Potential Anti-Cancer Activities and Mechanisms of Costunolide and Dehydrocostuslactone

Abstract

Costunolide (CE) and dehydrocostuslactone (DE) are derived from many species of medicinal plants, such as Saussurea lappa Decne and Laurus nobilis L. They have been reported for their wide spectrum of biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiulcer, and anthelmintic activities. In recent years, they have caused extensive interest in researchers due to their potential anti-cancer activities for various types of cancer, and their anti-cancer mechanisms, including causing cell cycle arrest, inducing apoptosis and differentiation, promoting the aggregation of microtubule protein, inhibiting the activity of telomerase, inhibiting metastasis and invasion, reversing multidrug resistance, restraining angiogenesis has been studied. This review will summarize anti-cancer activities and associated molecular mechanisms of these two compounds for the purpose of promoting their research and application.

Costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone combination treatment inhibit breast cancer by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through c-Myc/p53 and AKT/14-3-3 pathway

“…Increased proliferation capacities, uncontrolled cell cycle progression and apoptosis inhibition are the hallmark of cancer. Accordingly, the agents targeting one or more of these processes should be ideal cancer chemopreventive candidates5. Our research results demonstrated that VOSL, sesquiterpene lactones-rich fraction, can inhibit MCF-7 cell proliferation, induce cell cycle arrest and promote apoptosis through c-Myc/p53 signaling pathway and AKT/14-3-3 signaling pathway.…”

“…1) moiety of Cos and Dehy may play crucial roles through conjugation with SH-groups of target proteins to exert various biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-virus, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetes, anti-ulcer, and anthelmintic activities, etc 5,. of which, the anti-cancer activities and associated molecular mechanisms of Cos or Dehy have been reported in recent years, including inhibiting cancer cell proliferation6, accelerating apoptosis7, inducing cancer cell differentiation8, inhibiting metastasis and invasion9, reversing multidrug resistance10, restraining angiogenesis11.…”

Costunolide induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human gastric adenocarcinoma BGC-823 cells

“…Costunolide, also called costus lactone, is a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from Radix Aucklandiae and exhibits the properties of anti-cancer [7]. The plant Radix Aucklandiae of the family Compositae is a common drug of traditional Chinese medicine.…”

Volatile oil from Saussurea lappa exerts antitumor efficacy by inhibiting epithelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase-mediated signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…According to a recent analysis, at least 73 clinically approved anticancer drugs are plant-derived agents, including some well-known chemotherapeutic agents, such as vinblastine, etoposide, paclitaxel, topotecan [8, 10]. …”