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A new indole alkaloid N′-formylserotonin (1), along with five known indole alkaloids N′-methylserotonin (2), 5-hydroxy-1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde (3), N-acetylserotonin (4), 6-hydroxy-1-oxo-3,4-dihydro-β-carboline (5), and bufoserotoin C (6), were isolated from the water extract of traditional Chinese medicine Chansu. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analyses. The cytotoxicities of 1-6 against human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells A549 were tested using the MTT method. Compound 6 exhibited stronger cytotoxic effect than 5-FU, and 1-5 showed no cytotoxic effects. Bufoserotonin C is one of the cytotoxic components in water-soluble extract of Chansu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new indole alkaloid named bufobutarginine (1), along with three known bufotenines, namely, serotonin (2), bufotenidine (3), and bufotenine (4), were isolated from the water extract of toad venom. Their structures were elucidated by spectral methods. This is the first time that arginine has been found to be involved in the biosynthesis of bufotenines in parotid of toad. The cytotoxic activities of these compounds have been assayed against A375 and A549 cell lines by the MTT method; however, they showed no cytotoxic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new indole alkaloids, Bufotenidine B (2) and Bufocarboline A (6), along with seven known indole alkaloids (1, 3–5, and 7–9) and three organic acids (10–12), were isolated from the water extract of toad venom. The structures of the new alkaloids were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods. The absolute configurations of 4, 6, and 8 were determined for the first time by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The cytotoxic activity of all compounds was tested against human malignant melanoma cells A375 by the MTT method, and no antitumor activity was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]