Demethylwedelolactone (DWL) is a coumestan, originally isolated from E. alba, with diverse biological activities.1,2,3,4 It reduces cytotoxicity induced by CCL4 and galactosamine in rat hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner.1 DWL inhibits trypsin with an IC50 value of 3.0 μg/ml in vitro.2 It is the major constituent in purified butanolic extracts of E. prostrata which inhibit lethal and hemorrhagic activities of C. rhodostoma venom.3 DWL also inhibits anchorage-independent cell growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and decreases the number of lung metastases in an MDA-MB-231 xenograft model in nude mice.4
1.Wagner, H., Geyer, B., Kiso, Y., et al.Coumestans as the main active principles of the liver drugs Eclipta alba and Wedelia calendulaceaPlanta Med.5370-374(1986) 2.Syed, S.D., Deepak, M., Yogisha, S., et al.Trypsin inhibitory effect of wedelolactone and demethylwedelolactonePhytother. Res.17(4)420-421(2003) 3.Pithayanukul, P., Laovachirasuwan, S., Bavovada, R., et al.Anti-venom potential of butanolic extract of Eclipta prostrata against Malayan pit viper venomJ. Ethnaopharmacol.90(2-3)347-352(2004) 4.Lee, Y.-J., Lin, W.-L., Chen, N.-F., et al.Demethylwedelolactone derivatives inhibit invasive growth in vitro and lung metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in nude miceEur. J. Med. Chem.56(1)631-637(2012)