Mace contains compounds which exhibit antiproliferative, anti-aromatse and anti-17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Antiproliferative, anti-aromatase, anti-17beta-HSD and antioxidant activities of lignans isolated from Myristica argentea.
Planta Med. 2001 Nov;67(8):700-4. PMID: 11731908
Four lignans were isolated from the petrol extract of Myristica argentea mace (Myristicaceae) and their structures were elucidated by means of NMR and mass spectrometry. Although they have been previously described, NMR data are only available for threo-austrobailignan-5, which has been isolated only once, and is incomplete. Three of them, erythro-austrobailignan-6, meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid and nectandrin-B, exert an antiproliferative effect on MCF-7 cells as well as antioxidant activity on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, but not the threo-austrobailignan-5. Nectandrin-B also possesses anti-17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and anti-aromatase activities.