Oxyberberine is isolated from the methanol extract of A. mexicana. It has been used to study the SW480 human colon cancer cell line.

3-Hydroxybakuchiol exerts cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects on the TA3/Ha mouse mammary adenocarcinoma cell line and induces a decrease in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, the activation of caspase-3, the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transport pore (MPTP) and nuclear DNA fragmentation.3-Hydroxybakuchiol has antitumor activity resulting from interactions with the ETC, a system that is already deficient in cancer cells.

Thianthrene is a sulfur-containing heterocyclic chemical compound that is a derivative of the parent heterocycle called dithiin and is easy to oxidize.