Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser (Rubiaceae) is a fast-growing and economically important tree in Asia, which has a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities. Using the UPLC-MS fingerprints of the barks of N. cadamba that sampled from 12 different provenance (10 trees per provenance) in a provenance trail, the difference in the components of these samples was visualized. Analyzing the spectrum data and the cytotoxic activity, the relationships of chemical composition and in vitro anti-tumor activity had been established. It was noted that 3α-dihydrocadambine (3a-Dhc), one of the characteristic components in N. cadamba, could bind to the active pocket of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and then inhibit its efflux activity, leading to reverse the adriamycin (ADR) resistance in MCF7/ADR cells with no toxicity. Taken together, our data pointed out that N. cadamba in different families had high but different contents of cadambine alkaloids, and the UPLC-MS fingerprint could be a powerful tool for guiding the variety breeding, and Sample 12, the provenance from Mengla County, may be a valued source for the best prospect of anti-tumor application. More importantly, 3a-Dhc could be a potential lead for developing a P-gp inhibitor with high potency and low toxicity.

Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser (Rubiaceae) 是亚洲生长迅速且具有重要经济意义的树种，具有广泛的生物和药理活性。使用从来源追踪中的 12 个不同来源（每个来源 10 棵树）采样的 N. cadamba 树皮的 UPLC-MS 指纹，这些样品的成分差异被可视化。分析光谱数据和细胞毒活性，建立了化学成分与体外抗肿瘤活性的关系。值得注意的是，3α-二氢卡丹巴胺（3a-Dhc）是金丹巴中的特征成分之一，它可以与 P-糖蛋白（P-gp）的活性口袋结合，然后抑制其外排活性，从而逆转MCF7/ADR 细胞中的阿霉素 (ADR) 抗性，无毒性。综合起来，我们的数据指出，不同科的金丹丹丹丹碱生物碱含量较高，但含量不同，UPLC-MS指纹图谱可以作为指导品种选育的有力工具，而勐腊县种源样品12可能是一个很好的选择。抗肿瘤应用的最佳前景的重要来源。更重要的是，3a-Dhc 可能成为开发高效低毒 P-gp 抑制剂的潜在先导。