Abstract

• The research compared some compounds and some bioactivities of yellow roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack from Myanmar and Malaysia. Various phytochemicals were identified, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, organic acids, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, starch, saponins, and reducing sugars. Cyanogenic glycosides and tannins were not found in the yellow roots from both samples. TLC profiles revealed the presence of coumarins, alkaloids, and terpenoids in yellow roots from both regions. HPLC profiles showed identical retention times for methanol extracts of both samples with the isolated compounds El-a (scopoletin) and El-b (eurylene). Four compounds (β-sitosterol, canthin-6-one, scopoletin and eurylene) were isolated from both selected samples. The isolated compounds were characterized by various physicochemical properties (co-TLC, melting point) and structurally identified using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ESI-MS, and LCMSD-Trap SL spectroscopic methods with comparisons to reported data. In antimicrobial tests, ethyl acetate extract from Myanmar exhibited significant activity against Candida albicans (32 mm), while watery extracts from Malaysia showed no antimicrobial effects. Cytotoxicity evaluation using a brine shrimp assay indicated no strong cytotoxic effects for the crude extracts. Antiproliferative activity was observed in ethanol extracts from yellow roots against lung (A549), cervix (HeLa), and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells, with promising activity in Malaysian samples against cervix cancer.