Integrated untargeted metabolomics and bioactivity studies as new insights into the chemotaxonomy of Hura crepitans specimens from Peru and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hura crepitans (Euphorbiaceae), is widespread in the Amazon rainforest and on plantations in sub-Saharan Africa. This tree produces an irritating milky latex rich in secondary metabolites, notably daphnane-type diterpenes and cerebrosides. Previous studies have shown that huratoxin, the main daphnane in the latex, significantly and selectively inhibited the growth of colorectal cancer cells through a unique mechanism involving the activation of PKCζ.