The constituents of the leaves of Clerodendron bungei STEUD. (Verbenaceae) and leaves and bark of C. trichotomum THUNB. were investigated guided by the antiproliferative activity against three tumor cell lines (MK-1: human gastric adenocarcinoma, HeLa: human uterus carcinoma, and B16F10: murine melanoma). Two phenylethanoid glycoside caffeic acid esters, acteoside and isoacteoside, were isolated as the constituents which selectively inhibit the growth of B16F10 cells.
The antiproliferative activities against B16F10 cells of acteoside (GI₅₀: 8 μM), isoacteoside (8 μM) and their methanolysis products, methyl caffeate (26 μM), 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl alcohol (8 μM), 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl glucoside (10 μM), desrhamnosyl acteoside (6 μM), and desrhamnosyl isoacteoside (6μM) suggested that the 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl alcohol group might be more responsible for the activities of acteoside and isoacteoside than the caffeoyl group. The activities of chlorogenic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) alanine, 3,4-dihydroxy-phenethylamine hydrochloride, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, and five dihydroxybenzoic acids were also determined and compared with those of the above compounds.