Canlucones A-I from the whole plant of Canscora lucidissima exhibit anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.

Nine undescribed xanthones (1-9), named canlucones A-I, along with eleven known analogues (10-20), were isolated from the whole plants of Canscora lucidissima. Their structures were elucidated through comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data. Structurally, these isolates belong to penta- or tetra‑oxygenated xanthones, with different post-modifications to produce diverse structural features. Notably, isolated xanthones include six sets of isomers (1/11/17, 2/3/5, 4/6/12, 7/9, 8/16/19, 13/14/15/18). All compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and for cytotoxic activity against rat glioma C6 cells in vitro. Compounds 7 and 11 demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production, with IC50 values of 23.39 and 13.90 μM, respectively. Moreover, both compounds markedly reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, compound 7 also exhibited cytotoxic activity against rat glioma C6 cells, with an IC50 value of 28.85 μM.