Activity guided isolation and modification of juglone from Juglans regia as potent cytotoxic agent against lung cancer cell lines.

Background: Juglans regia has been found to exhibit significant anticancer activity against various human cancer cell lines. This study was undertaken to isolate the active chemical constituent (Juglone) and to investigate its cytotoxic activity along with its various analogs against different human cancer cell lines.

Methods: Isolation of juglone, a napthoquinone, from the chloroform extract of the root part of Juglans regia was executed by flash chromatography using silica gel as stationary phase. The isolated Juglone was used as starting material for the further synthesis of a novel series of triazolyl analogs using click chemistry approach to investigate their cytotoxic potential against different human cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-yl)-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay.

Results: The different extracts of Juglans regia and the isolated compound (juglone) exhibited satisfactory cytotoxic activity against a panel of eight different human cancer cell lines namely, prostate colon (Colo-205 and HCT-116), breast (T47D), prostate (PC-3 and DU-145), skin (A-431) and lung (NCI-H322 and A549). Interestingly, all the synthesised analogs displayed enhanced and selective cytotoxic activity against lung cancer cell lines only. Of the synthesized derivatives, 15a and 16a displayed the best activity with IC50 of 4.72 and 4.67 μM against A549 cells. Both these derivatives exhibited superior potency to BEZ-235 against both the lung cancer cell lines. So far as the structural aspects are concerned, electron withdrawing substituents at the ortho position of R moiety of the triazolyl analogs seem to be essential for attaining better activity.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the selective and enhanced cytotoxic activity of the triazolyl analogs of juglone against NCI-H322 and A549 human lung cancer cell lines. Some derivatives exhibited superior potency to BEZ-235, a commercially available anticancer agent.