Abstracto

Cycloartanes from the Jamaican ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata L.)

Henry I.C.Lowe, Charah T.Watson, Simone Badal, Ngeh J.Toyang, Joseph Bryant

Given the high occurrence of cancer worldwide and the major source of the discovery of new lead molecules being medicinal plants, this research undertook investigations of the Jamaican ball moss extract Tillandsia recurvata, L, since previous research showed that extracts from this plant displayed promising anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. LC/MS was used to identify the various components in the most bioactive ball moss extracts. Several molecular weight matches cycloartane compounds were observed in differing extracts and the features are consistent with steroid-like structures. The spectral data obtained for these compounds compare well with those reported in literature. These results will prove useful in drug design as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents.