Aromatase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities were determined for apigenin, luteolin and the new diterpene named scutebarbalactone VN, which were obtained by bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation from the methanol extract of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Banchi-lien (Scutellaria barbata D. Don). In the aromatase inhibition assay, an IC 50 value of 3.36 M was found for scutebarbalactone VN, while IC 50 values of 7.2 M and 7.95 M were found for the positive controls aminoglutethimide and -estradiol, respectively. In the cytotoxicity assays using a panel of human cancer cell lines, scutebarbalactone VN showed promising anticancer activity with IC 50 ranging from 2.15 to 8.3 M compared with those of the positive control ellipticine ranging from 1.0 to 2.1 M. Apigenin and luteolin were found to be inactive in both assays.

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