In our ongoing search for anticancer compounds from natural products we chromatographed cytotoxic active extracts from
medicinal plants growing in Omanin order to isolate their active ingredients. We hereby report isolation of a cytotoxic pimarane
diterpenoid, 3-hydroxy-ent-pimara8(14),15-dien-19-oic acid (1) from hexane extract of Juniperus servaschanica collected from
Oman. The anticancer property was evaluated against ovarian (MCAS) and breast (MDA MB231) cancer cell lines by Alamar-blue
assay. Compound 1 was active against both ovarian and breast cancer cells (IC50 = 24.16 and 16.13 µg/ml, respectively). Additionally,
the molecule showed little damaging effect against non-cancerous cells, fibroblast at its IC50 dosage. Further investigation on this
metabolite and its derivatives might lead to discovery of new chemical entities for control of cancer.
Keywords: Juniperus servaschanica, Cupressaceae, diterpenes; ent-pimaradiene, anticancer