Sesquiterpenoids from <i>Pulicaria </i><i>c</i><i>anariensis</i> and Their Cytotoxic Activities^#

Thirteen new sesquiterpenes, pulicanadiene A (1), B (2), and C (3), pulicanone (4), pulicanol (5), pulicanarals A (6), B (7), and C (8), pulicanadienals A (9) and B (10), pulicanadienol (11), and pulioplopanones A (12) and B (13), and seven known compounds, stigmasterol, ergosterol peroxide, calenduladiol, 7,4‘-di-O-methyldihydrokaempferol, 5,7-dihydroxy-3,3‘,4‘-trimethoxyflavone, dihydroquercetin 7,3‘-dimethyl ether, and 6,15α-epoxy-1β,4β-dihydroxyeudesmane, were isolated from Pulicaria canariensis. Compound 4a showed cytotoxicity on the human myeloid leukemia cell line HL-60. The cytotoxicity was caused by induction of apoptosis as determined by microscopy of nuclear changes, activation of caspases, and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1.