Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), an herb commonly used for Ayurvedic medicine, is known to contain bioactive plant steroids. Powdered root was rinsed with hexane to remove lipids, dried, and subjected to methanol Soxhlet extraction for 6 h. The resulting extract was resolved into multiple bands via silica gel TLC. Bands on TLC plates were scraped, dissolved in DMSO, and analyzed using HPLC. Eluted bands were also tested for cytotoxicity using MTS assays on cell cultures of 4T1 murine breast cancer cells. Known phytosterols from Withania, Withaferin A and Withanolide A, had no effect on 4T1 cells. However, 4T1 cell death was observed with a single band eluted from TLC plates. HPLC and subsequent MALD-MS revealed the single band to contain a single steroidal species with a molar mass of 493.231. Additional characterization of the active component is ongoing.

Partial characterization of a 4T1 cell cytotoxin from <i>Withania somnifera</i>

239th National Meeting (2010)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.

Partial characterization of a 4T1 cell cytotoxin from Withania somnifera