Anticancer Activities of Six Selected Natural Compounds of Some Cameroonian Medicinal Plants

Abstract

BackgroundNatural products are well recognized as sources of drugs in several human ailments. In the present work, we carried out a preliminary screening of six natural compounds, xanthone V1 (1); 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone (2); physcion (3); bisvismiaquinone (4); vismiaquinone (5); 1,8-dihydroxy-3-geranyloxy-6-methylanthraquinone (6) against MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic and CCRF-CEM leukemia cells and their multidrug-resistant subline, CEM/ADR5000. Compounds 1 and 2 were then tested in several other cancer cells and their possible mode of action were investigated.Methodology/FindingsThe tested compounds were previously isolated from the Cameroonian medicinal plants Vismia laurentii (1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and Newbouldia laevis (2). The preliminary cytotoxicity results allowed the selection of xanthone V1 and 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone, which were then tested on a panel of cancer cell lines. The study was also extended to the analysis of cell cycle distribution, apoptosis induction, caspase 3/7 activation and the anti-angiogenic properties of xanthone V1 and 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone. IC50 values around or below 4 µg/ml were obtained on 64.29% and 78.57% of the tested cancer cell lines for xanthone V1 and 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone, respectively. The most sensitive cell lines (IC50<1 µg/ml) were breast MCF-7 (to xanthone V1), cervix HeLa and Caski (to xanthone V1 and 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone), leukemia PF-382 and melanoma colo-38 (to 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone). The two compounds showed respectively, 65.8% and 59.6% inhibition of the growth of blood capillaries on the chorioallantoic membrane of quail eggs in the anti-angiogenic assay. Upon treatment with two fold IC50 and after 72 h, the two compounds induced cell cycle arrest in S-phase, and also significant apoptosis in CCRF-CEM leukemia cells. Caspase 3/7 was activated by xanthone V1.Conclusions/SignificanceThe overall results of the present study provided evidence for the cytotoxicity of compounds xanthone V1 and 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone, and bring supportive data for future investigations that will lead to their use in cancer therapy.

The cytotoxicity of mekai (Albertisia papuana Becc.) root extract on breast cancer cell lines T47D and Vero cell lines

“…(EE) on T47D cell lines was 21.3 μg · mL -1 . According to The National Cancer Institute (NCI) USA, the upper limit of the crude extract which is qualified for further purification with IC 50 values of 30 μg · mL -1 [18], so the ethanol root extract was promising for further purification. Therefore, the further process conducted was fractionation of ethanol root extract of A. papuana Becc.…”

Phytochemical importance of medicinal plants as potential sources of anticancer agents

“…The cytotoxic effect of the plant is attributed to its compound 2-acetylfuro-1,4-naphthoquinone, which induces apoptosis, even without caspase 3/7 activation. In pancreatic cancer cell lines, it is known to inhibit the formation of blood capillaries (Kuete et al, 2011 (Ali and Bluden, 2003). Thymoquinone, a secondary metabolite of this plant, has cytotoxic effects as it induces apoptosis in tumor cells by suppressing NF-κB, Akt activation, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways; it also inhibits tumor angiogenesis (Plengsuriyakarn et al, 2012).…”

Antihyperglycemic Studies on the Leaf Extract and Active Fractions of &lt;i&gt;Newbouldia laevis&lt;/i&gt; (Bignoniaceae)

“…Pharmacological studies on extracts of different parts of N. laevis have revealed the antioxidant [29], free radical scavenging [30], antimicrobial [31] [32], antimalarial [33], sedative and anticonvulsant [34]- [36], analgesic, antinociceptive and antiinflamatory [37] [38], hepatoprotective [29], anticancer [39], uterine contraction [40], wound healing and antiulcer [41], antisickling [42], hypoglycemic [43], antihypertensive [44] [45], entomocide [46] activities among others. Scientific reports on the phytochemical constituents of different plants of the plant revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenylpropaniod glycosides, flavonoids, tanins, saponins, phenols, essential oils, terpenoids, triterpenoids, quinoids, ceramides among others [29] [47]- [49].…”