Octadecyl p-Coumarates: Probable Anticancer Compounds of Ipomoea carnea subsp. Fistulosa

The anticancer property of Ipomoea carnea (Convolvulaceae) extractives has been reported by several workers, but the use of crude extractives of the plant in cancer therapy may be limited by the fact that the plant contains several toxic compounds. Bioassay monitored isolation and characterization of active anticancer compounds from the plant have not yet been reported. However, bioassay monitored isolation of antifungal compounds from I. carnea Jacq. subsp. fistulosa (Mart. et Choisy) D. F. Austin and their characterization as a mixture of E and Z isomers of octadecyl p-coumarates were reported for the first time from this institute. Inhibitory activity of octadecyl p-coumarate on calf deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase α and rat DNA polymerase β has been reported as a part of a study on selective inhibitors of mammalian DNA polymerases, which are considered as a group of potentially useful cancer chemotherapeutic agents. These findings indicate that octadecyl p-coumarates possess anticancer activity.