Medicine in Drug Discovery · Published 2026-06-30 · DOI 10.1016/j.medidd.2026.100264
Sanith Sri Jayashan, Chattarika Pengdee, Al Arofatus Naini, Siriporn Jungsuttiwong, Nonthaneth Nalinratana, Boonchoo Sritularak, Suchada Sukrong
Glioblastoma remains one of the most lethal and therapeutically intractable primary brain malignancies, with a critical need for novel therapeutic discoveries. Phenanthrenes and dihydrophenanthrenes, gaining attention for their cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities, represent a promising yet underexplored chemical space for glioblastoma drug discovery. Phytochemical investigation of Vanda curvifolia, a species of phenanthrene-rich family Orchidaceae, afforded ten previously undescribed phenanthrene and dihydrophenanthrene constituents, designated vandafolins A–J (1−10), together with twelve known compounds. Structures were elucidated by NMR and HR-ESI-MS, with absolute configurations assigned by ECD spectroscopy and optical rotation measurements supported by TDDFT calculations. Vandafolins A, B, G, and H exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against U-87 MG glioblastoma cells, while vandafolins A, G, and H further demonstrated moderate antiproliferative activity. Vandafolin A induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, while vandafolins G and H induced apoptosis in U-87 MG glioblastoma cells, as determined by propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V/PI staining flow cytometry, respectively. These results identified vandafolins A, G, and H as preliminary cytotoxic hits against glioblastoma cells, warranting further mechanistic and structural investigation.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Jayashan, S., Pengdee, C., Naini, A., et al. (2026). Phenanthrene and dihydrophenanthrene derivatives from Vanda curvifolia with cytotoxic activity against glioblastoma cells. Medicine in Drug Discovery. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medidd.2026.100264