Abstract.Prostate cancer has become a leading cause of mortality in humans. Previous studies have shown the potential anticancer properties of kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside in breast cancer cell lines. In the present study, the anticancer potential of kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside was investigated in LNCaP human prostate cancer cell lines. The inhibition of cell proliferation was investigated using MTT assays, whereas its ability to induce the caspase-cascade pathway was investigated by western blotting. The results showed that kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside inhibits the proliferation of LNCaP cells in a dose-dependent manner by upregulating the expression of caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase proteins. Although further studies are required, the results of the present study indicate the potential application of kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside in cancer treatment.
IntroductionCancer has become a significant disease for humans. In the USA alone, there were ~1.6 million new cases and 577,190 predicted mortalities in 2012. Among all types of cancer, prostate cancer is one of the top causes of male cancer fatalities worldwide (1). It is predicted that 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in America during 2014 (2).Several treatments are available for treatment of prostate cancer, by overcoming the aggressive tumor. These include surgery, radiation, radioactive implants and hormonal therapy. However, the treatment often impacts the quality of life due to side-effects or complications (3). Thus, numerous investigators have focused on discovering novel drugs or treatments. Among all the agents tested, natural products derived from medicinal plants are among the most favorable.In our previous study, kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside, the major compound found in the ethyl acetate fractions of the Schima wallichii (S. wallichii) Korth. leaves, was isolated and its properties were investigated against breast cancer cell lines. The results indicated that kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside was favorable for further exploration of its anticancer therapeutic potential (4). Therefore, in the present study the anticancer properties and mechanism of kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside were investigated in prostate cancer cell lines.
Materials and methodsPlant materials. S. wallichii Korth. leaves were collected from Lembang, West Java, Indonesia. The plant species was identified at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Padjadjaran (West Java, Indonesia).Extraction and isolation. The S. wallichii leaves were dried and extracted with 70% ethanol at room temperature three times for 24 h each. A concentrated extract was obtained in vacuo at 50˚C. The ethanol extract was partitioned into n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous phases. Column chromatography on a Wakogel C 200 (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., Osaka, Japan) column was performed to the ethyl acetate fraction, as it was previously reported as the most active fraction against cancer cell lines, using a mixture of n-hexane, ethyl ac...