest activity indicate that α configuration of hydroxyl group increases the cytotoxic activity.

Four dammarane-type triterpenoid compounds, dammar-24-en-3a-ol (1), 3-epi-cabraleahydroxy lactone (2), (E)-25-hydroperoxydammar-23-en-3b,20-diol (3), and dammar-24-en-3β,20-diol (4), were isolated from the methanolic extract of the stembark of Aglaia argentea. Compounds 1-4 were isolated for first time from this plant. The structure of isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including one and two-dimensional NMR as well as mass spectrometric analysis. Compounds, 1-4, along with a known synthetic analog, 20-hydroxy-dammar-24-en-3-on (5), were evaluated their cytotoxic activity against P-388 murine leukemia cells in vitro. The IC50 values of compounds, 1-5 were 9.09 ± 0.10, 68.53 ± 0.08, 5.89 ± 0.08, 22.40 ± 0.11, and 11.53 ± 0.08 µg/mL, respectively. Among the dammarane-type triterpenoids, compounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 having opened side chain showed the stronger activity, wheres compound 2 with cyclic side chain showed weak or no activity. In addition, compound 3 showed strongest activity, indicate that hydroperoxy group at side chain increase cytotoxic activity.