Effect of constituents from samaras of Austroplenckia populnea (Celastraceae) on human cancer cells

Abstract

Background:Aiming the continuity of the studies of Austroplenckia populnea, Brazilian species of the Celastraceae family, in the present study, it was investigated the effect of crude extracts obtained with ethanol, ethyl acetate and chloroform and two purified constituents, proanthocyanidin A and 4’-O-methylepigallocatechin, both isolated from its samaras, on cancer cell proliferation assays.Materials and Methods:The human cancer cells lines MCF-7 (ductal breast carcinoma), A549 (lung cancer), HS578T (ductal breast carcinoma) and non-cancer HEK293 (embryonic kidney cells) were treated with different concentrations of extracts and constituents and the effect was observed through the acid phosphatase method. The chemical structures of the purified compounds were identified by the respective IR and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data.Results:While crude extracts from samaras of the folk medicine A. populnea can trigger cell proliferative effects in human cell lines, the purified compounds (proanthocyanidin A and 4’-O-methyl-epigallocatechin) isolated from the same extracts can have an opposite (anti-proliferative) effect.Conclusion:Based on the results, it was possible to suggest that extracts from samaras of A. populnea should be further investigated for possible cancer-promoting activities; and the active extracts can also represent a source of compounds that have anti-cancer properties.

Pentacyclic Triterpenoids Isolated from Celastraceae: A Focus in the 13C-NMR Data

“…The Celastraceae family comprises approximately 96 genera, reaching about 1350 species distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world [ 1 , 2 ]. Species of this family stand out for producing compounds with several pharmacological activities, such as antitumor [ 3 , 4 ], anti-inflammatory [ 5 ], antimicrobial [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], antioxidant [ 9 ] antiviral [ 10 ], analgesic [ 5 , 11 ], antiulcerogenic [ 12 ], hepatoprotective [ 13 ], hypoglycemic [ 13 , 14 ], immunomodulatory [ 15 ], among others. Considering the chemical composition, species of the Celastraceae family are rich in pentacyclic triterpenes (PCTTs).…”

Chemodiversity of Essential Oils from Nine Species of Celastraceae

“…It is estimated that this family comprises a total of 1350 species belonging to 96 different genera . Many Celastraceae species present pharmacological activities such as antitumor, anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, analgesic, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor …”