A new chromone from the twig of Mallotus apelta

A new chromone, 7-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-8-methoxy-4-oxo-4H-chromene-6-carboxylic acid, named melachromone, along with 13 known compounds (2-14), including chromones, flavonoids, coumarins and phenylpropane derivatives, were isolated from the twig of Mallotus apelta. Their chemical structures were elucidated by using various spectroscopic methods. Anti-tumour evaluation of the compounds suggested that compound 1 exhibited medium cytotoxic activity against KB and HeLa Cells, with IC50 values of 9.50 and 9.23 mu g mL(-1), respectively.