A taxine, 5αO-(3′-dimethylamino-3′-phenylpropionyl) taxinine M (1) together with two known compounds 7-O-acetyltaxine A (2) and 2α-acetoxy-2′ β-deacetylaustrospicatine (3) were isolated from the needles of the Himalayan yew, Taxus wallichiana Zucc. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of the NMR spectral data, ESI-MS/MS analysis and chemical methods. Compounds 1 and 3 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against the lung cancer cell line A549 in vitro. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
