Antiproliferative compounds from Pongamiopsis pervilleana from the Madagascar dry forest.

In continuation of our ongoing systematic bioassay-guided investigation aiming to discover new and strongly antiproliferative natural products from Malagasy plant extracts, we selected the EtOH extract of the roots of Pongamiopsis pervilleana (Baill.) R. Vig. (Leguminosae, subfam. Papilionoideae) on the basis of its activity against the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line (IC50 5.8 μg/mL). Plants from this family are a rich source of bioactive prenylated flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and pterocarpans.2,3 The genus Pongamiopsis consists of the three species P. amygdalina (Baill.) R. Vig., P. pervilleana, and P. viguieri Du Puy & Labat, and is a genus endemic to Madagascar.4 P. pervilleana is a deciduous shrub to small tree ca. 1.5 to 14 m tall with mauve to lilac pink flowers growing in dry deciduous woodland and xerophitic scrubland in both the southern and northern parts of Madagascar.5 No previous phytochemical investigation has been reported from any of the species of this genus.