{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T04:42:08Z","timestamp":1760589728050,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760140800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004586","name":"FAPERJ","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["E-26\/204.263\/2021","E-26.201.168\/2022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["E-26\/204.263\/2021","E-26.201.168\/2022"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004586","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry and FAPERJ"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The Jurubatiba Sandbank National Park (PARNA Jurubatiba) is an ecological reserve characterized by harsh environmental conditions, including low rainfall, high sun exposure, and sandy soil. Among its native vegetation, Eremanthus crotonoides stands out for its richness in flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and sesquiterpene lactones. The objective of this study was to isolate and quantify sesquiterpene lactones from this species using 1H NMR and to investigate their anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential and cytotoxicity against cancer cells. UPLC-(ESI)-MS\/MS analyses enabled metabolite annotation, and semi-preparative HPLC-DAD allowed the isolation of centratherin and goyazensolide, which were identified by 1D and 2D NMR. In vitro assays showed that centratherin at 10 \u00b5M concentration reduced the viability of PC-3 and HCT-116 cancer cells by 100%, while goyazensolide had no noteworthy effects. Furthermore, enzymatic inhibition assays on SARS-CoV2 targets revealed that centratherin exhibited a lower apparent IC50 of 12 \u00b5M against PLpro, while goyazensolide was more active against 3CLpro, with an IC50 of 71 \u00b5M. Notably, the dichloromethane fraction demonstrated promising activity against both enzymes, with IC50 values of 30 \u00b5M for PLpro and 11 \u00b5M for 3CLpro. This study reports, for the first time, the isolation of goyazensolide from E. crotonoides and highlights the potential of both sesquiterpene lactones as SARS-CoV-2 enzyme inhibitors. In contrast to centratherin, goyazensolide fortunately had almost no cytotoxic effects at inhibition concentration on the cells tested. This shows that anticancer and anti-SARS effects can be separated and should have different SARs, an important prerequisite for further development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules30204053","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T06:06:32Z","timestamp":1760508392000},"page":"4053","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Isolation and In Vitro Activity of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Eremanthus crotonoides as SARS-CoV-2 Protease Inhibitors and Cytotoxic Agents"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6062-4788","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patricia Homobono Brito","family":"de Moura","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Natural products and Biological Assays, Natural Products and Food Department, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"},{"name":"Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120 Halle, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0049-1132","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Natalie Giovanna da Rocha","family":"Ximenes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Natural products and Biological Assays, Natural Products and Food Department, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Beatriz Bastos","family":"Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Natural products and Biological Assays, Natural Products and Food Department, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2542-729X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla Monteiro","family":"Leal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Natural products and Biological Assays, Natural Products and Food Department, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4011-8532","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Larissa Esteves Carvalho","family":"Constant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biotechnology and Tissue Bioengineering, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephany da Silva","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Biotechnology and Tissue Bioengineering, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1540-1440","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shaft Corr\u00eaa","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Bioatives Products, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Maca\u00e9 27933-378, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0155-3240","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelle Frazao","family":"Muzitano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Bioatives Products, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Maca\u00e9 27933-378, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1410-480X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego","family":"Allonso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2060-8235","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ludger A.","family":"Wessjohann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120 Halle, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6917-9323","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivana Correa Ramos","family":"Leal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Natural products and Biological Assays, Natural Products and Food Department, Pharmacy Faculty, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Loeuille, B.F.P. 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