Mechanism of action of cytotoxic compounds from the seeds of Euphorbia lathyris

The seeds of Euphorbia lathyris are used in traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of various medical conditions. E. lathyris contains many natural diterpenes with a lathyrane skeleton.Five lathyrane-type diterpenoids named Euphorbia factors L1, L2, L3, L8, and L9 (1-5), were investigated for cytotoxicity against A549, MDA-MB-231, KB, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines and the KB-VIN multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cell line. Also, a tetraol...