Sample records for show anticancer activity

  1. Synthesis and Anti-cancer Activity of 3-substituted Benzoyl-4-substituted Phenyl-1H-pyrrole Derivatives.

    PubMed

    Zhan, Xiaoping; Qin, Weixi; Wang, Shuai; Zhao, Kai; Xin, Yuxuan; Wang, Yaolin; Qi, Qi; Mao, Zhenmin

    2017-01-01

    Cancer is considered a major public health problem worldwide. The aim of this paper is to design and synthesis of novel anticancer agents with potent anticancer activity and minimum side effects. A series of pyrrole derivatives were synthesized, their anti-cancer activity against nine cancer cell lines and two non-cancer cell lines were evaluated by MTT assay, and their cell cycle progression were determined by flow cytometry analysis. The study of the structure-activity relationships revealed that the introduction of the electron-donation groups at the 4th position of the pyrrole ring increased the anti-cancer activity. Among the synthesized compounds, specially the compounds bearing 3,4-dimethoxy phenyl at the 4th position of the pyrrole ring showed potent anti-cancer activity, cpd 19 was the most potent against MGC 80-3, HCT-116 and CHO cell lines (IC50s = 1.0-1.7 μM), cpd 21 was the most potent against HepG2, DU145 and CT-26 cell lines (IC50s = 0.5-0.9 μM), and cpd 15 was the most potent against A549 (IC50 = 3.6 μM). Moreover, these potent compounds showed weak cytotoxicity against HUVEC and NIH/3T3. Thus, the cpds 15, 19 and 21 show potential anti-cancer for further investigation. Furthermore, the flow cytometry analysis revealed that cpd 21 arrested the CT-26 cells at S phase, and induced the cell apoptosis. Thus, these compounds with the potent anticancer activity and low toxicity have potential for the development of new anticancer chemotherapy agents. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  2. Anticancer activity of ferrocenylthiosemicarbazones.

    PubMed

    Sandra, Cortez-Maya; Elena, Klimova; Marcos, Flores-Alamo; Elena, Martínez-Klimova; Arturo, Ramírez-Ramírez; Teresa, Ramírez Apan; Marcos, Martínez-García

    2014-03-01

    Aliphatic and aromatic ferrocenylthiosemicarbazones were synthesized. The characterization of the new ferrocenylthiosemicarbazones was done by IR, (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction studies. The biological activity of the obtained compounds was assessed in terms of anticancer activity. Their activity against U251 (human glyoblastoma), PC-3 (human prostatic adenocarcinoma), K562 (human chronic myelogenous leukemia), HCT-15 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (human mammary adenocarcinoma) and SKLU-1 (human lung adenocarcinoma) cell lines was studied and compared with cisplatin. All tested compounds showed good activity and the aryl-chloro substituted ferrocenylthiosemicarbazones showed the best anticancer activity.

  3. Anticancer and antimetastatic effects of cordycepin, an active component of Cordyceps sinensis.

    PubMed

    Nakamura, Kazuki; Shinozuka, Kazumasa; Yoshikawa, Noriko

    2015-01-01

    Cordyceps sinensis, a fungus that parasitizes on the larva of Lepidoptera, has been used as a valued traditional Chinese medicine. We investigated the effects of water extracts of Cordyceps sinensis (WECS), and particularly focused on its anticancer and antimetastatic actions. Based on in vitro studies, we report that WECS showed an anticancer action, and this action was antagonized by an adenosine A3 receptor antagonist. Moreover, this anticancer action of WECS was promoted by an adenosine deaminase inhibitor. These results suggest that one of the components of WECS with an anticancer action might be an adenosine or its derivatives. Therefore, we focused on cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) as one of the active ingredients of WECS. According to our experiments, cordycepin showed an anticancer effect through the stimulation of adenosine A3 receptor, followed by glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β activation and cyclin D1 suppression. Cordycepin also showed an antimetastatic action through inhibiting platelet aggregation induced by cancer cells and suppressing the invasiveness of cancer cells via inhibiting the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and accelerating the secretion of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 from cancer cells. In conclusion, cordycepin, an active component of WECS, might be a candidate anticancer and antimetastatic agent. Copyright © 2014 Japanese Pharmacological Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Design, synthesis and molecular modeling studies of novel thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives as potential anti-cancer agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asati, Vivek; Bharti, Sanjay Kumar

    2018-02-01

    A series of novel thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives 4a-x have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for potential anti-cancer activity. The anti-cancer activity of synthesized compounds 4a-x were evaluated against selected human cancer cell line of breast (MCF-7) using sulforhodamine B (SRB) method. Among the synthesized compounds, 4x having 2-cyano phenyl group showed significant cytotoxic activity which is comparable to that of adriamycin as standard anti-cancer drug. The SAR study revealed that the substituted phenyl group on oxadiazole ring attached to thiazolidine-2,4-dione moiety showed significant growth inhibitory activity against MCF-7 cell line. The result of molecular modeling studies showed that compounds 4f, 4o and 4x having similar structural alignment as crystal ligand of protein.

  5. Synthesis and evaluation of the NSCLC anti-cancer activity and physical properties of 4-aryl-N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amines.

    PubMed

    Toviwek, Borvornwat; Suphakun, Praphasri; Choowongkomon, Kiattawee; Hannongbua, Supa; Gleeson, M Paul

    2017-10-15

    Reported herein are efforts to profile 4-aryl-N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amines in terms of their anti-cancer activity towards non small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells. We have synthesized new 4-aryl-N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amines and assessed them in terms of their cytotoxicity (A549, NCI-H187, MCF7, Vero & KB) and physicochemical properties (logD 7.4 and solubility). 13f and 13c demonstrated potent anti-cancer activity in A549 cells (0.2µM), compared to 0.4μM for the NSCLC drug Doxorubicin. 13f also displayed low experimental logD 7.4 (2.9) and the best solubility (∼40μM). Compounds 13b and 13d showed the best balance of A549 anti-cancer activity and selectivity. 13g showed good activity and selectivity comparable with the anti-cancer drug Doxorubicin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Synthesis, characterisation, and in vitro anticancer activity of curcumin analogues bearing pyrazole/pyrimidine ring targeting EGFR tyrosine kinase.

    PubMed

    Ahsan, Mohamed Jawed; Khalilullah, Habibullah; Yasmin, Sabina; Jadav, Surender Singh; Govindasamy, Jeyabalan

    2013-01-01

    In search of potential therapeutics for cancer, we described herein the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro anticancer activity of a novel series of curcumin analogues. The anticancer effects were evaluated on a panel of 60 cell lines, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) screening protocol. There were 10 tested compounds among 14 synthesized compounds, which showed potent anticancer activity in both one-dose and 5-dose assays. The most active compound of the series was 3,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methylstyryl)-1H-pyrazole-1-yl(phenyl)methanone which showed mean growth percent of -28.71 in one-dose assay and GI₅₀ values between 0.0079 and 1.86 µM in 5-dose assay.

  7. Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Curcumin Analogues Bearing a Heterocyclic Nucleus.

    PubMed

    Ahsan, Mohamed Jawed; Ahsan, Mohamed Jawed

    2016-01-01

    We report herein an in vitro anticancer evaluation of a series of seven curcumin analogues (3a-g). The National Cancer Institute (NCI US) Protocol was followed and all the compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity on nine different panels (leukemia, non small cell lung cancer, colon cancer, CNS cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer) represented by 60 NCI human cancer cell lines. All the compounds showed significant anticancer activity in one dose assay (drug concentration 10 μM) and hence were evaluated further in five dose assays (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μM) and three dose related parameters GI50, TGI and LC50 were calculated for each (3a-g) in micro molar drug concentrations (μM). The compound 3d (NSC 757927) showed maximum mean percent growth inhibition (PGI) of 112.2%, while compound 3g (NSC 763374) showed less mean PGI of 40.1% in the one dose assay. The maximum anticancer activity was observed with the SR (leukemia) cell line with a GI50 of 0.03 μM. The calculated average sensitivity of all cell lines of a particular subpanel toward the test agent showed that all the curcumin analogues showed maximum activity on leukemia cell lines with GI50 values between 0.23 and 2.67 μM.

  8. In-vitro anticancer and antimicrobial activities of PLGA/silver nanofiber composites prepared by electrospinning.

    PubMed

    Almajhdi, Fahad N; Fouad, H; Khalil, Khalil Abdelrazek; Awad, Hanem M; Mohamed, Sahar H S; Elsarnagawy, T; Albarrag, Ahmed M; Al-Jassir, Fawzi F; Abdo, Hany S

    2014-04-01

    In the present work, a series of 0, 1 and 7 wt% silver nano-particles (Ag NPs) incorporated poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nano-fibers were synthesized by the electrospinning process. The PLGA/Ag nano-fibers sheets were characterized using SEM, TEM and DSC analyses. The three synthesized PLGA/silver nano-fiber composites were screened for anticancer activity against liver cancer cell line using MTT and LDH assays. The anticancer activity of PLGA nano-fibers showed a remarkable improvement due to increasing the concentration of the Ag NPs. In addition to the given result, PLGA nano-fibers did not show any cytotoxic effect. However, PLGA nano-fibers that contain 1 % nano silver showed anticancer activity of 8.8 %, through increasing the concentration of the nano silver to 7 % onto PLGA nano-fibers, the anticancer activity was enhanced to a 67.6 %. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of these three nano-fibers, against the five bacteria strains namely; E.coli o157:H7 ATCC 51659, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 13565, Bacillus cereus EMCC 1080, Listeria monocytogenes EMCC 1875 and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC25566 using the disc diffusion method, were evaluated. Sample with an enhanced inhibitory effect was PLGA/Ag NPs (7 %) which inhibited all strains (inhibition zone diameter 10 mm); PLGA/Ag NPs (1 %) sample inhibited only one strain (B. cereus) with zone diameter 8 mm. The PLGA nano-fiber sample has not shown any antimicrobial activity. Based on the anticancer as well as the antimicrobial results in this study, it can be postulated that: PLGA nanofibers containing 7 % nano silver are suitable as anticancer- and antibiotic-drug delivery systems, as they will increase the anticancer as well as the antibiotic drug potency without cytotoxicity effect on the normal cells. These findings also suggest that Ag NPs, of the size (5-10 nm) evaluated in the present study, are appropriate for therapeutic application from a safety standpoint.

  9. Dapson in heterocyclic chemistry, part VIII: synthesis, molecular docking and anticancer activity of some novel sulfonylbiscompounds carrying biologically active 1,3-dihydropyridine, chromene and chromenopyridine moieties.

    PubMed

    Al-Said, Mansour S; Ghorab, Mostafa M; Nissan, Yassin M

    2012-07-02

    Several new sulfonebiscompounds having a biologically active 1,2-dihydropyridine-2-one 3-19, acrylamide 20, chromene 21, 22 and chromenopyridine 23, 24 moieties were synthesized and evaluated as potential anticancer agents. The structures of the products were confirmed via elemental analyses and spectral data. The screening tests showed that many of the biscompounds obtained exhibited good anticancer activity against human breast cell line (MCF7) comparable to doxorubicin which was used as reference drug. Compounds 11, 17 and 24 showed IC50 values 35.40 μM, 29.86 μM and 30.99 μM, respectively. In order to elucidate the mechanism of action of the synthesized compounds as anticancer agents, docking on the active site of farnesyltransferase and arginine methyltransferase was also performed and good results were obtained.

  10. Synthesis, DNA binding ability and anticancer activity of 2-heteroaryl substituted benzimidazoles linked pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine conjugates.

    PubMed

    Kamal, Ahmed; Pogula, Praveen Kumar; Khan, Mohammed Naseer Ahmed; Seshadri, Bobburi Naga; Sreekanth, Kokkonda

    2013-08-01

    As a continuation of our efforts to develop the benzimidazole-PBD conjugates as potential anticancer agents, a series of heteroaryl substituted benzimidazole linked PBD conjugates has been synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer potential in 60 human cancer cell lines. Most of the compounds exhibited promising anticancer activity and interestingly, compounds 4c and 4d displayed significant activity in most of the cell lines tested. Whereas, compound 4e showed selectivity in renal cancer cells with GI50 values of <10 and 70 nM against RXF 393 and UO-31 cell lines, respectively. Further, these compounds also showed significant DNA-binding affinity by thermal denaturation study using duplex form of calf thymus (CT) DNA.

  11. Tuning the anticancer activity of a novel pro-apoptotic peptide using gold nanoparticle platforms

    PubMed Central

    Akrami, Mohammad; Balalaie, Saeed; Hosseinkhani, Saman; Alipour, Mohsen; Salehi, Fahimeh; Bahador, Abbas; Haririan, Ismaeil

    2016-01-01

    Pro-apoptotic peptides induce intrinsic apoptosis pathway in cancer cells. However, poor cellular penetration of the peptides is often associated with limited therapeutic efficacy. In this report, a series of peptide-gold nanoparticle platforms were developed to evaluate the anticancer activity of a novel alpha-lipoic acid-peptide conjugate, LA-WKRAKLAK, with respect to size and shape of nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were found to enhance cell internalization as well as anticancer activity of the peptide conjugates. The smaller nanospheres showed a higher cytotoxicity, morphological change and cellular uptake compared to larger nanospheres and nanorods, whereas nanorods showed more hemolytic activity compared to nanospheres. The findings suggested that the anticancer and biological effects of the peptides induced by intrinsic apoptotic pathway were tuned by peptide-functionalized gold nanoparticles (P-AuNPs) as a function of their size and shape. PMID:27491007

  12. Tuning the anticancer activity of a novel pro-apoptotic peptide using gold nanoparticle platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akrami, Mohammad; Balalaie, Saeed; Hosseinkhani, Saman; Alipour, Mohsen; Salehi, Fahimeh; Bahador, Abbas; Haririan, Ismaeil

    2016-08-01

    Pro-apoptotic peptides induce intrinsic apoptosis pathway in cancer cells. However, poor cellular penetration of the peptides is often associated with limited therapeutic efficacy. In this report, a series of peptide-gold nanoparticle platforms were developed to evaluate the anticancer activity of a novel alpha-lipoic acid-peptide conjugate, LA-WKRAKLAK, with respect to size and shape of nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were found to enhance cell internalization as well as anticancer activity of the peptide conjugates. The smaller nanospheres showed a higher cytotoxicity, morphological change and cellular uptake compared to larger nanospheres and nanorods, whereas nanorods showed more hemolytic activity compared to nanospheres. The findings suggested that the anticancer and biological effects of the peptides induced by intrinsic apoptotic pathway were tuned by peptide-functionalized gold nanoparticles (P-AuNPs) as a function of their size and shape.

  13. Anticancer activity and anti-inflammatory studies of 5-aryl-1,4-benzodiazepine derivatives.

    PubMed

    Sandra, Cortez-Maya; Eduardo, Cortes Cortes; Simon, Hernandez-Ortega; Teresa, Ramirez Apan; Antonio, Nieto Camacho; Lijanova, Irina V; Marcos, Martinez-Garcia

    2012-07-01

    A series of 5-aryl-1,4-benzodiazepines with chloro- or fluoro-substituents in the second ring have been synthesized and their anti-inflammatory, myeloperoxidase and anticancer properties studied. The synthesized compounds showed potential anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, which were enhanced in the presence of a chloro-substituent in the second ring of the 5-aryl-1,4- benzodiazepine.

  14. Thymoquinone, as an anticancer molecule: from basic research to clinical investigation

    PubMed Central

    Asaduzzaman Khan, Md.; Tania, Mousumi; Fu, Shangyi; Fu, Junjiang

    2017-01-01

    Thymoquinone is an anticancer phytochemical commonly found in black cumin. In this review, we discuss the potential of thymoquinone as anticancer molecule, its mechanism of action and future usage in clinical applications. Thymoquinone exhibits anticancer activity via numerous mechanisms of action, specifically by showing selective antioxidant and oxidant activity, interfering with DNA structure, affecting carcinogenic signaling molecules/pathways and immunomodulation. In vitro activity of thymoquinone has been further implicated in animal models of cancer; however, no clinical application has been proven yet. This is the optimum time to focus on clinical trials for developing thymoquinone as a future drug in cancer therapeutics. PMID:28881699

  15. Thymoquinone, as an anticancer molecule: from basic research to clinical investigation.

    PubMed

    Asaduzzaman Khan, Md; Tania, Mousumi; Fu, Shangyi; Fu, Junjiang

    2017-08-01

    Thymoquinone is an anticancer phytochemical commonly found in black cumin. In this review, we discuss the potential of thymoquinone as anticancer molecule, its mechanism of action and future usage in clinical applications. Thymoquinone exhibits anticancer activity via numerous mechanisms of action, specifically by showing selective antioxidant and oxidant activity, interfering with DNA structure, affecting carcinogenic signaling molecules/pathways and immunomodulation. In vitro activity of thymoquinone has been further implicated in animal models of cancer; however, no clinical application has been proven yet. This is the optimum time to focus on clinical trials for developing thymoquinone as a future drug in cancer therapeutics.

  16. Anticancer and cancer preventive properties of marine polysaccharides: some results and prospects.

    PubMed

    Fedorov, Sergey N; Ermakova, Svetlana P; Zvyagintseva, Tatyana N; Stonik, Valentin A

    2013-12-02

    Many marine-derived polysaccharides and their analogues have been reported as showing anticancer and cancer preventive properties. These compounds demonstrate interesting activities and special modes of action, differing from each other in both structure and toxicity profile. Herein, literature data concerning anticancer and cancer preventive marine polysaccharides are reviewed. The structural diversity, the biological activities, and the molecular mechanisms of their action are discussed.

  17. Bioactivity-guided isolation of anticancer agents from Bauhinia kockiana Korth.

    PubMed

    Chew, Yik Ling; Lim, Yau Yan; Stanslas, Johnson; Ee, Gwendoline Cheng Lian; Goh, Joo Kheng

    2014-01-01

    Flowers of Bauhinia kockiana were investigated for their anticancer properties. Gallic acid (1), and methyl gallate (2), were isolated via bioassay-directed isolation, and they exhibited anticancer properties towards several cancer cell lines, examined using MTT cell viability assay. Pyrogallol (3) was examined against the same cancer cell lines to deduce the bioactive functional group of the phenolic compounds. The results showed that the phenolic compounds could exhibit moderate to weak cytotoxicity towards certain cell lines (GI50 30 - 86 µM), but were inactive towards DU145 prostate cancer cell (GI50 > 100 µM). It was observed that pyrogallol moiety was one of the essential functional structures of the phenolic compounds in exhibiting anticancer activity. Also, the carboxyl group of compound 1 was also important in anticancer activity. Examination of the PC-3 cells treated with compound 1 using fluorescence microscopy showed that PC-3 cells were killed by apoptosis.

  18. Exploring the anti-cancer activity of novel thiosemicarbazones generated through the combination of retro-fragments: dissection of critical structure-activity relationships.

    PubMed

    Serda, Maciej; Kalinowski, Danuta S; Rasko, Nathalie; Potůčková, Eliška; Mrozek-Wilczkiewicz, Anna; Musiol, Robert; Małecki, Jan G; Sajewicz, Mieczysław; Ratuszna, Alicja; Muchowicz, Angelika; Gołąb, Jakub; Simůnek, Tomáš; Richardson, Des R; Polanski, Jaroslaw

    2014-01-01

    Thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) are an interesting class of ligands that show a diverse range of biological activity, including anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-cancer effects. Our previous studies have demonstrated the potent in vivo anti-tumor activity of novel TSCs and their ability to overcome resistance to clinically used chemotherapeutics. In the current study, 35 novel TSCs of 6 different classes were designed using a combination of retro-fragments that appear in other TSCs. Additionally, di-substitution at the terminal N4 atom, which was previously identified to be critical for potent anti-cancer activity, was preserved through the incorporation of an N4-based piperazine or morpholine ring. The anti-proliferative activity of the novel TSCs were examined in a variety of cancer and normal cell-types. In particular, compounds 1d and 3c demonstrated the greatest promise as anti-cancer agents with potent and selective anti-proliferative activity. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that the chelators that utilized "soft" donor atoms, such as nitrogen and sulfur, resulted in potent anti-cancer activity. Indeed, the N,N,S donor atom set was crucial for the formation of redox active iron complexes that were able to mediate the oxidation of ascorbate. This further highlights the important role of reactive oxygen species generation in mediating potent anti-cancer activity. Significantly, this study identified the potent and selective anti-cancer activity of 1d and 3c that warrants further examination.

  19. Thymoquinone-based nanotechnology for cancer therapy: promises and challenges.

    PubMed

    Ballout, Farah; Habli, Zeina; Rahal, Omar Nasser; Fatfat, Maamoun; Gali-Muhtasib, Hala

    2018-05-01

    Thymoquinone (TQ), the active ingredient of black seed, is a promising anticancer molecule that inhibits cancer cell growth and progression in vitro and in vivo. Despite the promising anticancer activities of TQ, its translation to the clinic is limited by its poor bioavailability and hydrophobicity. As such, we and others encapsulated TQ in nanoparticles to improve its delivery and limit undesirable cytotoxicity. These TQ-nanoparticle formulations showed improved anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities when compared with free TQ. Here, we provide an overview of the various TQ-nanoparticle formulations, highlight their superior efficacy and discuss up-to-date solutions to further enhance TQ bioavailability and anticancer activity, thus improving potential for clinical translation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Differential Effects of Tautomycetin and Its Derivatives on Protein Phosphatase Inhibition, Immunosuppressive Function and Antitumor Activity

    PubMed Central

    Niu, Mingshan; Sun, Yan; Liu, Bo

    2012-01-01

    In the present work, we studied the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of tautomycetin (TMC) and its derivatives. Further, we demonstrated the correlation between the immunosuppressive fuction, anticancer activity and protein phosphatase type 1 (PP1) inhibition of TMC and its derivatives. We have prepared some TMC derivatives via combinatorial biosynthesis, isolation from fermentation broth or chemical degradation of TMC. We found that the immunosuppressive activity was correlated with anticancer activity for TMC and its analog compounds, indicating that TMC may home at the same targets for its immunosuppressive and anticancer activities. Interestingly, TMC-F1, TMC-D1 and TMC-D2 all retained significant, albeit reduced PP1 inhibitory activity compared to TMC. However, only TMC-D2 showed immunosuppressive and anticancer activities in studies carried out in cell lines. Moreover, TMC-Chain did not show any significant inhibitory activity towards PP1 but showed strong growth inhibitory effect. This observation implicates that the maleic anhydride moiety of TMC is critical for its phosphatase inhibitory activity whereas the C1-C18 moiety of TMC is essential for the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. Furthermore, we measured in vivo phosphatase activities of PP1 in MCF-7 cell extracts treated with TMC and its related compounds, and the results indicate that the cytotoxicity of TMC doesn't correlate with its in vivo PP1 inhibition activity. Taken together, our study suggests that the immunosuppressive and anticancer activities of TMC are not due to the inhibition of PP1. Our results provide a novel insight for the elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanisms of TMC's important biological functions. PMID:22563261

  1. Marine Microalgae with Anti-Cancer Properties.

    PubMed

    Martínez Andrade, Kevin A; Lauritano, Chiara; Romano, Giovanna; Ianora, Adrianna

    2018-05-15

    Cancer is the leading cause of death globally and finding new therapeutic agents for cancer treatment remains a major challenge in the pursuit for a cure. This paper presents an overview on microalgae with anti-cancer activities. Microalgae are eukaryotic unicellular plants that contribute up to 40% of global primary productivity. They are excellent sources of pigments, lipids, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, polysaccharides, vitamins and other fine chemicals, and there is an increasing demand for their use as nutraceuticals and food supplements. Some microalgae are also reported as having anti-cancer activity. In this review, we report the microalgal species that have shown anti-cancer properties, the cancer cell lines affected by algae and the concentrations of compounds/extracts tested to induce arrest of cell growth. We also report the mediums used for growing microalgae that showed anti-cancer activity and compare the bioactivity of these microalgae with marine anticancer drugs already on the market and in phase III clinical trials. Finally, we discuss why some microalgae can be promising sources of anti-cancer compounds for future development.

  2. Synthesis and Anticancer Activities of Glycyrrhetinic Acid Derivatives.

    PubMed

    Li, Yang; Feng, Ling; Song, Zhi-Fang; Li, Hai-Bei; Huai, Qi-Yong

    2016-02-06

    A total of forty novel glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) derivatives were designed and synthesized. The cytotoxic activity of the novel compounds was tested against two human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) in vitro by the MTT method. The evaluation results revealed that, in comparison with GA, compound 42 shows the most promising anticancer activity (IC50 1.88 ± 0.20 and 1.37 ± 0.18 µM for MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, respectively) and merits further exploration as a new anticancer agent.

  3. Screening and evaluation of antiparasitic and in vitro anticancer activities of Panamanian endophytic fungi.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Luis, Sergio; Cherigo, Lilia; Higginbotham, Sarah; Arnold, Elizabeth; Spadafora, Carmenza; Ibañez, Alicia; Gerwick, William H; Cubilla-Rios, Luis

    2011-06-01

    Many compounds produced by fungi have relevant pharmaceutical applications. The purpose of this study was to collect and isolate endophytic fungi from different regions of Panama and then to test their potential therapeutic activities against Leishmania donovani, Plasmodium falciparum, and Trypanosoma cruzi as well as their anticancer activities in MCF-7 cells. Of the 25 fungal isolates obtained, ten of them had good anti-parasitic potential, showing selective activity against L. donovani; four had significant anti-malarial activity; and three inhibited the growth of T. cruzi. Anticancer activity was demonstrated in four isolates. Of the active isolates, Edenia sp. strain F0755, Xylaria sp. strain F1220, Aspergillus sp. strain F1544, Mycoleptodiscus sp. strain F0194, Phomopsis sp. strain F1566, Pycnoporus sp. strain F0305, and Diaporthe sp. strain F1647 showed the most promise based on their selective bioactivity and lack of toxicity in the assays.

  4. Hydroquinone Exhibits In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activity in Cancer Cells and Mice.

    PubMed

    Byeon, Se Eun; Yi, Young-Su; Lee, Jongsung; Yang, Woo Seok; Kim, Ji Hye; Kim, Jooyoung; Hong, Suntaek; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Cho, Jae Youl

    2018-03-19

    Hydroquinone (HQ, 1,4-benzenediol) is a hydroxylated benzene metabolite with various biological activities, including anti-oxidative, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory functions. However, the anti-cancer activity of HQ is not well understood. In this study, the in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer activity of HQ was investigated in various cancer cells and tumor-bearing mouse models. HQ significantly induced the death of A431, SYF, B16F10, and MDA-MB-231 cells and also showed a synergistic effect on A431 cell death with other anti-cancer agents, such as adenosine-2',3'-dialdehyde and buthionine sulfoximine. In addition, HQ suppressed angiogenesis in fertilized chicken embryos. Moreover, HQ prevented lung metastasis of melanoma cells in mice in a dose-dependent manner without toxicity and adverse effects. HQ (10 mg/kg) also suppressed the generation of colon and reduced the thickness of colon tissues in azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate-injected mice. This study strongly suggests that HQ possesses in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer activity and provides evidence that HQ could be developed as an effective and safe anti-cancer drug.

  5. Anticancer and antibacterial secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. CAM64 against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

    PubMed

    Jouda, Jean-Bosco; Tamokou, Jean-de-Dieu; Mbazoa, Céline Djama; Sarkar, Prodipta; Bag, Prasanta Kumar; Wandji, Jean

    2016-09-01

    The emergence of multiple-drug resistance bacteria has become a major threat and thus calls for an urgent need to search for new effective and safe anti-bacterial agents. This study aims to evaluate the anticancer and antibacterial activities of secondary metabolites from Penicillium sp., an endophytic fungus associated with leaves of Garcinia nobilis. The culture filtrate from the fermentation of Penicillium sp. was extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the major metabolites were isolated and identified by spectroscopic analyses and by comparison with published data. The antibacterial activity of the compounds was assessed by broth microdilution method while the anticancer activity was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The fractionation of the crude extract afforded penialidin A-C (1-3), citromycetin (4), p-hydroxyphenylglyoxalaldoxime (5) and brefelfin A (6). All of the compounds tested here showed antibacterial activity (MIC = 0.50 - 128 µg/mL) against Gramnegative multi-drug resistance bacteria, Vibrio cholerae (causative agent of dreadful disease cholera) and Shigella flexneri (causative agent of shigellosis), as well as the significant anticancer activity (LC 50 = 0.88 - 9.21 µg/mL) against HeLa cells. The results obtained indicate that compounds 1-6 showed good antibacterial and anticancer activities with no toxicity to human red blood cells and normal Vero cells.

  6. Anticancer and enhanced antimicrobial activity of biosynthesizd silver nanoparticles against clinical pathogens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rajeshkumar, Shanmugam; Malarkodi, Chelladurai; Vanaja, Mahendran; Annadurai, Gurusamy

    2016-07-01

    The present investigation shows the biosynthesis of eco-friendly silver nanoparticles using culture supernatant of Enterococcus sp. and study the effect of enhanced antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity against pathogenic bacteria, fungi and cancer cell lines. Silver nanoparticles was synthesized by adding 1 mM silver nitrate into the 100 ml of 24 h freshly prepared culture supernatant of Enterococcus sp. and were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Selected Area Diffraction X-Ray (SAED), Energy Dispersive X Ray (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infra red Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The synthesized silver nanoparticles were impregnated with commercial antibiotics for evaluation of enhanced antimicrobial activity. Further these synthesized silver nanoparticles were assessed for its anticancer activity against cancer cell lines. In this study crystalline structured nanoparticles with spherical in the size ranges from 10 to 80 nm and it shows excellent enhanced antimicrobial activity than the commercial antibiotics. The in vitro assay of silver nanoparticles on anticancer have great potential to inhibit the cell viability. Amide linkages and carboxylate groups of proteins from Enterococcus sp. may bind with silver ions and convert into nanoparticles. The activities of commercial antibiotics were enhanced by coating silver nanoparticles shows significant improved antimicrobial activity. Silver nanoparticles have the great potential to inhibit the cell viability of liver cancer cells lines (HepG2) and lung cancer cell lines (A549).

  7. Anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity of mulberry (Morus alba L.) root bark

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Root bark of mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been used in herbal medicine as anti-phlogistic, liver protective, kidney protective, hypotensive, diuretic, anti-cough and analgesic agent. However, the anti-cancer activity and the potential anti-cancer mechanisms of mulberry root bark have not been elucidated. We performed in vitro study to investigate whether mulberry root bark extract (MRBE) shows anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity. Methods In anti-inflammatory activity, NO was measured using the griess method. iNOS and proteins regulating NF-κB and ERK1/2 signaling were analyzed by Western blot. In anti-cancer activity, cell growth was measured by MTT assay. Cleaved PARP, ATF3 and cyclin D1 were analyzed by Western blot. Results In anti-inflammatory effect, MRBE blocked NO production via suppressing iNOS over-expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, MRBE inhibited NF-κB activation through p65 nuclear translocation via blocking IκB-α degradation and ERK1/2 activation via its hyper-phosphorylation. In anti-cancer activity, MRBE deos-dependently induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells, SW480. MRBE treatment to SW480 cells activated ATF3 expression and down-regulated cyclin D1 level. We also observed that MRBE-induced ATF3 expression was dependent on ROS and GSK3β. Moreover, MRBE-induced cyclin D1 down-regulation was mediated from cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation, which was dependent on ROS. Conclusions These findings suggest that mulberry root bark exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity. PMID:24962785

  8. Anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity of mulberry (Morus alba L.) root bark.

    PubMed

    Eo, Hyun Ji; Park, Jae Ho; Park, Gwang Hun; Lee, Man Hyo; Lee, Jeong Rak; Koo, Jin Suk; Jeong, Jin Boo

    2014-06-25

    Root bark of mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been used in herbal medicine as anti-phlogistic, liver protective, kidney protective, hypotensive, diuretic, anti-cough and analgesic agent. However, the anti-cancer activity and the potential anti-cancer mechanisms of mulberry root bark have not been elucidated. We performed in vitro study to investigate whether mulberry root bark extract (MRBE) shows anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity. In anti-inflammatory activity, NO was measured using the griess method. iNOS and proteins regulating NF-κB and ERK1/2 signaling were analyzed by Western blot. In anti-cancer activity, cell growth was measured by MTT assay. Cleaved PARP, ATF3 and cyclin D1 were analyzed by Western blot. In anti-inflammatory effect, MRBE blocked NO production via suppressing iNOS over-expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, MRBE inhibited NF-κB activation through p65 nuclear translocation via blocking IκB-α degradation and ERK1/2 activation via its hyper-phosphorylation. In anti-cancer activity, MRBE deos-dependently induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells, SW480. MRBE treatment to SW480 cells activated ATF3 expression and down-regulated cyclin D1 level. We also observed that MRBE-induced ATF3 expression was dependent on ROS and GSK3β. Moreover, MRBE-induced cyclin D1 down-regulation was mediated from cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation, which was dependent on ROS. These findings suggest that mulberry root bark exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity.

  9. Polyether ionophores-promising bioactive molecules for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Huczyński, Adam

    2012-12-01

    The natural polyether ionophore antibiotics might be important chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. In this article, the pharmacology and anticancer activity of the polyether ionophores undergoing pre-clinical evaluation are reviewed. Most of polyether ionophores have shown potent activity against the proliferation of various cancer cells, including those that display multidrug resistance (MDR) and cancer stem cells (CSC). The mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of ionophore agents can be related to their ability to form complexes with metal cations and transport them across cellular and subcellular membranes. Increasing evidence shows that the anticancer activity of polyether ionophores may be a consequence of the induction of apoptosis leading to apoptotic cell death, arresting cell cycle progression, induction of the cell oxidative stress, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, reversion of MDR, synergistic anticancer effect with other anticancer drugs, etc. Continued investigation of the mechanisms of action and development of new polyether ionophores and their derivatives may provide more effective therapeutic drugs for cancer treatments. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Synergistic anticancer effect of the extracts from Polyalthia evecta caused apoptosis in human hepatoma (HepG2) cells

    PubMed Central

    Machana, Sasipawan; Weerapreeyakul, Natthida; Barusrux, Sahapat; Thumanu, Kanjana; Tanthanuch, Waraporn

    2012-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the anticancer activity of the extract fraction of Polyalthia evecta (P. evecta) (Pierre) Finet & Gagnep and the synergistic anticancer effect of the extracts from P. evecta by using the ATR/FT-IR spectroscopy. Methods The 50% ethanol-water crude leaf extract of P. evecta (EW-L) was prepared and was further fractionated to isolate various fractions. The anticancer activity was investigated from cytotoxicity against HepG2 using a neutral red assay and apoptosis induction by evaluation of nuclei morphological changes after DAPI staining. Synergistic anticancer effects of the extracts from P. evecta were performed using the ATR/FT-IR spectroscopy. Results The result showed that the EW-L showed higher cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction in HepG2 cells than its fractionated extracts. The hexane extract exhibited higher cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction than the water extracts, but less than the EW-L. The combined water and hexane extracts apparently increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction. The %apoptotic cells induced by the extract mixture were increased about 2-fold compared to the single hexane extract. Conclusions The polar extract fraction is necessary for the anticancer activity of the non-polar extract fraction. The ATR/FT-IR spectra illustrates the physical interaction among the constituents in the extract mixture and reveals the presence of polyphenolic constituents in the EW-L, which might play a role for the synergistic anticancer effect. PMID:23569977

  11. Novel menadione hybrids: Synthesis, anticancer activity, and cell-based studies.

    PubMed

    Prasad, Chakka Vara; Nayak, Vadithe Lakshma; Ramakrishna, Sistla; Mallavadhani, Uppuluri Venkata

    2018-01-01

    A series of novel menadione-based triazole hybrids were designed and synthesized by employing copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). All the synthesized hybrids were characterized by their spectral data ( 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, IR, and HRMS). The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity against five selected cancer cell lines including lung (A549), prostate (DU-145), cervical (Hela), breast (MCF-7), and mouse melanoma (B-16) using MTT assay. The screening results showed that majority of the synthesized compounds displayed significant anticancer activity. Among the tested compounds, the triazoles 5 and 6 exhibited potent activity against all cell lines. In particular, compound 6 showed higher potency than the standard tamoxifen and parent menadione against MCF-7 cell line. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that compound 6 arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and induced apoptotic cell death which was further confirmed by Hoechst staining, measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and Annexin-V-FITC assay. Thus, compound 6 can be considered as lead molecule for further development as potent anticancer therapeutic agent. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  12. Contribution of reactive oxygen species to the anticancer activity of aminoalkanol derivatives of xanthone.

    PubMed

    Sypniewski, Daniel; Szkaradek, Natalia; Loch, Tomasz; Waszkielewicz, Anna M; Gunia-Krzyżak, Agnieszka; Matczyńska, Daria; Sołtysik, Dagna; Marona, Henryk; Bednarek, Ilona

    2018-06-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critically involved in the action of anticancer agents. In this study, we investigated the role of ROS in the anticancer mechanism of new aminoalkanol derivatives of xanthone. Most xanthones used in the study displayed significant pro-oxidant effects similar to those of gambogic acid, one of the most active anticancer xanthones. The pro-oxidant activity of our xanthones was shown both directly (by determination of ROS induction, effects on the levels of intracellular antioxidants, and expression of antioxidant enzymes) and indirectly by demonstrating that the overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase decreases ROS-mediated cell senescence. We also observed that mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular apoptosis enhancement correlated with xanthone-induced oxidative stress. Finally, we showed that the use of the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine partly reversed these effects of aminoalkanol xanthones. Our results demonstrated that novel aminoalkanol xanthones mediated their anticancer activity primarily through ROS elevation and enhanced oxidative stress, which led to mitochondrial cell death stimulation; this mechanism was similar to the activity of gambogic acid.

  13. A promising anti-cancer and anti-oxidant agents based on the pyrrole and fused pyrrole: synthesis, docking studies and biological evaluation.

    PubMed

    Fatahala, Samar Said; Shalaby, Emad Ahmed; Kassab, Shaymaa Emam; Mohamed, Mossad Said

    2015-01-01

    A series of N-aryl derivatives of pyrrole and its related derivatives of fused form (namely; tetrahydroindole and dihydroindenopyrroles) were prepared in fair to good yields. The newly synthesized compounds were confirmed using IR, (1)H NMR, Mass spectral and elemental analysis. Tetrahydrobenzo[b] pyrroles Ia-d, 1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]pyrroles IIa,b and pyrroles IIIa-c,e were evaluated for anticancer activity, coinciding with the antioxidant activity; using Di-Phenyl Picryl Hydrazyl (DPPH) tests. The cytotoxicity of the tested compounds (at a concentration of 100 and 200 μg /mL) was performed against HepG-2 and EACC cell lines. Compounds Ib, d and IIa showed promising antioxidant activity beside their anticancer activity. Docking studies were employed to justify the promising anticancer activity of Ib,d and IIa. Protein kinase (PKase)-PDB entry 1FCQ was chosen as target enzyme for this purpose using the MOLSOFT ICM 3.4-8C program. The docking results of the tested compounds went aligned with the respective anticancer assay results.

  14. Synthesis and biological evaluation of some novel triazole hybrids of curcumin mimics and their selective anticancer activity against breast and prostate cancer cell lines.

    PubMed

    Mandalapu, Dhanaraju; Saini, Karan S; Gupta, Sonal; Sharma, Vikas; Yaseen Malik, Mohd; Chaturvedi, Swati; Bala, Veenu; Hamidullah; Thakur, Subhadra; Maikhuri, Jagdamba P; Wahajuddin, Muhammad; Konwar, Rituraj; Gupta, Gopal; Sharma, Vishnu Lal

    2016-09-01

    The anti-cancer property of curcumin, an active component of turmeric, is limited due to its poor solubility, stability and bioavailability. To enhance its efficacy, we designed a novel series of twenty-four monocarbonyl curcumin analogue-1,2,3-triazole conjugates and evaluated their anti-cancer activity towards endocrine related cancers. The new compounds (17-40) were synthesized through CuAAC click reaction and SAR analysis carried out. Out of these all, compound 17 showed most significant anti-cancer activity against prostate cancer cells with IC50 values of 8.8μM and 9.5μM in PC-3 and DU-145 cells, respectively. Another compound 26 showed significant anti-cancer activity against breast cancer cells with IC50 of 6μM, 10μM and 6.4μM in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells, respectively while maintaining low toxicity towards non-cancer originated cell line, HEK-293. Compounds 17 and 26 arrested cell cycle and induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells. Further, both of these compounds significantly down-regulated cell proliferation marker (PCNA), inhibited activation of cell survival protein (Akt phosphorylation), upregulated pro-apoptotic protein (Bax) and down-regulated anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) in their respective cell lines. In addition, in vitro stability, solubility and plasma binding studies of the compounds 17 and 26 showed them to be metabolically stable. Thus, this study identified two new curcumin monocarbonyl-1,2,3-triazole conjugate compounds with more potent activity than curcumin against breast and prostate cancers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Synthesis and Anti-cancer Activity of Novel Thiazolidinone Analogs of 6-Aminoflavone.

    PubMed

    Moorkoth, Sudheer

    2015-01-01

    Novel heterocyclic analogs were synthesized by combining a flavone nucleus and thiazolidinone ring in an effort to potentiate the existing anti-cancer activity of flavone. The syntheses of 6-aminoflavone, 6-amino-3-methoxyflavone, 6-amino-3-methoxy-3',4'-dimethxyflavone and their corresponding thiazolidinone analogs were performed. Fifteen novel analogs were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer activity using cell-based assay techniques and in vivo testing. As expected, the analogs improved cytotoxicity and were shown to increase the life span of cancer-bearing mice. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays in HeLa, MDA-MB-435, and Vero cell lines. In vivo evaluation of anti-cancer activity performed in albino mice bearing Dalton's ascites carcinoma showed that the new analogs enhanced life span and prevented increases in body weight owing to tumor volumes. Moreover, cell-cycle analysis and Hoechst staining analysis proved the apoptotic potential of these analogs. Preliminary pharmacokinetic evaluation was carried out on the synthesized compounds to determine the lipophilicity and pKa. Lipophilicity was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and the results showed a direct correlation between the observed anti-cancer activity and log P value, while pKa values indicated the ionizing range which is a prediction tool for solubility and permeability.

  16. Screening for Anti-Cancer Compounds in Marine Organisms in Oman

    PubMed Central

    Dobretsov, Sergey; Tamimi, Yahya; Al-Kindi, Mohamed A.; Burney, Ikram

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: Marine organisms are a rich source of bioactive molecules with potential applications in medicine, biotechnology and industry; however, few bioactive compounds have been isolated from organisms inhabiting the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. This study aimed to isolate and screen the anti-cancer activity of compounds and extracts from 40 natural products of marine organisms collected from the Gulf of Oman. Methods: This study was carried out between January 2012 and December 2014 at the Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Fungi, bacteria, sponges, algae, soft corals, tunicates, bryozoans, mangrove tree samples and sea cucumbers were collected from seawater at Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha and Bandar Al-Khayran in Oman. Bacteria and fungi were isolated using a marine broth and organisms were extracted with methanol and ethyl acetate. Compounds were identified from spectroscopic data. The anti-cancer activity of the compounds and extracts was tested in a Michigan Cancer Foundation (MCF)-7 cell line breast adenocarcinoma model. Results: Eight pure compounds and 32 extracts were investigated. Of these, 22.5% showed strong or medium anti-cancer activity, with malformin A, kuanoniamine D, hymenialdisine and gallic acid showing the greatest activity, as well as the soft coral Sarcophyton sp. extract. Treatment of MCF-7 cells at different concentrations of Sarcophyton sp. extracts indicated the induction of concentration-dependent cell death. Ultrastructural analysis highlighted the presence of nuclear fragmentation, membrane protrusion, blebbing and chromatic segregation at the nuclear membrane, which are typical characteristics of cell death by apoptosis induction. Conclusion: Some Omani marine organisms showed high anti-cancer potential. The efficacy, specificity and molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer compounds from Omani marine organisms on various cancer models should be investigated in future in vitro and in vivo studies. PMID:27226907

  17. Small lytic peptides escape the inhibitory effect of heparan sulfate on the surface of cancer cells

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Several naturally occurring cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs), including bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB), display promising anticancer activities. These peptides are unaffected by multidrug resistance mechanisms and have been shown to induce a protective immune response against solid tumors, thus making them interesting candidates for developing novel lead structures for anticancer treatment. Recently, we showed that the anticancer activity by LfcinB was inhibited by the presence of heparan sulfate (HS) on the surface of tumor cells. Based on extensive structure-activity relationship studies performed on LfcinB, shorter and more potent peptides have been constructed. In the present study, we have investigated the anticancer activity of three chemically modified 9-mer peptides and the influence of HS and chondroitin sulfate (CS) on their cytotoxic activity. Methods Various cell lines and red blood cells were used to investigate the anticancer activity and selectivity of the peptides. The cytotoxic effect of the peptides against the different cell lines was measured by use of a colorimetric MTT viability assay. The influence of HS and CS on their cytotoxic activity was evaluated by using HS/CS expressing and HS/CS deficient cell lines. The ability of soluble HS and CS to inhibit the cytotoxic activity of the peptides and the peptides' affinity for HS and CS were also investigated. Results The 9-mer peptides displayed selective anticancer activity. Cells expressing HS/CS were equally or more susceptible to the peptides than cells not expressing HS/CS. The peptides displayed a higher affinity for HS compared to CS, and exogenously added HS inhibited the cytotoxic effect of the peptides. Conclusions In contrast to the previously reported inhibitory effect of HS on LfcinB, the present study shows that the cytotoxic activity of small lytic peptides was increased or not affected by cell surface HS. PMID:21453492

  18. Effect of Phosphodiesterase in Regulating the Activity of Lysosomes in the HeLa Cell Line.

    PubMed

    Hong, Eun-Seon; Kim, Bit-Na; Kim, Yang-Hoon; Min, Jiho

    2017-02-28

    The transport of lysosomal enzymes into the lysosomes depends on the phosphorylation of their chains and the binding of the phosphorylated residues to mannose-6-phosphate receptors. The efficiency of separation depends more on the phosphodiesterases (PDEs) than on the activity of the phosphorylation of mannose residues and can be determined in vitro. PDEs play important roles in regulation of the activation of lysosomes. The expression of proteins was confirmed by western blotting. All PDE4 series protein expression was reduced in high concentrations of rolipram. As a result of observing the fluorescence intensity after rolipram treatment, the lysosomal enzyme was activated at low concentrations and suppressed at high concentrations. High concentrations of rolipram recovered the original function. Antimicrobial activity was not shown in either 10 or 100 µ concentrations of rolipram in treated HeLa cells in vitro. However, the higher anticancer activity at lower rolipram concentration was shown in lysosomal enzyme treated with 10 µ of rolipram. The anticancer activity was confirmed through cathepsin B and D assay. Tranfection allowed examination of the relationship between PDE4 and lysosomal activity in more detail. Protein expression was confirmed to be reduced. Fluorescence intensity showed decreased activity of lysosomes and ROS in cells transfected with the antisense sequences of PDE4 A, B, C, and D. PDE4A showed anticancer activity, whereas lysosome from cells transfected with the antisense sequences of PDE4 B, C, and D had decreased anticancer activity. These results showed the PDE4 A, B, C, and D are conjunctly related with lysosomal activity.

  19. Study on Anticancer Activity of Extracts of Sponges Collected from Biak Water, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trianto, A.; Ridhlo, A.; Triningsih, D. W.; Tanaka, J.

    2017-02-01

    Indonesia is center of biodiversity where marine sponges are abundant. a source of bioactive compounds with various pharmaceutical properties such as anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anti-malarial. In a continuation of a search for biologically active molecules from marine organisms we investigated the potency of marine sponges as anticancer. A total of 106 sponge specimens were collected between 3-40 m depths by SCUBA diving in Biak waters during August 2005. The specimens were extracted with methanol to provided crude extracts. The methanolic extracts were tested against NBT-T2 cell line. The assay result showed that 8.5 %, 29.2 % and 46.2 % of the extract have activity against the cell line at 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 μg/mL. While, a 16.0 % of the extract did not showed activity against the cell line.

  20. Anticancer activities of bovine and human lactoferricin-derived peptides.

    PubMed

    Arias, Mauricio; Hilchie, Ashley L; Haney, Evan F; Bolscher, Jan G M; Hyndman, M Eric; Hancock, Robert E W; Vogel, Hans J

    2017-02-01

    Lactoferrin (LF) is a mammalian host defense glycoprotein with diverse biological activities. Peptides derived from the cationic region of LF possess cytotoxic activity against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Bovine lactoferricin (LFcinB), a peptide derived from bovine LF (bLF), exhibits broad-spectrum anticancer activity, while a similar peptide derived from human LF (hLF) is not as active. In this work, several peptides derived from the N-terminal regions of bLF and hLF were studied for their anticancer activities against leukemia and breast-cancer cells, as well as normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The cyclized LFcinB-CLICK peptide, which possesses a stable triazole linkage, showed improved anticancer activity, while short peptides hLF11 and bLF10 were not cytotoxic to cancer cells. Interestingly, hLF11 can act as a cell-penetrating peptide; when combined with the antimicrobial core sequence of LFcinB (RRWQWR) through either a Pro or Gly-Gly linker, toxicity to Jurkat cells increased. Together, our work extends the library of LF-derived peptides tested for anticancer activity, and identified new chimeric peptides with high cytotoxicity towards cancerous cells. Additionally, these results support the notion that short cell-penetrating peptides and antimicrobial peptides can be combined to create new adducts with increased potency.

  1. QSAR and docking based semi-synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 18 β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives against human lung cancer cell line A-549.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Dharmendra Kumar; Kalani, Komal; Khan, Feroz; Srivastava, Santosh Kumar

    2013-12-01

    For the prediction of anticancer activity of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA-1) analogs against the human lung cancer cell line (A-549), a QSAR model was developed by forward stepwise multiple linear regression methodology. The regression coefficient (r(2)) and prediction accuracy (rCV(2)) of the QSAR model were taken 0.94 and 0.82, respectively in terms of correlation. The QSAR study indicates that the dipole moments, size of smallest ring, amine counts, hydroxyl and nitro functional groups are correlated well with cytotoxic activity. The docking studies showed high binding affinity of the predicted active compounds against the lung cancer target EGFR. These active glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives were then semi-synthesized, characterized and in-vitro tested for anticancer activity. The experimental results were in agreement with the predicted values and the ethyl oxalyl derivative of GA-1 (GA-3) showed equal cytotoxic activity to that of standard anticancer drug paclitaxel.

  2. A Mn(II) complex of boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) loaded graphene oxide as both LED light and H2O2 enhanced anticancer agent.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xiao-Lei; Shao, Jian; Chen, Qiu-Yun; Li, Cheng-Hao; Kong, Meng-Yun; Fang, Fang; Ji, Ling; Boison, Daniel; Huang, Tao; Gao, Jing; Feng, Chang-Jian

    2016-06-01

    Cancer cells are more susceptible to H2O2 induced cell death than normal cells. H2O2-activatable and O2-evolving nanoparticles could be used as photodynamic therapy agents in hypoxic environments. In this report, a photo-active Mn(II) complex of boradiazaindacene derivatives (Mn1) was used as a dioxygen generator under irradiation with LED light in water. Moreover, the in vitro biological evaluation for Mn1 and its loaded graphene oxide (herein called Mn1@GO) on HepG-2 cells in normal and hypoxic conditions has been performed. In particular, Mn1@GO can react with H2O2 resulting active anticancer species, which show high inhibition on both HepG-2 cells and CoCl2-treated HepG-2 cells (hypoxic cancer cells). The mechanism of LED light enhanced anticancer activity for Mn1@GO on HepG-2 cells was discussed. Our results show that Mn(II) complexes of boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) derivatives loaded GO can be both LED light and H2O2-activated anticancer agents in hypoxic environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Synthesis of Rapamycin Derivatives Containing the Triazole Moiety Used as Potential mTOR-Targeted Anticancer Agents.

    PubMed

    Xie, Lijun; Huang, Jie; Chen, Xiaoming; Yu, Hui; Li, Kualiang; Yang, Dan; Chen, Xiaqin; Ying, Jiayin; Pan, Fusheng; Lv, Youbing; Cheng, Yuanrong

    2016-06-01

    Rapamycin, a potent antifungal antibiotic, was approved as immunosuppressant, and lately its derivatives have been developed into mTOR targeting anticancer drugs. Structure modification was performed at the C-42 position of rapamycin, and a novel series of rapamycin triazole hybrids (4a-d, 5a-e, 8a-e, and 9a-e) was facilely synthesized via Huisgen's reaction. The anticancer activity of these compounds was evaluated against the Caski, H1299, MGC-803, and H460 human cancer cell lines. Some of the derivatives (8a-e, 9a-e) appeared to have stronger activity than that of rapamycin; however, 4a-d and 5a-e failed to show potential anticancer activity. Compound 9e with a (2,4-dichlorophenylamino)methyl moiety on the triazole ring was the most active anticancer compound, which showed IC50 values of 6.05 (Caski), 7.89 (H1299), 25.88 (MGC-803), and 8.60 μM (H460). In addition, research on the mechanism showed that 9e was able to cause cell morphological changes and to induce apoptosis in the Caski cell line. Most importantly, 9e can decrease the phosphorylation of mTOR and of its downstream key proteins, S6 and P70S6K1, indicating that 9e can effectively inhibit the mTOR signaling pathway. Thus, it may have the potential to become a new mTOR inhibitor against various cancers. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Isolation and Characterization of the Anticancer Compound Piceatannol from Sophora Interrupta Bedd

    PubMed Central

    Mathi, Pardhasaradhi; Das, Snehasish; Nikhil, Kumar; Roy, Partha; Yerra, Srikanth; Ravada, Suryachandra Rao; Bokka, Venkata Raman; Botlagunta, Mahendran

    2015-01-01

    Background: Sophora belongs to the family of Fabaceae and the species in this genus are currently used as a folklore medicine for preventing a variety of ailments including cancer. Our aim was to identify and validate an anticancer compound from Sophora interrupta using multi-spectroscopic, anticancer screening, and molecular docking approach. Methods: The cytotoxicity of the various solvent extracts, petroleum ether, n-butanol, and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) of the S. interrupta root powder was evaluated in a breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). The extract that had anticancer activity was subjected to column chromatography based on the polarity of the solvents. The anticancer activity of the elution fractions was validated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The isolated metabolite fraction with anticancer activity was run through a C18 column isocratic and gradient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structure of the isolated compound was characterized using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer methods. Results: The crude EtAOc extract effectively inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. The column eluted chloroform and EtOAc (4:6) fraction of the EtOAc extract showed significant anticancer activity in the MCF-7 cells compared with normal mesenchymal stem cells. This fraction showed three major peaks in the HPLC chromatogram and the first major peak with a retention time (RT) of 7.153 was purified using preparative-HPLC. The structure of the compound is a piceatannol, which is a metabolic product of resveratrol. Piceatannol formed direct two hydrogen bond interactions between Cys912 (2H), and Glu878 of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) with a glide-score (G-score) of −10.193, and two hydrogen bond interactions between Cys919, and Asp1046 of VEGFR2, with a G-score of −8.359. The structure is similar to that of the crystallized protein for VEGFR1 and R2. Conclusions: Piceatannol is a secondary metabolite of S. interrupta that has anticancer activity. Moreover, piceatannol has been isolated for the first time from S. interrupta. PMID:26605022

  5. Investigation of chemical reactivity of 2-alkoxy-1,4-naphthoquinones and their anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Manickam, Manoj; Boggu, Pulla Reddy; Cho, Jungsuk; Nam, Yeo Jin; Lee, Seung Jin; Jung, Sang-Hun

    2018-06-15

    To establish the structure-activity relationship of 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones toward anticancer activity, a series of its derivatives were prepared and tested for the activity (IC 50 in µM) against three cell lines; colo205 (colon adenocarcinoma), T47D (breast ductal carcinoma) and K562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia). Among them 2 (IC 50 : 2.3; 2.0; 1.4 µM), 6 (IC 50 : 1.9; 2.2; 1.3 µM), 9 (IC 50 : 0.7; 1.7; 0.9 µM) and 10 (IC 50 :1.7; 1.0; 1.2 µM) showed moderate to excellent activity. Our perception toward the DNA substitution of alkoxy groups at the C2 position of these naphthoquinones for the anticancer activity led us to investigate their reactivity of substitution toward dimethylamine as a nucleophile. The ease of the substitution of alkoxy groups at the C2 position with dimethylamine is strongly accelerated by hydroxyl group at C5 position and is well correlated with the found anticancer activity results. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives for anticancer activity against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Dharmendra Kumar; Kalani, Komal; Singh, Abhishek K; Khan, Feroz; Srivastava, Santosh K; Pant, Aditya B

    2014-01-01

    In the present work, QSAR model was derived by multiple linear regression method for the prediction of anticancer activity of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives against the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The QSAR model for anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 showed high correlation (r(2)=0.90 and rCV(2)=0.83) and indicated that chemical descriptors namely, dipole moment (debye), steric energy (kcal/mole), heat of formation (kcal/mole), ionization potential (eV), LogP, LUMO energy (eV) and shape index (basic kappa, order 3) correlate well with activity. The QSAR virtually predicted that active derivatives were first semi-synthesized and characterized on the basis of their (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopic data and then were in-vitro tested against MCF-7 cancer cell line. In particular, octylamide derivative of glycyrrhetinic acid GA-12 has marked cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 similar to that of standard anticancer drug paclitaxel. The biological assays of active derivative selected by virtual screening showed significant experimental activity.

  7. Theoretical research into anticancer activity of diterpenes isolated from the paraiban flora.

    PubMed

    Ishiki, Hamilton; Junior, Francisco J B Mendonça; Santos, Paula F; Tavares, Josean F; Tavares, Josean F; Silva, Marcelo S; Scotti, Marcus T

    2014-07-01

    Many studies of the scientific literature discuss the anticancer activity of diterpenes inhibiting the Akt/IKK/NF-kappaB pro-survival signaling cascade, mainly by the activation of serine/threonine phosphatase PP2A. The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the anticancer potential of three atisane, three kaurane and three trachylobane diterpenes extracted from the roots of Xylopia langsdorffiana. Thus, we investigated the reactivity (H-L(GAP) parameter), HOMO atmosphere favorable to neutralize the radical reactivity, and the docking of compounds with PP2A. With all approaches, this theoretical study showed that atisane diterpenes have favorable characteristics for antitumor activity, like electron donating ability and greater hydrophilic interactions with the enzyme, by inhibition of Akt/IKK/NF-kappaB, and activation of PP2A.

  8. Anticancer Activity of Ferulic Acid-Inorganic Nanohybrids Synthesized via Two Different Hybridization Routes, Reconstruction and Exfoliation-Reassembly

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Ae-Jin; Oh, Jae-Min

    2013-01-01

    We have successfully prepared nanohybrids of biofunctional ferulic acid and layered double hydroxide nanomaterials through reconstruction and exfoliation-reassembly routes. From X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, both nanohybrids were determined to incorporate ferulic acid molecules in anionic form. Micrsocopic results showed that the nanohybrids had average particle size of 150 nm with plate-like morphology. As the two nanohybridization routes involved crystal disorder and random stacking of layers, the nanohybrids showed slight alteration in z-axis crystallinity and particle size. The zeta potential values of pristine and nanohybrids in deionized water were determined to be positive, while those in cell culture media shifted to negative values. According to the in vitro anticancer activity test on human cervical cancer HeLa cells, it was revealed that nanohybrids showed twice anticancer activity compared with ferulic acid itself. Therefore we could conclude that the nanohybrids of ferulic acid and layered double hydroxide had cellular delivery property of intercalated molecules on cancer cell lines. PMID:24453848

  9. Anticancer activity of ferulic acid-inorganic nanohybrids synthesized via two different hybridization routes, reconstruction and exfoliation-reassembly.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hyoung-Jun; Ryu, Kitae; Kang, Joo-Hee; Choi, Ae-Jin; Kim, Tae-il; Oh, Jae-Min

    2013-01-01

    We have successfully prepared nanohybrids of biofunctional ferulic acid and layered double hydroxide nanomaterials through reconstruction and exfoliation-reassembly routes. From X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, both nanohybrids were determined to incorporate ferulic acid molecules in anionic form. Microscopic results showed that the nanohybrids had average particle size of 150 nm with plate-like morphology. As the two nanohybridization routes involved crystal disorder and random stacking of layers, the nanohybrids showed slight alteration in z-axis crystallinity and particle size. The zeta potential values of pristine and nanohybrids in deionized water were determined to be positive, while those in cell culture media shifted to negative values. According to the in vitro anticancer activity test on human cervical cancer HeLa cells, it was revealed that nanohybrids showed twice anticancer activity compared with ferulic acid itself. Therefore we could conclude that the nanohybrids of ferulic acid and layered double hydroxide had cellular delivery property of intercalated molecules on cancer cell lines.

  10. Tricaproin Isolated From Simarouba glauca Inhibits the Growth of Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Lines by Targeting Class-1 Histone Deacetylases

    PubMed Central

    Jose, Asha; Chaitanya, Motamari V. N. L.; Kannan, Elango; Madhunapantula, SubbaRao V.

    2018-01-01

    While anticancer properties of Simarouba glauca (SG, commonly known as Paradise tree) are well documented in ancient literature, the underlying mechanisms leading to cancer cell death begin to emerge very recently. The leaves of SG have been used as potential source of anticancer agents in traditional medicine. Recently attempts have been made to isolate anticancer agents from the leaves of SG using solvent extraction, which identified quassinoids as the molecules with tumoricidal activity. However, it is not known whether the anti-cancer potential of SG leaves is just because of quassinoids alone or any other phytochemicals also contribute for the potency of SG leaf extracts. Therefore, SG leaves were first extracted with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, 70% ethanol, water and anti-cancer potential (for inhibiting colorectal cancer (CRC) cells HCT-116 and HCT-15 proliferation) determined using Sulforhodamine-B (SRB) assay. The chloroform fraction with maximal anticancer activity was further fractionated by activity-guided isolation procedure and structure of the most potent compound determined using spectral analysis. Analysis of the structural characterization data showed the presence of tricaproin (TCN). TCN inhibited CRC cells growth in a time- and dose dependent manner but not the normal cell line BEAS-2B. Mechanistically, TCN reduced oncogenic Class-I Histone deacetylases (HDACs) activity, followed by inducing apoptosis in cells. In conclusion, the anti-cancer potential of SG is in part due to the presence of TCN in the leaves. PMID:29593526

  11. Curcumin as therapeutics for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by activating SIRT1

    PubMed Central

    Hu, An; Huang, Jing-Juan; Li, Rui-Lin; Lu, Zhao-Yang; Duan, Jun-Li; Xu, Wei-Hua; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Fan, Jing-Ping

    2015-01-01

    SIRT1 is one of seven mammalian homologs of Sir2 that catalyzes NAD+-dependent protein deacetylation. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of SIRT1 small molecule activator on the anticancer activity and the underlying mechanism. We examined the anticancer activity of a novel oral agent, curcumin, which is the principal active ingredient of the traditional Chinese herb Curcuma Longa. Treatment of FaDu and Cal27 cells with curcumin inhibited growth and induced apoptosis. Mechanistic studies showed that anticancer activity of curcumin is associated with decrease in migration of HNSCC and associated angiogenesis through activating of intrinsic apoptotic pathway (caspase-9) and extrinsic apoptotic pathway (caspase-8). Our data demonstrating that anticancer activity of curcumin is linked to the activation of the ATM/CHK2 pathway and the inhibition of nuclear factor-κB. Finally, increasing SIRT1 through small molecule activator curcumin has shown beneficial effects in xenograft mouse model, indicating that SIRT1 may represent an attractive therapeutic target. Our studies provide the preclinical rationale for novel therapeutics targeting SIRT1 in HNSCC. PMID:26299580

  12. Generation of ligand-based pharmacophore model and virtual screening for identification of novel tubulin inhibitors with potent anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Chiang, Yi-Kun; Kuo, Ching-Chuan; Wu, Yu-Shan; Chen, Chung-Tong; Coumar, Mohane Selvaraj; Wu, Jian-Sung; Hsieh, Hsing-Pang; Chang, Chi-Yen; Jseng, Huan-Yi; Wu, Ming-Hsine; Leou, Jiun-Shyang; Song, Jen-Shin; Chang, Jang-Yang; Lyu, Ping-Chiang; Chao, Yu-Sheng; Wu, Su-Ying

    2009-07-23

    A pharmacophore model, Hypo1, was built on the basis of 21 training-set indole compounds with varying levels of antiproliferative activity. Hypo1 possessed important chemical features required for the inhibitors and demonstrated good predictive ability for biological activity, with high correlation coefficients of 0.96 and 0.89 for the training-set and test-set compounds, respectively. Further utilization of the Hypo1 pharmacophore model to screen chemical database in silico led to the identification of four compounds with antiproliferative activity. Among these four compounds, 43 showed potent antiproliferative activity against various cancer cell lines with the strongest inhibition on the proliferation of KB cells (IC(50) = 187 nM). Further biological characterization revealed that 43 effectively inhibited tubulin polymerization and significantly induced cell cycle arrest in G(2)-M phase. In addition, 43 also showed the in vivo-like anticancer effects. To our knowledge, 43 is the most potent antiproliferative compound with antitubulin activity discovered by computer-aided drug design. The chemical novelty of 43 and its anticancer activities make this compound worthy of further lead optimization.

  13. Structure-Activity Relationships of Orotidine-5′-Monophosphate Decarboxylase Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bello, A.; Konforte, D; Poduch, E

    2009-01-01

    A series of 6-substituted and 5-fluoro-6-substituted uridine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their potential as anticancer agents. The designed molecules were synthesized from either fully protected uridine or the corresponding 5-fluorouridine derivatives. The mononucleotide derivatives were used for enzyme inhibition investigations against ODCase. Anticancer activities of all the synthesized derivatives were evaluated using the nucleoside forms of the inhibitors. 5-Fluoro-UMP was a very weak inhibitor of ODCase. 6-Azido-5-fluoro and 5-fluoro-6-iodo derivatives are covalent inhibitors of ODCase, and the active site Lys145 residue covalently binds to the ligand after the elimination of the 6-substitution. Among the synthesized nucleoside derivatives, 6-azido-5-fluoro,more » 6-amino-5-fluoro, and 6-carbaldehyde-5-fluoro derivatives showed potent anticancer activities in cell-based assays against various leukemia cell lines. On the basis of the overall profile, 6-azido-5-fluoro and 6-amino-5-fluoro uridine derivatives exhibited potential for further investigations.« less

  14. Discovering some novel 7-chloroquinolines carrying a biologically active benzenesulfonamide moiety as a new class of anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Al-Dosari, Mohammed Salem; Ghorab, Mostafa Mohamed; Al-Said, Mansour Sulaiman; Nissan, Yassin Mohammed

    2013-01-01

    Based on the reported anticancer activity of quinolines, a new series of 7-chloroquinoline derivatives bearing the biologically active benzenesulfonamide moiety 2-17 and 19-25 were synthesized starting with 4,7-dichloroquinolne 1. Compound 17 was the most active compound with IC(50) value 64.41, 75.05 and 30.71 µM compared with Doxorubicin as reference drug with IC(50) values 82.53, 88.32 and 73.72 µM on breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells and neuroblastoma, respectively. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity on breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells and neuroblastoma cells. Most of the synthesized compounds showed moderate activity. In order to suggest the mechanism of action for their cytotoxic activity, molecular docking for all synthesized compounds was done on the active site of phosphoinositide kinase (PI3K) and good results were obtained.

  15. Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and in vitro antimicrobial, anticancer and antileishmanial activities as well interaction with Salmon sperm DNA of newly synthesized carboxylic acid derivative, 4-(4-methoxy-2-nitrophenylamino)-4-oxobutanoic acid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sirajuddin, Muhammad; Ali, Saqib; McKee, Vickie; Ullah, Hameed

    2015-03-01

    This paper stresses on the synthesis, characterization of novel carboxylic acid derivative and its application in pharmaceutics. Carboxylic acid derivatives have a growing importance in medicine, particularly in oncology. A novel carboxylic acid, 4-(4-methoxy-2-nitrophenylamino)-4-oxobutanoic acid, was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, NMR (1H, and 13C), mass spectrometry and single crystal X-ray structural analysis. The structure of the title compound, C11H12N2O6, shows the molecules dimerised by short intramolecular Osbnd H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The compound was screened for in vitro antimicrobial, anticancer, and antileishmanial activities as well as interaction with SS-DNA. The compound was also checked for in vitro anticancer activity against BHK-21, H-157 and HCEC cell lines, and showed significant anticancer activity. The compound was almost non-toxic towards human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) and did not show more than 7.4% antiproliferative activity when used at the 2.0 μg/mL end concentration. It was also tested for antileishmanial activity against the promastigote form of leishmania major and obtained attractive result. DNA interaction study exposes that the binding mode of the compound with SS-DNA is an intercalative as it results in hypochromism along with minor red shift. A new and efficient strategy to identify pharmacophores sites in carboxylic acid derivative for antibacterial/antifungal activity using Petra, Osiris and Molinspiration (POM) analyses was also carried out.

  16. Anticancer Activity of Bacterial Proteins and Peptides.

    PubMed

    Karpiński, Tomasz M; Adamczak, Artur

    2018-04-30

    Despite much progress in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, tumour diseases constitute one of the main reasons of deaths worldwide. The side effects of chemotherapy and drug resistance of some cancer types belong to the significant current therapeutic problems. Hence, searching for new anticancer substances and medicines are very important. Among them, bacterial proteins and peptides are a promising group of bioactive compounds and potential anticancer drugs. Some of them, including anticancer antibiotics (actinomycin D, bleomycin, doxorubicin, mitomycin C) and diphtheria toxin, are already used in the cancer treatment, while other substances are in clinical trials (e.g., p28, arginine deiminase ADI) or tested in in vitro research. This review shows the current literature data regarding the anticancer activity of proteins and peptides originated from bacteria: antibiotics, bacteriocins, enzymes, nonribosomal peptides (NRPs), toxins and others such as azurin, p28, Entap and Pep27anal2. The special attention was paid to the still poorly understood active substances obtained from the marine sediment bacteria. In total, 37 chemical compounds or groups of compounds with antitumor properties have been described in the present article.

  17. Development and evaluation of adsorption sheet (HD safe sheet-U) using active carbon for the purpose of the preventing the contamination diffusion of urinary excreted anticancer drug.

    PubMed

    Sato, Junya; Ohkubo, Haruka; Sasaki, Yuki; Yokoi, Makoto; Hotta, Yasunori; Kudo, Kenzo

    2017-01-01

    Certain amount of anticancer drugs is excreted in the urine of patients receiving anticancer drugs, and urinary scattering including anticancer drugs at excretion has become a route of anticancer drug contamination. Therefore, we developed an active carbon sheet (HD safe sheet-U) that prevented diffusion by adsorbing anticancer drugs including that excreted in urine. The present study conducted a performance evaluation of this sheet. The adsorption performance of active carbon to anticancer drug in the urine was evaluated by determining concentration changes in the active carbon suspension (5 mg/mL) of 14 kinds of anticancer drugs (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, carboplatin, cisplatin, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, cytarabine, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, etoposide, and irinotecan) diluted with artificial urine. Adhesion of the anticancer drug dropping on the sheet to a slipper sole was evaluated because urine including anticancer drugs is scattered on the floor, which can spread by adhering to shoe soles of patients and healthcare workers. The performance of the active carbon sheet was compared with two other types of medical adsorption sheets used as control sheets. Anticancer drugs diluted with artificial urine (1 mL) were dropped on the active carbon sheet and the two control sheets. The sheets were trod with slippers made by polyvinyl chloride. The adhered anticancer drug was wiped off and its quantity was determined. A remarkable decrease in anticancer drug concentrations, except for cisplatin, was detected by mixture of active carbon in the artificial urine (0-79.6%). The quantity of anticancer drug adhesion to slipper soles from the active carbon sheet was significantly lower compared with that observed for the two control sheets for eight kinds of anticancer drugs (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, carboplatin, methotrexate, cytarabine, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, and docetaxel). There was no adhesion in cyclophosphamide and docetaxel. Furthermore, the quantities of adhesion in cytarabine, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, and irinotecan were lower than determination limit. Active carbon might be effective in adsorbing urinary anticancer drugs. The active carbon sheet adsorbed urinary excreted anticancer drugs, and use of such sheets might prevent diffusion of contamination due to urinary excreted anticancer drugs.

  18. Tannic acid ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and potentiates its anti-cancer activity: Potential role of tannins in cancer chemotherapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tikoo, Kulbhushan, E-mail: tikoo.k@gmail.com; Sane, Mukta Subhash; Gupta, Chanchal

    2011-03-15

    Doxorubicin, an anthracycline antibiotic, is widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors including breast cancer. However, its use is limited due to a variety of toxicities including cardiotoxicity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of tannic acid, a PARG/PARP inhibitor and an antioxidant, on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in H9c2 embryonic rat heart myoblasts and its anti-cancer activity in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells as well as in DMBA-induced mammary tumor animals. Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity was assessed by measurement of heart weight, plasma LDH level and histopathology. Bcl-2, Bax, PARP-1 and p53 expression were examined by western blotting. Ourmore » results show that tannic acid prevents activation of PARP-1, reduces Bax and increases Bcl-2 expression in H9c2 cells, thus, preventing doxorubicin-induced cell death. Further, it reduces the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, increases p53 expression in mammary tumors and shows maximum tumor volume reduction, suggesting that tannic acid potentiates the anti-cancer activity of doxorubicin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report which shows that tannic acid ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and potentiates its anti-cancer activity both in vitro (H9c2 and MDA-MB-231 cells) as well as in in vivo model of DMBA-induced mammary tumor animals.« less

  19. Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of the Polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima Root.

    PubMed

    Jia, Xuejing; Zhang, Chao; Hu, Jie; He, Muxue; Bao, Jiaolin; Wang, Kai; Li, Peng; Chen, Meiwan; Wan, Jianbo; Su, Huanxing; Zhang, Qingwen; He, Chengwei

    2015-11-23

    Box-Behnken design (BBD), one of the most common response surface methodology (RSM) methods, was used to optimize the experimental conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Rhynchosia minima root (PRM). The antioxidant abilities and anticancer activity of purified polysaccharide fractions were also measured. The results showed that optimal extraction parameters were as follows: ultrasound exposure time, 21 min; ratio of water to material, 46 mL/g; ultrasound extraction temperature, 63 °C. Under these conditions, the maximum yield of PRM was 16.95%±0.07%. Furthermore, the main monosaccharides of purified fractions were Ara and Gal. PRM3 and PRM5 exhibited remarkable DPPH radical scavenging activities and reducing power in vitro. PRM3 showed strong inhibitory activities on the growth of MCF-7 cells in vitro. The above results indicate that polysaccharides from R. minima root have the potential to be developed as natural antioxidants and anticancer ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

  20. Antidiabetic and anticancer activities of Mangifera indica cv. Okrong leaves

    PubMed Central

    Ganogpichayagrai, Aunyachulee; Palanuvej, Chanida; Ruangrungsi, Nijsiri

    2017-01-01

    Diabetes and cancer are a major global public health problem. Plant-derived agents with undesirable side-effects were required. This study aimed to evaluate antidiabetic and anticancer activities of the ethanolic leaf extract of Mangifera indica cv. Okrong and its active phytochemical compound, mangiferin. Antidiabetic activities against yeast α-glucosidase and rat intestinal α-glucosidase were determined using 1 mM of p-nitro phenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside as substrate. Inhibitory activity against porcine pancreatic α-amylase was performed using 1 mM of 2-chloro-4 nitrophenol-α-D-maltotroside-3 as substrate. Nitrophenol product was spectrophotometrically measured at 405 nm. Anticancer activity was evaluated against five human cancer cell lines compared to two human normal cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Mango leaf extract and mangiferin exhibited dose-dependent inhibition against yeast α-glucosidase with the IC50 of 0.0503 and 0.5813 mg/ml, respectively, against rat α-glucosidase with the IC50 of 1.4528 and 0.4333 mg/ml, respectively, compared to acarbose with the IC50 of 11.9285 and 0.4493 mg/ml, respectively. For anticancer activity, mango leaf extract, at ≥200 μg/ml showed cytotoxic potential against all tested cancer cell lines. In conclusion, mango leaf possessed antidiabetic and anticancer potential in vitro. PMID:28217550

  1. Tubulin polymerization-stimulating activity of Ganoderma triterpenoids.

    PubMed

    Kohno, Toshitaka; Hai-Bang, Tran; Zhu, Qinchang; Amen, Yhiya; Sakamoto, Seiichi; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Morimoto, Satoshi; Shimizu, Kuniyoshi

    2017-04-01

    Tubulin polymerization is an important target for anticancer therapies. Even though the potential of Ganoderma triterpenoids against various cancer targets had been well documented, studies on their tubulin polymerization-stimulating activity are scarce. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Ganoderma triterpenoids on tubulin polymerization. A total of twenty-four compounds were investigated using an in vitro tubulin polymerization assay. Results showed that most of the studied triterpenoids exhibited microtuble-stabilizing activity to different degrees. Among the investigated compounds, ganoderic acid T-Q, ganoderiol F, ganoderic acid S, ganodermanontriol and ganoderic acid TR were found to have the highest activities. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis was performed. Extensive investigation of the SAR suggests the favorable structural features for the tubulin polymerization-stimulating activity of lanostane triterpenes. These findings would be helpful for further studies on the potential mechanisms of the anticancer activity of Ganoderma triterpenoids and give some indications on the design of tubulin-targeting anticancer agents.

  2. Anticancer activity of Cynodon dactylon and Oxalis corniculata on Hep2 cell line.

    PubMed

    Salahuddin, H; Mansoor, Q; Batool, R; Farooqi, A A; Mahmood, T; Ismail, M

    2016-04-30

    Bioactive chemicals isolated from plants have attracted considerable attention over the years and overwhelmingly increasing laboratory findings are emphasizing on tumor suppressing properties of these natural agents in genetically and chemically induced animal carcinogenesis models. We studied in vitro anticancer activity of organic extracts of Cynodon dactylon and Oxalis corniculata on Hep2 cell line and it was compared with normal human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) by using MTT assay. Real Time PCR was conducted for p53 and PTEN genes in treated cancer cell line. DNA fragmentation assay was also carried out to note DNA damaging effects of the extracts. The minimally effective concentration of ethanolic extract of Cynodon dactylon and methanolic extract of Oxalis corniculata that was nontoxic to HCEC but toxic to Hep2 was recorded (IC50) at a concentration of 0.042mg/ml (49.48 % cell death) and 0.048mg/ml (47.93% cell death) respectively, which was comparable to the positive control. Our results indicated dose dependent increase in cell death. P53 and PTEN did not show significant increase in treated cell line. Moreover, DNA damaging effects were also not detected in treated cancer cell line. Anticancer activity of these plants on the cancer cell line showed the presence of anticancer components which should be characterized to be used as anticancer therapy.

  3. Molecular designing and in silico evaluation of darunavir derivatives as anticancer agents

    PubMed Central

    Mahto, Manoj kumar; Yellapu, Nanda Kumar; Kilaru, Ravendra Babu; Chamarthi, Naga Raju; Bhaskar, Matcha

    2014-01-01

    Darunavir is a synthetic nonpeptidic protease inhibitor which has been tested for anticancer properties. To deduce and enhance the anticancer activity of the Darunavir, we have modified its reactive moiety in an effective way. We designed 9 analogues in ChemBioOffice 2010 and minimized using the LigPrep tool of Schrödinger 2011. These analogues can obstruct the activity of other signalling pathways which are implicated in many tumors. Results of the QikProp showed that all the analogues lied in the specified range of all the pharmacokinetic (ADMET) properties required to become the successful drug. Docking study was performed to test its anticancer activity against the biomarkers of the five main types of cancers i.e. bone, brain, breast, colon and skin cancer. Grid was generated for each oncoproteins by specifying the active site amino acids. The binding model of best scoring analogue with each protein was assessed from their G-scores and disclosed by docking analysis using the XP visualizer tool. An analysis of the receptor-ligand interaction studies revealed that these nine Darunavir analogues are active against all cancer biomarkers and have the features to prove themselves as anticancer drugs, further to be synthesized and tested against the cell lines. PMID:24966524

  4. Novel Gold(I) Thiolate Derivatives Synergistic with 5-Fluorouracil as Potential Selective Anticancer Agents in Colon Cancer.

    PubMed

    Atrián-Blasco, Elena; Gascón, Sonia; Rodrı Guez-Yoldi, Ma Jesus; Laguna, Mariano; Cerrada, Elena

    2017-07-17

    New gold(I) thiolate complexes have been synthesized and characterized, and their physicochemical properties and anticancer activity have been tested. The coordination of PTA derivatives provides optimal hydrophilicity/lipophilicity properties to the complexes, which present high solution stability. Moreover, the complexes show a high anticancer activity against Caco-2 cells, comparable to that of auranofin, and a very low cytotoxic activity against enterocyte-like differentiated cells. Their activity has been shown to produce cell death by apoptosis and arrest of the cell cycle because of interaction with the reductase enzymes and consequent reactive oxygen species production. Some of these new complexes are also able to decrease the necessary dose of 5-fluorouracil, a drug used for the treatment of colon cancer, by a synergistic mechanism.

  5. Triazole nucleoside derivatives bearing aryl functionalities on the nucleobases show antiviral and anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Xia, Yi; Qu, Fanqi; Peng, Ling

    2010-08-01

    Synthetic nucleoside mimics are important candidates in the searing for antiviral and anticancer drugs. Ribavirin, the first antiviral nucleoside drug, is unique in its antiviral activity with mutilple modes of action, which are mainly due to its special triazole heterocycle as nucleobase. Additionally, introducing aromatic functionalities to the nucleobase is able to confer novel mechanisms of action for nucleoside mimics. With the aim to combine the special characteristics of unnatural triazole heterocycles with those of the appended aromatic groups on the nucleobases, novel 1,2,4-triazole nucleoside analogs bearing aromatic moieties were designed and developed. The present short review summarizes the molecular design, chemical synthesis and biological activity of these triazole nucleoside analogs. Indeed, the discovery of antiviral and anticancer activities shown by these triazole nucleosides as well as the new mechanism underlying the biological activity by one of the anticancer leads has validated the rationale for molecular design and impacted us to further explore the concept with the aim of developing structurally novel nucleoside drug candidates with new modes of action.

  6. Cellular trafficking and anticancer activity of Garcinia mangostana extract-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Pan-In, Porntip; Wanichwecharungruang, Supason; Hanes, Justin; Kim, Anthony J

    2014-01-01

    Garcinia mangostana Linn extract (GME) is a natural product that has received considerable attention in cancer therapy, and has the potential to reduce side effects of chemotherapeutics and improve efficacy. We formulated GME-encapsulated ethyl cellulose (GME-EC) and a polymer blend of ethyl cellulose and methyl cellulose (GME-EC/MC) nanoparticles. We achieved high drug-loading and encapsulation efficiency using a solvent-displacement method with particle sizes around 250 nm. Cellular uptake and accumulation of GME was higher for GME-encapsulated nanoparticles compared to free GME. In vitro cytotoxicity analysis showed effective anticancer activity of GME-EC and GME-EC/MC nanoparticles in HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. GME-EC/MC nanoparticles showed approximately twofold-higher anticancer activity compared to GME-EC nanoparticles, likely due to their enhanced bioavailability. GME-encapsulated nanoparticles primarily entered HeLa cells by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and trafficked through the endolysosomal pathway. As far as we know, this is the first report on the cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking mechanism of drug-loaded cellulose-based nanoparticles. In summary, encapsulation of GME using cellulose-derivative nanoparticles – GME-EC and GME-EC/MC nanoparticles – successfully improved the bioavailability of GME in aqueous solution, enhanced cellular uptake, and displayed effective anticancer activity. PMID:25125977

  7. Combining anti-cancer drugs with artificial sweeteners: synthesis and anti-cancer activity of saccharinate (sac) and thiosaccharinate (tsac) complexes cis-[Pt(sac)2(NH3)2] and cis-[Pt(tsac)2(NH3)2].

    PubMed

    Al-Jibori, Subhi A; Al-Jibori, Ghassan H; Al-Hayaly, Lamaan J; Wagner, Christoph; Schmidt, Harry; Timur, Suna; Baris Barlas, F; Subasi, Elif; Ghosh, Shishir; Hogarth, Graeme

    2014-12-01

    The new platinum(II) complexes cis-[Pt(sac)2(NH3)2] (sac=saccharinate) and cis-[Pt(tsac)2(NH3)2] (tsac=thiosaccharinate) have been prepared, the X-ray crystal structure of cis-[Pt(sac)2(NH3)2] x H2O reveals that both saccharinate anions are N-bound in a cis-arrangement being inequivalent in both the solid-state and in solution at room temperature. Preliminary anti-cancer activity has been assessed against A549 human alveolar type-II like cell lines with the thiosaccharinate complex showing good activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Anticancer Principles from Medicinal Piper (胡椒 Hú Jiāo) Plants

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yue-Hu; Morris-Natschke, Susan L.; Yang, Jun; Niu, Hong-Mei; Long, Chun-Lin; Lee, Kuo-Hsiung

    2014-01-01

    The ethnomedical uses of Piper (胡椒 Hú Jiāo) plants as anticancer agents, in vitro cytotoxic activity of both extracts and compounds from Piper plants, and in vivo antitumor activity and mechanism of action of selected compounds are reviewed in the present paper. The genus Piper (Piperaceae) contains approximately 2000 species, of which 10 species have been used in traditional medicines to treat cancer or cancer-like symptoms. Studies have shown that 35 extracts from 24 Piper species and 32 compounds from Piper plants possess cytotoxic activity. Amide alkaloids account for 53% of the major active principles. Among them, piplartine (piperlongumine) shows the most promise, being toxic to dozens of cancer cell lines and having excellent in vivo activity. It is worthwhile to conduct further anticancer studies both in vitro and in vivo on Piper plants and their active principles. PMID:24872928

  9. Synthesis of novel naphthoquinone aliphatic amides and esters and their anticancer evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kongkathip, Boonsong; Akkarasamiyo, Sunisa; Hasitapan, Komkrit; Sittikul, Pichamon; Boonyalai, Nonlawat; Kongkathip, Ngampong

    2013-02-01

    Fourteen new naphthoquinone aliphatic amides and seventeen naphthoquinone aliphatic esters were synthesized in nine to ten steps from 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid with 9-25% overall yield for the amides, and 16-21% overall yield for the esters. The key step of the amide synthesis is a coupling reaction between amine and various aliphatic acids using 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) as a coupling agent while for the ester synthesis, DCC/DMAP or CDI was used as the coupling reagent between aliphatic acids and naphthoquinone alcohol. Both naphthoquinone amides and esters were evaluated for their anticancer activity against KB cells. It was found that naphthoquinone aliphatic amides showed stronger anticancer activity than those of the esters when the chains are longer than 7-carbon atoms. The optimum chain of amides is expected to be 16-carbon atoms. In addition, naphthoquinone aliphatic esters with α-methyl on the ester moiety possessed much stronger anticancer activity than the straight chains. Decatenation assay revealed that naphthoquinone amide with 16-carbon atoms chain at 15 μM and 20 μM can completely inhibit hTopoIIα activity while at 10 μM the enzyme activity was moderately inhibited. Molecular docking result also showed the same trend as the cytotoxicity and decatenation assay. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  10. The Design and Development of Potent Small Molecules as Anticancer Agents Targeting EGFR TK and Tubulin Polymerization

    PubMed Central

    Ihmaid, Saleh; Ahmed, Hany E. A.; Zayed, Mohamed F.

    2018-01-01

    Some novel anthranilate diamides derivatives 4a–e, 6a–c and 9a–d were designed and synthesized to be evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity. Structures of all newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by infra-red (IR), high-resolution mass (HR-MS) spectra, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. Cytotoxic screening was performed according to (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium (MTT) assay method using erlotinib as a reference drug against two different types of breast cancer cells. The molecular docking study was performed for representative compounds against two targets, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and tubulin in colchicine binding site to assess their binding affinities in order to rationalize their anticancer activity in a qualitative way. The data obtained from the molecular modeling was correlated with that obtained from the biological screening. These data showed considerable anticancer activity for these newly synthesized compounds. Biological data for most of the anthranilate diamide showed excellent activity with nanomolar or sub nanomolar half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values against tumor cells. EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibition assay, tubulin inhibition assay and apoptosis analysis were performed for selected compounds to get more details about their mechanism of action. Extensive structure activity relationship (SAR) analyses were also carried out. PMID:29385728

  11. Synthesis and characterization of curcumin-sulfonamide hybrids: Biological evaluation and molecular docking studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banuppriya, Govindharasu; Sribalan, Rajendran; Padmini, Vediappen

    2018-03-01

    Curcumin-sulfonamide hybrids (4a-e) were synthesized and their in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities were studied. The synthesized compounds showed a very good potent activity towards antioxidant and anti-inflammatory studies rather than its parent as well as standard. These compounds have exhibited an excellent toxicity effect to the cancer cell lines such as A549 and AGS. The compounds 4a and 4c have showed good anticancer activity than curcumin. The molecular docking studies were also performed against various Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) enzymes. The DFT calculations were also done in order to support the docking results.

  12. Synthesis of novel ring-contracted artemisinin dimers with potent anticancer activities.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ning; Yu, Zhimei; Yang, Xiaohong; Hu, Ping; He, Yun

    2018-04-25

    Artemisinin is a potential anticancer agent with an interesting trioxane sesquiterpene structure. In order to improve the biological activity and metabolic stability of artemisinin, a series of novel ring-contracted artemisinin dimers were synthesized. These dimers were evaluated by MTT assay against six cancer cell lines. Most of the dimmers exhibited improved antiproliferative activities over artemisinin. Especially, compound 8b showed the most pronounced anti-cancer activity for PC12 cancer cells with an IC 50 value of 1.56 μM. Thus, PC12 cancer cells were used to further investigate the mechanism of antiproliferation for this series of compounds. Compound 8b arrested cell cycle at G1 phase and induced cell apoptosis via up-regulation of Bad, Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 protein expressions while inhibiting the expression of Bcl-xL. The present studies are the first to synthesize the ring-contracted artemisinin as dimers and show that these dimers have potent anti-tumor activities against several cancer cell lines. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Design, synthesis, anticancer screening, docking studies and in silico ADME prediction of some β-carboline derivatives.

    PubMed

    Abdelsalam, Mohamed A; AboulWafa, Omaima M; M Badawey, El-Sayed A; El-Shoukrofy, Mai S; El-Miligy, Mostafa M; Gouda, Noha; Elaasser, Mahmoud M

    2018-05-22

    Medicinal interest has focused on β-carbolines as anticancer agents. Several β-carbolines were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A-549 cancer cell lines using MTT assay. Compounds 13a, 13c, 13d and 20a were the most promising showing high selectivity indices. Compounds 13c and 20a showed potent inhibition of topoisomerase (topo-I) and kinesin spindle protein (KSP/Eg5 ATPase) which was confirmed by their docking results into the active site of both enzymes. In silico physicochemical calculations predicted that compounds 13a, 13d and 20a obeyed Lipinski's rule of five. Compounds 13c and 20a are multitarget anticancer leads that act as potent inhibitors for both topo-I and/or KSP ATPase.

  14. Structural characterization and anticancer activity of extracellular polysaccharides from ascidian symbiotic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.

    PubMed

    Ramamoorthy, Sathishkumar; Gnanakan, Ananthan; S Lakshmana, Senthil; Meivelu, Moovendhan; Jeganathan, Arun

    2018-06-15

    In the present study, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) producing bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis RSK CAS4 was isolated from ascidian Didemnum granulatum and its production was optimized by response surface methodology. Fructose and galactose were found as the major monosaccharides in the EPS from the strain RSK CAS4. Functional groups and structural characteristics of the EPS were characterized with FT-IR and 1 HNMR. The purified EPS showed potent antioxidant properties in investigation against DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide free radicals. In vitro anticancer activity of purified EPS was evaluated on HEp-2 cells, A549 and Vero cell lines. Growth of cancer cells was inhibited by the EPS in a dose-dependent manner and maximum anticancer activity was found to be 76% against liver cancer at 1000 μg/ml. The antioxidant and anticancer potentials of theEPS from marine bacterium Bacillusthuringiensis RSK CAS4 suggests it as a potential natural source and its scopeas an alternative to synthetics for pharmaceutical application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Anticancer activity of polysaccharide from Glehnia littoralis on human lung cancer cell line A549.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jun; Gao, Weiping; Song, Zhuoyue; Xiong, Qingping; Xu, Yingtao; Han, Yun; Yuan, Jun; Zhang, Rong; Cheng, Yunbo; Fang, Jiansong; Li, Weirong; Wang, Qi

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity of polysaccharide (PGL) from Glehnia littoralis on human lung cancer cell line A549. Based on MTT assay, the results suggested that PGL could significantly reduce A549 cells proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, PGL displayed an inhibitory activity for the A549 cells migration in Transwell migration assay. The results from both flow cytometry analysis and Hochst 3342 staining of apoptotic cells indicated that PGL could promote apoptosis, and induce cycle arrest of A549 cells. Moreover, immunofluorescence assay elucidated PGL could also down-regulate expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Overall, these results showed that PGL exerts a strong anticancer action through inhibiting the A549 cells migration, proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis. It could be a new source of natural anticancer agent against lung cancer with potential value in supplements and medicine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Improved Anticancer Effect of Magnetite Nanocomposite Formulation of GALLIC Acid (Fe₃O₄-PEG-GA) Against Lung, Breast and Colon Cancer Cells.

    PubMed

    Rosman, Raihana; Saifullah, Bullo; Maniam, Sandra; Dorniani, Dena; Hussein, Mohd Zobir; Fakurazi, Sharida

    2018-02-02

    Lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer are the most prevalent fatal types of cancers globally. Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a bioactive compound found in plants and foods, such as white tea, witch hazel and it has been reported to possess anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study we have redesigned our previously reported anticancer nanocomposite formulation with improved drug loading based on iron oxide magnetite nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol and loaded with anticancer drug gallic acid (Fe₃O₄-PEG-GA). The in vitro release profile and percentage drug loading were found to be better than our previously reported formulation. The anticancer activity of pure gallic acid (GA), empty carrier (Fe₃O₄-PEG) nanocarrier and of anticancer nanocomposite (Fe₃O₄-PEG-GA) were screened against human lung cancer cells (A549), human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), human colon cancer cells (HT-29) and normal fibroblast cells (3T3) after incubation of 24, 48 and 72 h using (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT assay. The designed formulation (Fe₃O₄-PEG-GA) showed better anticancer activity than free gallic acid (GA). The results of the in vitro studies are highly encouraging to conduct the in vivo studies.

  17. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using ethanolic petals extract of Rosa indica and characterization of its antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manikandan, Ramar; Manikandan, Beulaja; Raman, Thiagarajan; Arunagirinathan, Koodalingam; Prabhu, Narayanan Marimuthu; Jothi Basu, Muthuramalingam; Perumal, Muthulakshmi; Palanisamy, Subramanian; Munusamy, Arumugam

    2015-03-01

    The present study was aimed at biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using ethanolic extract of rose (Rosa indica) petals and testing their potential antibacterial activity using selective human pathogenic microbes, anticancer activity using human colon adenocarcinoma cancer cell line HCT 15 as well as anti-inflammatory activity using rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The biologically synthesized AgNPs were also characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The characterized AgNPs showed an effective antibacterial activity against Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) than Gram positive (Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis) bacteria. MTT assay, analysis of nuclear morphology, mRNA expression of Bcl-2, Bax and protein expression of caspase 3 as well as 9, indicated potential anticancer activity. In addition, green synthesized AgNPs also attenuated cytotoxicity, nuclear morphology and free radical generation (O2- and NO) by rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The results of our study show the potential green synthesis of silver nanoparticles in mitigating their toxicity while retaining their antibacterial activities.

  18. In vitro, in vivo and in silico analysis of the anticancer and estrogen-like activity of guava leaf extracts.

    PubMed

    Rizzo, L Y; Longato, G B; Ruiz, A Lt G; Tinti, S V; Possenti, A; Vendramini-Costa, D B; Sartoratto, A; Figueira, G M; Silva, F L N; Eberlin, M N; Souza, T A C B; Murakami, M T; Rizzo, E; Foglio, M A; Kiessling, F; Lammers, T; Carvalho, J E

    2014-01-01

    Anticancer drug research based on natural compounds enabled the discovery of many drugs currently used in cancer therapy. Here, we report the in vitro, in vivo and in silico anticancer and estrogen-like activity of Psidium guajava L. (guava) extracts and enriched mixture containing the meroterpenes guajadial, psidial A and psiguadial A and B. All samples were evaluated in vitro for anticancer activity against nine human cancer lines: K562 (leukemia), MCF7 (breast), NCI/ADR-RES (resistant ovarian cancer), NCI-H460 (lung), UACC-62 (melanoma), PC-3 (prostate), HT-29 (colon), OVCAR-3 (ovarian) and 786-0 (kidney). Psidium guajava's active compounds displayed similar physicochemical properties to estradiol and tamoxifen, as in silico molecular docking studies demonstrated that they fit into the estrogen receptors (ERs). The meroterpene-enriched fraction was also evaluated in vivo in a Solid Ehrlich murine breast adenocarcinoma model, and showed to be highly effective in inhibiting tumor growth, also demonstrating uterus increase in comparison to negative controls. The ability of guajadial, psidial A and psiguadials A and B to reduce tumor growth and stimulate uterus proliferation, as well as their in silico docking similarity to tamoxifen, suggest that these compounds may act as Selective Estrogen Receptors Modulators (SERMs), therefore holding significant potential for anticancer therapy.

  19. Anti-cancer activity of compounds from Bauhinia strychnifolia stem.

    PubMed

    Yuenyongsawad, Supreeya; Bunluepuech, Kingkan; Wattanapiromsakul, Chatchai; Tewtrakul, Supinya

    2013-11-25

    The stem and root of Bauhinia strychnifolia Craib (Fabaceae family) have been traditionally used in Thailand to treat fever, alcoholic toxication, allergy and cancer. An EtOH extract of Bauhinia strychnifolia showed good inhibitory activity against several cancer cell lines including HT-29, HeLa, MCF-7 and KB. As there has been no previous reports on chemical constituents of Bauhinia strychnifolia, this study is aimed to isolate the pure compounds with anti-cancer activity. Five pure compounds were isolated from EtOH extract of Bauhinia strychnifolia stem using silica gel, dianion HP-20 and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and were tested for their cytotoxic effects against HT-29, HeLa, MCF-7 and KB cell lines using the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Among five compounds, 3,5,7,3',5'-pentahydroxyflavanonol-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (2) possessed very potent activity against KB (IC₅₀=0.00054μg/mL), HT-29 (IC₅₀=0.00217 μg/mL), MCF-7 (IC₅₀=0.0585 μg/mL) and HeLa cells (IC₅₀=0.0692 μg/mL). 3,5,7-Trihydroxychromone-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (3) also showed good activity against HT-29 (IC₅₀=0.02366 μg/mL), KB (IC₅₀=0.0412 μg/mL) and MCF-7 (IC₅₀=0.297 μg/mL), respectively. The activity of 2 (IC₅₀=0.00054 μg/mL) against KB cell was ten times higher than that of the positive control, Camptothecin (anti-cancer drug, IC₅₀=0.0057 μg/mL). All compounds did not show any cytotoxicity with normal cells at the concentration of 1 μg/mL. This is the first report of compounds 2 and 3 on anti-cancer activity and based on the anti-cancer activity of extracts and pure compounds isolated from Bauhinia strychnifolia stem, it might be suggested that this plant could be useful for treatment of cancer. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Cytotoxic, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial effects of different extracts obtained from Artemisia rupestris.

    PubMed

    Nokerbek, Shamshabanu; Sakipova, Zuriyadda; Chalupová, Marta; Nejezchlebová, Marcela; Hošek, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Artemisia rupestris is a part of traditional Kazakh folk medicine. Extracts obtained from this plant are used to treat various diseases, including cancer. This study evaluates the anti-microbial, cytotoxic, and anti-cancer effects of different extracts of the plant. Different extraction techniques were used and the resultant activities were compared. Extracts of A. rupestris were prepared from the flowers plus the leaves and from the stems. The antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus was quantified. Cell lines L1210 and THP-1 were used to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of these extracts in vitro. The anti-cancer effect was tested using L1210-induced tumorgenesis in mouse model. The aqueous extract of stems was the most active against C. albicans, whereas the methanolic extract of flowers plus leaves especially inhibited the growth of S. aureus. The aqueous extracts were found to be non-cytotoxic for both cell lines, whereas the lipophilic extracts showed cytotoxic effects. The extract obtained from flowers plus leaves was more cytotoxic than that from stems. The tested extracts showed no anti-cancer potential. The results obtained testify to the relatively safe consumption of aqueous extracts of A. rupestris, but lipophilic extracts showed toxic effects and their consumption should be considered more carefully.Key words: L1210 cell line THP-1 cell line microwave-assisted extraction ultrasonic-assisted extraction Candida albicans Staphylococcus aureus.

  1. Bis-demethoxy curcumin analog nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and anticancer activity in vitro.

    PubMed

    Francis, Arul Prakash; Murthy, Prakhya Balakishna; Devas, Thiyagarajan

    2014-07-01

    We have optimized a protocol for the preparation of bisdemethoxy curcumin analog nanoparticles (BDMCA-NP) by the solvent assisted process. The structural similarities between bulk and nano BDMCA were determined by Co-TLC, NMR and F-TIR. This shows that our synthesis protocol enhanced the dispersibility and reduce the size of BDMCA without altering the integrity of functional moieties and structure, which is crucial for anticancer and antioxidant activities. The morphology and size of BDMCA-NP as determined by SEM, HRTEM and DLS was found to be around 80 nm. BDMCA-NP treated breast cancer cell lines (MCF 7) showed cell death as characterized by MTT assay. Flow cytometric analysis of BDMCA-NP treated MCF 7 cell lines showed an increase of cell count in G2/M phase indicates the cell cycle arrest. Western blot analysis revealed the presence of caspase 3, caspase 9, cleaved fragments of PARP and Bax proteins in the BDMCA-NP treated MCF 7 cell lines, but not in untreated cell lines. To recap, we have prepared BDMCA-NP by solvent assisted process, which exerted anticancer activity against breast cancer cells, which may be due to (i) enhanced dispersibility and surface: volume ratio, (ii) apoptosis (iii) mitochondrial pathway induced cell death, (iv) G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and (v) disassembly of mitotic spindle of the cancer cells. Thus, nano BDMCA can be used as a potent anticancer agent.

  2. Statistical optimization and anticancer activity of a red pigment isolated from Streptomyces sp. PM4

    PubMed Central

    Karuppiah, Valliappan; Aarthi, Chandramohan; Sivakumar, Kannan; Kannan, Lakshmanan

    2013-01-01

    Objective To enhance the pigment production by Streptomyces sp. PM4 for evaluating its anticancer activity. Methods Response surface methodology was employed to enhance the production of red pigment from Streptomyces sp. PM4. Optimized pigment was purified and evaluated for the anticancer activity against HT1080, Hep2, HeLa and MCF7 cell lines by MTT assay. Results Based on the response surface methodology, it could be concluded that maltose (4.06 g), peptone (7.34 g), yeast extract (4.34 g) and tyrosine (2.89 g) were required for the maximum production of pigment (1.68 g/L) by the Streptomyces sp. PM4. Optimization of the medium with the above tested features increased the pigment yield by 4.6 fold. Pigment showed the potential anticancer activity against HT1080, HEp-2, HeLa and MCF-7cell lines with the IC50 value of 18.5, 15.3, 9.6 and 8.5 respectively. Conclusions The study revealed that the maximum amount of pigment could be produced to treat cancer. PMID:23905024

  3. Statistical optimization and anticancer activity of a red pigment isolated from Streptomyces sp. PM4.

    PubMed

    Karuppiah, Valliappan; Aarthi, Chandramohan; Sivakumar, Kannan; Kannan, Lakshmanan

    2013-08-01

    To enhance the pigment production by Streptomyces sp. PM4 for evaluating its anticancer activity. Response surface methodology was employed to enhance the production of red pigment from Streptomyces sp. PM4. Optimized pigment was purified and evaluated for the anticancer activity against HT1080, Hep2, HeLa and MCF7 cell lines by MTT assay. Based on the response surface methodology, it could be concluded that maltose (4.06 g), peptone (7.34 g), yeast extract (4.34 g) and tyrosine (2.89 g) were required for the maximum production of pigment (1.68 g/L) by the Streptomyces sp. PM4. Optimization of the medium with the above tested features increased the pigment yield by 4.6 fold. Pigment showed the potential anticancer activity against HT1080, HEp-2, HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines with the IC50 value of 18.5, 15.3, 9.6 and 8.5 respectively. The study revealed that the maximum amount of pigment could be produced to treat cancer.

  4. Functional evaluation of synthetic flavonoids and chalcones for potential antiviral and anticancer properties.

    PubMed

    Mateeva, Nelly; Eyunni, Suresh V K; Redda, Kinfe K; Ononuju, Ucheze; Hansberry, Tony D; Aikens, Cecilia; Nag, Anita

    2017-06-01

    Flavonoids, stilbenes, and chalcones are plant secondary metabolites that often possess diverse biological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-viral activities. The wide range of bioactivities poses a challenge to identify their targets. Here, we studied a set of synthetically generated flavonoids and chalcones to evaluate for their biological activity, and compared similarly substituted flavonoids and chalcones. Substituted chalcones, but not flavonoids, showed inhibition of viral translation without significantly affecting viral replication in cells infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). We suggest that the chalcones used in this study inhibit mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway by ablating phosphorylation of ribosomal protein 6 (rps6), and also the kinase necessary for phosphorylating rps6 in Huh7.5 cells (pS6K1). In addition, selected chalcones showed inhibition of growth in Ishikawa, MCF7, and MDA-MB-231 cells resulting an IC 50 of 1-6µg/mL. When similarly substituted flavonoids were used against the same set of cancer cells, we did not observe any inhibitory effect. Together, we report that chalcones show potential for anti-viral and anti-cancer activities compared to similarly substituted flavonoids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Silybin Derivatives - A Structure-Activity Relationship

    PubMed Central

    Agarwal, Chapla; Wadhwa, Ritambhara; Deep, Gagan; Biedermann, David; Gažák, Radek; Křen, Vladimír; Agarwal, Rajesh

    2013-01-01

    Silybin or silibinin, a flavonolignan isolated from Milk thistle seeds, is one of the popular dietary supplements and has been extensively studied for its antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anti-cancer properties. We have envisioned that potency of silybin could be further enhanced through suitable modification/s in its chemical structure. Accordingly, here, we synthesized and characterized a series of silybin derivatives namely 2,3-dehydrosilybin (DHS), 7-O-methylsilybin (7OM), 7-O-galloylsilybin (7OG), 7,23-disulphatesilybin (DSS), 7-O-palmitoylsilybin (7OP), and 23-O-palmitoylsilybin (23OP); and compared their anti-cancer efficacy using human bladder cancer HTB9, colon cancer HCT116 and prostate carcinoma PC3 cells. In all the 3 cell lines, DHS, 7OM and 7OG demonstrated better growth inhibitory effects and compared to silybin, while other silybin derivatives showed lesser or no efficacy. Next, we prepared the optical isomers (A and B) of silybin, DHS, 7OM and 7OG, and compared their anti-cancer efficacy. Isomers of these three silybin derivatives also showed better efficacy compared with respective silybin isomers, but in each, there was no clear cut silybin A versus B isomer activity preference. Further studies in HTB cells found that DHS, 7OM and 7OG exert better apoptotic activity than silibinin. Clonogenic assays in HTB9 cells further confirmed that both the racemic mixtures as well as pure optical isomers of DHS, 7OM and 7OG were more effective than silybin. Overall, these results clearly suggest that the anti-cancer efficacy of silybin could be significantly enhanced through structural modifications, and identify strong anti-cancer efficacy of silybin derivatives, namely DHS, 7OM, and 7OG, signifying that their efficacy and toxicity should be evaluated in relevant pre-clinical cancer models in rodents. PMID:23555889

  6. Prediction of anticancer peptides against MCF-7 breast cancer cells from the peptidomes of Achatina fulica mucus fractions.

    PubMed

    E-Kobon, Teerasak; Thongararm, Pennapa; Roytrakul, Sittiruk; Meesuk, Ladda; Chumnanpuen, Pramote

    2016-01-01

    Several reports have shown antimicrobial and anticancer activities of mucous glycoproteins extracted from the giant African snail Achatina fulica. Anticancer properties of the snail mucous peptides remain incompletely revealed. The aim of this study was to predict anticancer peptides from A. fulica mucus. Two of HPLC-separated mucous fractions (F2 and F5) showed in vitro cytotoxicity against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and normal epithelium cell line (Vero). According to the mass spectrometric analysis, 404 and 424 peptides from the F2 and F5 fractions were identified. Our comprehensive bioinformatics workflow predicted 16 putative cationic and amphipathic anticancer peptides with diverse structures from these two peptidome data. These peptides would be promising molecules for new anti-breast cancer drug development.

  7. In vitro cytotoxic screening of selected Saudi medicinal plants.

    PubMed

    Almehdar, Hussein; Abdallah, Hossam M; Osman, Abdel-Moneim M; Abdel-Sattar, Essam A

    2012-04-01

    Many natural products from plants have been identified to exert anticancer activity. It might be expected to be a challenge to look at the Saudi plants in order to discover new sources for new molecules which may have anticancer activity. The methanolic extracts of forty species of plants traditionally used in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of a variety of diseases were tested in vitro for their potential anticancer activity on different human cancer cell lines. The cytotoxic activity of the methanolic extracts of the tested plants were determined using three human cancer cell lines, namely, breast cancer (MCF7), hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2), and cervix cancer (HELA) cells. In addition, human normal melanocyte (HFB4) was used as normal nonmalignant cells. Sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay was used to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic activity of the different extracts. The growth inhibition of 50% (IC(50)) for each extract was calculated from the optical density of treated and untreated cells. Doxorubicin, a broad-spectrum anticancer drug, was used as the positive control. Nine plant extracts were chosen for further fractionation based on their activity and availability. Interesting cytotoxic activity was observed for Hypoestes forskaolii, Withania somnifera, Solanum glabratum, Adenium obesum, Pistacia vera oleoresin, Caralluma quadrangula, Eulophia petersii, Phragmanthera austroarabica, and Asparagus officinalis. Other extracts showed poor activity.

  8. Anticancer Effects of the Nitric Oxide-Modified Saquinavir Derivative Saquinavir-NO against Multidrug-Resistant Cancer Cells12

    PubMed Central

    Rothweiler, Florian; Michaelis, Martin; Brauer, Peter; Otte, Jürgen; Weber, Kristoffer; Fehse, Boris; Doerr, Hans Wilhelm; Wiese, Michael; Kreuter, Jörg; Al-Abed, Yousef; Nicoletti, Ferdinando; Cinatl, Jindrich

    2010-01-01

    The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor saquinavir shows anticancer activity. Although its nitric oxide-modified derivative saquinavir-NO (saq-NO) was less toxic to normal cells, it exerted stronger inhibition of B16 melanoma growth in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice than saquinavir did. Saq-NO has been shown to block proliferation, upregulate p53 expression, and promote differentiation of C6 glioma and B16 cells. The anticancer activity of substances is frequently hampered by cancer cell chemoresistance mechanisms. Therefore, we here investigated the roles of p53 and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), and breast cancer resistance protein 1 (BCRP1) in cancer cell sensitivity to saq-NO to get more information about the potential of saq-NO as anticancer drug. Saq-NO exerted anticancer effects in lower concentrations than saquinavir in a panel of human cancer cell lines. Neither p53 mutation or depletion nor expression of P-gp, MRP1, or BCRP1 affected anticancer activity of saq-NO or saquinavir. Moreover, saq-NO sensitized P-gp-, MRP1-, or BCRP1-expressing cancer cells to chemotherapy. Saq-NO induced enhanced sensitization of P-gp- or MRP1-expressing cancer cells to chemotherapy compared with saquinavir, whereas both substances similarly sensitized BCRP1-expressing cells. Washout kinetics and ABC transporter ATPase activities demonstrated that saq-NO is a substrate of P-gp as well as of MRP1. These data support the further investigation of saq-NO as an anticancer drug, especially in multidrug-resistant tumors. PMID:21170266

  9. Synthesis and mechanistic studies of curcumin analog-based oximes as potential anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Qin, Hua-Li; Leng, Jing; Youssif, Bahaa G M; Amjad, Muhammad Wahab; Raja, Maria Abdul Ghafoor; Hussain, Muhammad Ajaz; Hussain, Zahid; Kazmi, Syeda Naveed; Bukhari, Syed Nasir Abbas

    2017-09-01

    The incidence of cancer can be decreased by chemoprevention using either natural or synthetic agents. Apart from synthetic compounds, numerous natural products have exhibited promising potential to inhibit carcinogenesis in vivo. In this study, α, β-unsaturated carbonyl-based anticancer compounds were used as starting materials to synthesize new oxime analogs. The findings from the antiproliferative assay using seven different human cancer cell lines provided a clear picture of structure-activity relationship. The oxime analogs namely 7a and 8a showed strong antiproliferative activity against the cell lines. The mechanistic effects of compounds on EGFR-TK kinases and tubulin polymerization and BRAF V 600E were investigated. In addition, the efficacy of compounds in reversing the efflux-mediated resistance developed by cancer cells was also studied. The compounds 5a and 6a displayed potent activity on various targets such as BRAF V 600E and EGFR-TK kinases and also exhibited strong antiproliferative activity against different cell lines hence showing potential of multifunctional anticancer agents. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  10. Synergistic effect of pH-responsive folate-functionalized poloxamer 407-TPGS-mixed micelles on targeted delivery of anticancer drugs.

    PubMed

    Butt, Adeel Masood; Mohd Amin, Mohd Cairul Iqbal; Katas, Haliza

    2015-01-01

    Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline anticancer antibiotic, is used for treating various types of cancers. However, its use is associated with toxicity to normal cells and development of resistance due to overexpression of drug efflux pumps. Poloxamer 407 (P407) and vitamin E TPGS (D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate, TPGS) are widely used polymers as drug delivery carriers and excipients for enhancing the drug retention times and stability. TPGS reduces multidrug resistance, induces apoptosis, and shows selective anticancer activity against tumor cells. Keeping in view the problems, we designed a mixed micelle system encapsulating DOX comprising TPGS for its selective anticancer activity and P407 conjugated with folic acid (FA) for folate-mediated receptor targeting to cancer cells. FA-functionalized P407 was prepared by carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. P407-TPGS/FA-P407-TPGS-mixed micelles were prepared by thin-film hydration method. Cytotoxicity of blank micelles, DOX, and DOX-loaded micelles was determined by alamarBlue(®) assay. The size of micelles was less than 200 nm with encapsulation efficiency of 85% and 73% for P407-TPGS and FA-P407-TPGS micelles, respectively. Intracellular trafficking study using nile red-loaded micelles indicated improved drug uptake and perinuclear drug localization. The micelles show minimal toxicity to normal human cell line WRL-68, enhanced cellular uptake of DOX, reduced drug efflux, increased DOX-DNA binding in SKOV3 and DOX-resistant SKOV3 human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, and enhanced in vitro cytotoxicity as compared to free DOX. FA-P407-TPGS-DOX micelles show potential as a targeted nano-drug delivery system for DOX due to their multiple synergistic factors of selective anticancer activity, inhibition of multidrug resistance, and folate-mediated selective uptake.

  11. Synergistic effect of pH-responsive folate-functionalized poloxamer 407-TPGS-mixed micelles on targeted delivery of anticancer drugs

    PubMed Central

    Butt, Adeel Masood; Mohd Amin, Mohd Cairul Iqbal; Katas, Haliza

    2015-01-01

    Background Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline anticancer antibiotic, is used for treating various types of cancers. However, its use is associated with toxicity to normal cells and development of resistance due to overexpression of drug efflux pumps. Poloxamer 407 (P407) and vitamin E TPGS (D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate, TPGS) are widely used polymers as drug delivery carriers and excipients for enhancing the drug retention times and stability. TPGS reduces multidrug resistance, induces apoptosis, and shows selective anticancer activity against tumor cells. Keeping in view the problems, we designed a mixed micelle system encapsulating DOX comprising TPGS for its selective anticancer activity and P407 conjugated with folic acid (FA) for folate-mediated receptor targeting to cancer cells. Methods FA-functionalized P407 was prepared by carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. P407-TPGS/FA-P407-TPGS-mixed micelles were prepared by thin-film hydration method. Cytotoxicity of blank micelles, DOX, and DOX-loaded micelles was determined by alamarBlue® assay. Results The size of micelles was less than 200 nm with encapsulation efficiency of 85% and 73% for P407-TPGS and FA-P407-TPGS micelles, respectively. Intracellular trafficking study using nile red-loaded micelles indicated improved drug uptake and perinuclear drug localization. The micelles show minimal toxicity to normal human cell line WRL-68, enhanced cellular uptake of DOX, reduced drug efflux, increased DOX–DNA binding in SKOV3 and DOX-resistant SKOV3 human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, and enhanced in vitro cytotoxicity as compared to free DOX. Conclusion FA-P407-TPGS-DOX micelles show potential as a targeted nano-drug delivery system for DOX due to their multiple synergistic factors of selective anticancer activity, inhibition of multidrug resistance, and folate-mediated selective uptake. PMID:25709451

  12. Study of phytochemical, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer properties of Allium wallichii.

    PubMed

    Bhandari, Jaya; Muhammad, BushraTaj; Thapa, Pratiksha; Shrestha, Bhupal Govinda

    2017-02-08

    There is growing interest in the use of plants for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Medicinal plants are currently being evaluated as source of promising anticancer agents. In this paper, we have investigated the anticancer potential of plant Allium wallichii, a plant native to Nepal and growing at elevations of 2300-4800 m. This is the first study of its kind for the plant mentioned. The dried plant was extracted in aqueous ethanol. Phytochemical screening, anti-microbial assay, anti-oxidant assay, cytotoxicity assay and the flow-cytometric analysis were done for analyzing different phytochemicals present, anti-microbial activity, anti-oxidant activity and anti-cancer properties of Allium wallichii. We observed the presence of steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, reducing sugars and glycosides in the plant extract and the plant showed moderate anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activity. The IC 50 values of Allium wallichii in different cancer cell lines are 69.69 μg/ml for Prostate cancer (PC3) cell line, 55.29 μg/ml for Breast Cancer (MCF-7) cell line and 46.51 μg/ml for cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line as compared to Doxorubicin (0.85 μg/ml). The cell viability assay using FACS showed that the IC 50 value of Allium wallichii for Burkitt's lymphoma (B-Lymphoma) cell line was 3.817 ± 1.99 mg/ml. Allium wallichii can be an important candidate to be used as an anticancer agent. Separation of pure compounds with bioassay guided extraction, spectrometric analysis and subsequent cytotoxicity assay of the pure bioactive compounds from Allium wallichii is highly recommended as the crude extract itself showed promising cytotoxicity.

  13. Structural characterization and anticancer activity (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) of polysaccharides fractionated from brown seaweed Sargassum wightii.

    PubMed

    Vaikundamoorthy, Ramalingam; Krishnamoorthy, Varunkumar; Vilwanathan, Ravikumar; Rajendran, Rajaram

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity of polysaccharides from brown seaweed Sargassum wightii (SWP) on human breast cancer cells. Initially, two polysaccharide fractions (SWP1 and SWP2) were isolated and purified from the crude polysaccharides using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. As a result, SWP1 was obtained with the yield of 21.48% was characterized using chemical analysis, GC-MS, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR. The chemical composition of the extracted polysaccharide contains a neutral polysaccharide with a high total sugar content and low protein, phenol and flavonoid content. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of galactofuranose and arabinose and NMR spectra shows the presence of β-galactose signals. Anticancer activity shows that the polysaccharides significantly reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) in a dose-dependent manner. Further, polysaccharides induced the apoptosis in the breast cancer cells by increasing ROS generation, cleaving mitochondrial membrane and nuclei damage. Finally, polysaccharides increased the activity of caspase 3/9, thus leads to apoptosis of breast cancer. Together, polysaccharides from S. wightii could be a new source of natural anticancer agent against breast cancer with potential value in the manufacturing supplements and drugs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Recent Progress of Marine Polypeptides as Anticancer Agents

    PubMed

    Zheng, Lanhong; Xua, Yixin; Lin, Xiukun; Yuan, Zhixin; Liu, Minghua; Cao, Shousong; Zhang, Fuming; Linhardt, Robert J

    2018-04-29

    Marine environment constitutes an almost infinite resource for novel anticancer drugs discovery. The biodiversity of marine organisms provides a rich source for the discovery and development of novel anticancer peptides in the treatment of human cancer. Marine peptides represent a new opportunity to obtain lead compounds in biomedical field, particularly for cancer therapy. Providing an insight of the recent progress of patented marine peptides and presenting information about the structures and mechanistic mode of anticancer activities of these marine peptides. We reviewed recent progress on the patented anticancer peptides from marine organisms according to their targets on different signal pathways. This work focuses on relevant recent patents (2010-2018) that entail the anticancer activity with associated mechanism and related molecular diversity of marine peptides. The related cellular signaling pathways for novel peptides that induce apoptosis and affect tubulin-microtubule equilibrium, angiogenesis and kinase activity that are related to the anticancer and related pharmacological properties are also discussed. The recent patents (2010-2018) of marine peptides with anticancer activity were reviewed, and the anticancer activity of marine peptides with associated mechanism and related molecular diversity of marine peptides were also discussed. Marine peptides possess chemical diversity and displays potent anticancer activity via targeting different signal pathways. Some of the marine peptides are promising to be developed as novel anticancer agents. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  15. Synthesis and antitumoral activity of novel 3-(2-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) and 3-(5-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) beta-carboline derivatives.

    PubMed

    Formagio, Anelise S Nazari; Tonin, Lilian T Düsman; Foglio, Mary Ann; Madjarof, Christiana; de Carvalho, João Ernesto; da Costa, Willian Ferreira; Cardoso, Flávia P; Sarragiotto, Maria Helena

    2008-11-15

    Several novel 1-substituted-phenyl beta-carbolines bearing the 2-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl and 5-substituted-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl groups at C-3 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity. The assay results pointed thirteen compounds with growth inhibition effect (GI(50)<100 microM) for all eight different types of human cancer cell lines tested. The beta-carbolines 7a and 7h, bearing the 3-(2-metylthio-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) group, displayed high selectivity and potent anticancer activity against ovarian cell line with GI(50) values lying in the nanomolar concentration range (GI(50)=10 nM for both compounds). The 1-(N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(5-thioxo-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) beta-carboline (8g) was the most active compound, showing particular effectiveness on lung (GI(50)=0.06 microM), ovarian and renal cell lines. The potent anticancer activity presented for synthesized compounds 7a, 7h, and 8g, together with their easiness of synthesis, makes these compounds promising anticancer agents.

  16. Bauhinia variegata leaf extracts exhibit considerable antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Amita; Sharma, Amit Kumar; Kumar, Shashank; Saxena, Ajit K; Pandey, Abhay K

    2013-01-01

    The present study reports the phytochemical profiling, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of Bauhinia variegata leaf extracts. The reducing sugar, anthraquinone, and saponins were observed in polar extracts, while terpenoids and alkaloids were present in nonpolar and ethanol extracts. Total flavonoid contents in various extracts were found in the range of 11-222.67 mg QE/g. In disc diffusion assays, petroleum ether and chloroform fractions exhibited considerable inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Several other extracts also showed antibacterial activity against pathogenic strains of E. coli, Proteus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of potential extracts were found between 3.5 and 28.40 mg/mL. The lowest MBC (3.5 mg/mL) was recorded for ethanol extract against Pseudomonas spp. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was compared with standard antioxidants. Dose dependent response was observed in reducing power of extracts. Polar extracts demonstrated appreciable metal ion chelating activity at lower concentrations (10-40 μg/mL). Many extracts showed significant antioxidant response in beta carotene bleaching assay. AQ fraction of B. variegata showed pronounced cytotoxic effect against DU-145, HOP-62, IGR-OV-1, MCF-7, and THP-1 human cancer cell lines with 90-99% cell growth inhibitory activity. Ethyl acetate fraction also produced considerable cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and THP-1 cell lines. The study demonstrates notable antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities in B. variegata leaf extracts.

  17. Anticancer activity of Pupalia lappacea on chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells.

    PubMed

    Ravi, Alvala; Alvala, Mallika; Sama, Venkatesh; Kalle, Arunasree M; Irlapati, Vamshi K; Reddy, B Madhava

    2012-12-05

    Cancer is one of the most prominent human diseases which has enthused scientific and commercial interest in the discovery of newer anticancer agents from natural sources. Here we demonstrated the anticancer activity of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Pupalia lappacea (L) Juss (Amaranthaceae) (EAPL) on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia K562 cells. Antiproliferative activity of EAPL was determined by MTT assay using carvacrol as a positive control. Induction of apoptosis was studied by annexin V, mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase activation and cell cycle analysis using flow cytometer and modulation in protein levels of p53, PCNA, Bax and Bcl2 ratio, cytochrome c and cleavage of PARP were studied by Western blot analysis. The standardization of the extract was performed through reverse phase-HPLC using Rutin as biomarker. The results showed dose dependent decrease in growth of K562 cells with an IC50 of 40 ± 0.01 μg/ml by EAPL. Induction of apoptosis by EAPL was dose dependent with the activation of p53, inhibition of PCNA, decrease in Bcl2/Bax ratio, decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential resulting in release of cytochrome c, activation of multicaspase and cleavage of PARP. Further HPLC standardization of EAPL showed presence 0.024% of Rutin. Present study significantly demonstrates anticancer activity of EAPL on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (K562) cells which can lead to potential therapeutic agent in treating cancer. Rutin, a known anti cancer compound is being reported and quantified for the first time from EAPL.

  18. Quinazoline clubbed 1,3,5-triazine derivatives as VEGFR2 kinase inhibitors: design, synthesis, docking, in vitro cytotoxicity and in ovo antiangiogenic activity.

    PubMed

    Pathak, Prateek; Shukla, Parjanya Kumar; Kumar, Vikas; Kumar, Ankit; Verma, Amita

    2018-04-16

    A series of quinazoline clubbed 1,3,5-triazine derivatives (QCT) were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against HeLa (human cervical cancer), MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell), HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia cell), HepG2 (human Hepatocellular carcinoma cell), and one normal cell line HFF (human foreskin fibroblasts). In vitro assay result encouraged to further move towards in ovo anticancer evaluation using chick embryo. The series of QCT derivatives showed higher anticancer and antiangiogenic activity against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. In the series, synthetic molecule 8d, 8l, and 8m displayed significant activity. Further, these results substantiated by docking study on VGFR2. SAR study concluded that the potency of drugs depends on the nature of aliphatic substitution and the heterocyclic ring system.

  19. Prediction of anticancer activity of diterpenes isolated from the paraiban flora through a PLS model and molecular surfaces.

    PubMed

    Scotti, Luciana; Scotti, Marcus T; Ishiki, Hamilton; Junior, Francisco J B M; dos, Santos Paula F; Tavares, Josean F; da Silva, Marcelo S

    2014-05-01

    The aim of this work was to predict the anticancer potential of 3 atisane, and 3 trachylobane diterpene compounds extracted from the roots of Xylopia langsdorffiana. The prediction of anticancer activity as expressed against PC-3 tumor cells was made using a PLS model built with 26 diterpenes in the training set. Significant statistical measures were obtained. The six investigated diterpenes were applied to the model and their activities against PC-3 cells were calculated. All the diterpenes were active, with atisane diterpenes showing the higher pICso values. In human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells, the apoptosis mechanism is related to an inhibition of IKK/NF-KB. Antioxidant potential implies a greater electronic molecular atmosphere (increased donor electron capacity), which can reduce radical reactivity, and facilitate post donation charge accommodation. Molecular surfaces indicated a much greater electronic cloud over atisane diterpenes.

  20. Sildenafil citrate improves the delivery and anticancer activity of doxorubicin formulations in a mouse model of breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Greish, Khaled; Fateel, Maryam; Abdelghany, Sara; Rachel, Nanitha; Alimoradi, Houman; Bakhiet, Moiz; Alsaie, Ahmed

    2017-11-21

    Sildenafil is an approved drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The drug exerts its action through the relaxation of smooth muscles and the modulation of vascular endothelial permeability. In this work, we tested whether the aforementioned effects of sildenafil on tumour vasculatures could result in an improvement of anticancer drug concentration in tumour tissues and hence improves its anticancer effect. Sildenafil when added to doxorubicin showed synergistic anticancer activity against 4T1 breast cancer cells in vitro. Adding 1, 30 and 100 μM of Viagra to 1 μM of doxorubicin resulted in 1.8-fold, 6.2-fold and 21-fold statistically significant increases in its cytotoxic effect, respectively. As a result, 4T1 tumour-bearing mice showed up to 2.7-fold increase in drug concentrations of the fluorescent Dye DiI and doxorubicin in tumour tissues, as well as their nanoformulations. Animals treated with the combinations of both Sildenafil citrate and doxorubicin showed a statistically significant 4.7-fold reduction in tumour size compared to doxorubicin alone. This work highlights the effect of Sildenafil on tumour vasculatures and provides a rational for further testing the combination on breast cancer patients.

  1. New orally active DNA minor groove binding small molecule CT-1 acts against breast cancer by targeting tumor DNA damage leading to p53-dependent apoptosis.

    PubMed

    Saini, Karan Singh; Hamidullah; Ashraf, Raghib; Mandalapu, Dhanaraju; Das, Sharmistha; Siddiqui, Mohd Quadir; Dwivedi, Sonam; Sarkar, Jayanta; Sharma, Vishnu Lal; Konwar, Rituraj

    2017-04-01

    Targeting tumor DNA damage and p53 pathway is a clinically established strategy in the development of cancer chemotherapeutics. Majority of anti-cancer drugs are delivered through parenteral route for reasons like severe toxicity, lack of stability, and poor enteral absorption. Current DNA targeting drugs in clinical like anthracycline suffers from major drawbacks like cardiotoxicity. Here, we report identification of a new orally active small molecule curcumin-triazole conjugate (CT-1) with significant anti-breast cancer activity in vitro and in vivo. CT-1 selectively and significantly inhibits viability of breast cancer cell lines; retards cells cycle progression at S phase and induce mitochondrial-mediated cell apoptosis. CT-1 selectively binds to minor groove of DNA and induces DNA damage leading to increase in p53 along with decrease in its ubiquitination. Inhibition of p53 with pharmacological inhibitor as well as siRNA revealed the necessity of p53 in CT-1-mediated anti-cancer effects in breast cancer cells. Studies using several other intact p53 and deficient p53 cancer cell lines further confirmed necessity of p53 in CT-1-mediated anti-cancer response. Pharmacological inhibition of pan-caspase showed CT-1 induces caspase-dependent cell death in breast cancer cells. Most interestingly, oral administration of CT-1 induces significant inhibition of tumor growth in LA-7 syngeneic orthotropic rat mammary tumor model. CT-1 treated mammary tumor shows enhancement in DNA damage, p53 upregulation, and apoptosis. Collectively, CT-1 exhibits potent anti-cancer effect both in vitro and in vivo and could serve as a safe orally active lead for anti-cancer drug development. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. In vitro activities of kappa-carrageenan isolated from red marine alga Hypnea musciformis: Antimicrobial, anticancer and neuroprotective potential.

    PubMed

    Souza, Ricardo Basto; Frota, Annyta Fernandes; Silva, Joana; Alves, Celso; Neugebauer, Agnieszka Zofia; Pinteus, Susete; Rodrigues, José Ariévilo Gurgel; Cordeiro, Edna Maria Silva; de Almeida, Raimundo Rafael; Pedrosa, Rui; Benevides, Norma Maria Barros

    2018-06-01

    This study assessed the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer and neuroprotective activities of the kappa(k)-carrageenan isolated from the red alga Hypnea musciformis (Hm-SP). The chemical spectrum of the k-carrageenan from Hm-SP was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Hm-SP revealed an antibacterial and antifungal action against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, respectively. Hm-SP did not promoted cytotoxic effects against Human breast cancer (MCF-7) and Human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell-lines. However, it was observed a significant reduction of the cellular proliferation capacity in these cancer cells in presence of the Hm-SP. Furthermore, Hm-SP showed neuroprotective activity in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity on SH-SY5Y cells by modulation of the mitochondria transmembrane potential and reducing Caspase 3 activity. In addition, Hm-SP demonstrates low antioxidant potential and did not induce significant cytotoxic effects or changes in the cell proliferation on Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell-line. In summary, our data suggest that Hm-SP shows antimicrobial, anticancer and neuprotective activities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Exploring the Cytotoxic Potential of Triterpenoids-enriched Fraction of Bacopa monnieri by Implementing In vitro, In vivo, and In silico Approaches.

    PubMed

    Mallick, Md Nasar; Khan, Washim; Parveen, Rabea; Ahmad, Sayeed; Sadaf; Najm, Mohammad Zeeshan; Ahmad, Istaq; Husain, Syed Akhtar

    2017-10-01

    Bacopa monnieri (BM) is a herbaceous plant traditionally used from time immemorial in Ayurvedic and folklore medicines. We hypothesized that the extract of the whole plant might contain numerous molecules with having antitumor activities that could be very effective in killing of human cancer cells. This work investigated anticancer activity of bioactive fraction of BM. The hydroalcoholic extract of BM was fractionated with different solvent, namely, hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), acetone, methanol, and water. The in vitro anticancer activity was performed against various Human Cancer Cell lines, namely, Colon (HT29, Colo320, and Caco2), Lung (A549), Cervix (HeLa, SiHa), and Breast (MCF-7, MDAMB-231). Further, DCM fraction was evaluated in vivo for anticancer activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor-bearing mice since it showed the best cytotoxicity at 72 h (IC 50 41.0-60.0 µg/mL). The metabolic fingerprinting of these extract were carried out using high-performance thin-layer chromatography along with quantification of bacoside A, bacoside B, cucurbitacin B, cucurbitacin E, and bittulinic acid. Oral administration of DCM fraction at a dose of 40 mg/kg rendered prominent reduction of tumor regression parameters such as tumor weight, packed cell volume, tumor volume and viable tumor cell count as compared to the untreated mice of the EAC control group. The anticancer activity of DCM fraction may be due to the presence of large amount of bacoside A, B and cucurbitacins. The molecular docking studies of major metabolites with targeted proteins predicted the anticancer activity of DCM fraction which was in support of in vivo activity. The in vitro , in vivo , analytical and in silico studies on DCM fraction of Bacopa monieri has proved its great potential for development of anticancer phytopharmaceuticals. A new HPTLC method has been developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of bacoside A, B, cucurbitacin B, D, E and bittulinic acid in Bacopa monnieri extract. Enrichment of active anticancer metabolites was done by polarity based fractionations of hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa. DCM fraction of a hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa showed anticancer potential against human cancer cell line (IC50 41.0-60.0 µg/mL) and in EAC treated mice (at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight). The anticancer activity of Bacopa may be due to the presence of bacosides and cucurbitacin and it was confirmed by in silico screening. Abbreviations used: DBM: DCM fraction of Bacopa monnieri; DCM: Dichloromethane; EAC: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma; HCT: Hematocrit; HGB: Hemoglobin; HPTLC: High performance thin layer chromatography; ICH: International council for Harmonisation; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantification; LYM: Lymphocytes; MCH: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC: Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC); MCV: Mean corpuscular volume; MTT: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; PLT: Platelet; RBC: Red blood cell; RDW: Red blood cell distribution width; RSD: Relative standard deviation; WBC: White blood cells.

  4. Exploring the Cytotoxic Potential of Triterpenoids-enriched Fraction of Bacopa monnieri by Implementing In vitro, In vivo, and In silico Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Mallick, Md. Nasar; Khan, Washim; Parveen, Rabea; Ahmad, Sayeed; Sadaf; Najm, Mohammad Zeeshan; Ahmad, Istaq; Husain, Syed Akhtar

    2017-01-01

    Background: Bacopa monnieri (BM) is a herbaceous plant traditionally used from time immemorial in Ayurvedic and folklore medicines. We hypothesized that the extract of the whole plant might contain numerous molecules with having antitumor activities that could be very effective in killing of human cancer cells. Objectives: This work investigated anticancer activity of bioactive fraction of BM. Materials and Methods: The hydroalcoholic extract of BM was fractionated with different solvent, namely, hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), acetone, methanol, and water. The in vitro anticancer activity was performed against various Human Cancer Cell lines, namely, Colon (HT29, Colo320, and Caco2), Lung (A549), Cervix (HeLa, SiHa), and Breast (MCF-7, MDAMB-231). Further, DCM fraction was evaluated in vivo for anticancer activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor-bearing mice since it showed the best cytotoxicity at 72 h (IC50 41.0–60.0 µg/mL). The metabolic fingerprinting of these extract were carried out using high-performance thin-layer chromatography along with quantification of bacoside A, bacoside B, cucurbitacin B, cucurbitacin E, and bittulinic acid. Results: Oral administration of DCM fraction at a dose of 40 mg/kg rendered prominent reduction of tumor regression parameters such as tumor weight, packed cell volume, tumor volume and viable tumor cell count as compared to the untreated mice of the EAC control group. The anticancer activity of DCM fraction may be due to the presence of large amount of bacoside A, B and cucurbitacins. The molecular docking studies of major metabolites with targeted proteins predicted the anticancer activity of DCM fraction which was in support of in vivo activity. Conclusion: The in vitro, in vivo, analytical and in silico studies on DCM fraction of Bacopa monieri has proved its great potential for development of anticancer phytopharmaceuticals. SUMMARY A new HPTLC method has been developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of bacoside A, B, cucurbitacin B, D, E and bittulinic acid in Bacopa monnieri extract. Enrichment of active anticancer metabolites was done by polarity based fractionations of hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa. DCM fraction of a hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa showed anticancer potential against human cancer cell line (IC50 41.0-60.0 µg/mL) and in EAC treated mice (at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight). The anticancer activity of Bacopa may be due to the presence of bacosides and cucurbitacin and it was confirmed by in silico screening. Abbreviations used: DBM: DCM fraction of Bacopa monnieri; DCM: Dichloromethane; EAC: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma; HCT: Hematocrit; HGB: Hemoglobin; HPTLC: High performance thin layer chromatography; ICH: International council for Harmonisation; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantification; LYM: Lymphocytes; MCH: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC: Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC); MCV: Mean corpuscular volume; MTT: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; PLT: Platelet; RBC: Red blood cell; RDW: Red blood cell distribution width; RSD: Relative standard deviation; WBC: White blood cells. PMID:29142420

  5. Synthesis and evaluation of thiazolidinone-pyrazole conjugates as anticancer and antimicrobial agents.

    PubMed

    Bhat, Mahima; Poojary, Boja; Kalal, Bhuvanesh Sukhlal; Gurubasavaraja Swamy, Purawarga Matada; Kabilan, Senthamaraikannan; Kumar, Vasantha; Shruthi, Nooji; Alias Anand, Selvam Athavan; Pai, Vinitha Ramanath

    2018-05-01

    To synthesize a series of new thiazolidinone-pyrazole hybrids (5a-o) and assess their anticancer (in vitro and in vivo) and antimicrobial activities. The compounds 5h (against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells), 5e and 5i (against the human breast cancer [MDA-MB231] cell line) exhibited potent anticancer activity. All the compounds except 5g and 5e found to be less toxic for the human dermal fibroblast cells. The effective interactions of the compounds in silico with MDM2 exemplified their inhibitory potency. The derivatives also showed moderate antimicrobial activity. The halogen atoms on various positions of the N-arylamino ring played an advantageous role in elevating the potency of the molecules. Thus, these conjugates could be used as a lead for further optimization to achieve promising therapeutics.

  6. Potential Theranostics Application of Bio-Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles (4-in-1 System)

    PubMed Central

    Mukherjee, Sudip; Chowdhury, Debabrata; Kotcherlakota, Rajesh; Patra, Sujata; B, Vinothkumar; Bhadra, Manika Pal; Sreedhar, Bojja; Patra, Chitta Ranjan

    2014-01-01

    In this report, we have designed a simple and efficient green chemistry approach for the synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticles (b-AgNPs) that is formed by the reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution using Olax scandens leaf extract. The colloidal b-AgNPs, characterized by various physico-chemical techniques exhibit multifunctional biological activities (4-in-1 system). Firstly, bio-synthesized silver nanoparticles (b-AgNPs) shows enhanced antibacterial activity compared to chemically synthesize silver nanoparticles (c-AgNPs). Secondly, b-AgNPs show anti-cancer activities to different cancer cells (A549: human lung cancer cell lines, B16: mouse melanoma cell line & MCF7: human breast cancer cells) (anti-cancer). Thirdly, these nanoparticles are biocompatible to rat cardiomyoblast normal cell line (H9C2), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) which indicates the future application of b-AgNPs as drug delivery vehicle. Finally, the bio-synthesized AgNPs show bright red fluorescence inside the cells that could be utilized to detect the localization of drug molecules inside the cancer cells (a diagnostic approach). All results together demonstrate the multifunctional biological activities of bio-synthesized AgNPs (4-in-1 system) that could be applied as (i) anti-bacterial & (ii) anti-cancer agent, (iii) drug delivery vehicle, and (iv) imaging facilitator. To the best of our knowledge, there is not a single report of biosynthesized AgNPs that demonstrates the versatile applications (4-in-1 system) towards various biomedical applications. Additionally, a plausible mechanistic approach has been explored for the synthesis of b-AgNPs and its anti-bacterial as well as anti-cancer activity. We strongly believe that bio-synthesized AgNPs will open a new direction towards various biomedical applications in near future. PMID:24505239

  7. 6-Gingerol inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation through apoptosis and AMPK activation.

    PubMed

    Fan, Jingzhang; Yang, Xin; Bi, Zhenggang

    2015-02-01

    6-Gingerol, a major component of ginger, is demonstrated to possess a variety of pharmacological activities. Despite demonstration of its anti-cancer activity, the exact mechanism underlying the effects of 6-gingerol against sarcoma remains sketchy. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of 6-gingerol on osteosarcoma cells. MTT assay was performed to determine cell viability. Phosphorylation and protein levels were determined by immunoblotting. Cell cycle was determined using flow cytometry. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed to determine the changes in the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of genes. Treatment with 6-gingerol resulted in a significant decrease in the viability of osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent fashion. In parallel, the number of cells arrested at the sub-G1 cell cycle phase was significantly increased. The results showed that 6-gingerol induced activation of caspase cascades and regulated cellular levels of Bcl2 and Bax. Moreover, 6-gingerol activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling associated with the apoptotic pathways. Our findings suggest that 6-gingerol suppresses the growth of osteosarcoma cells. The anti-cancer activity is attributed to the activation of apoptotic signaling and the inhibition of anti-apoptotic signaling incorporating with 6-gingerol-induced AMPK activation. The study identifies a new molecular mechanism by which AMPK is involved in anti-cancer effects of 6-gingerol.

  8. Synthesis of a novel fused pyrrolodiazepine-based library with anti-cancer activity.

    PubMed

    Malik, Neha; Iyamu, Iredia D; Scheidt, Karl A; Schiltz, Gary E

    2018-04-11

    Development of drugs for new and persistent diseases will increasingly rely on the expansion of accessible chemical space to allow exploration of novel molecular targets. Here we report the synthesis of a library of novel fused heterobicyclic small molecules based on the 1,4-diazepine and 2,4-pyrrolidinedione scaffolds. Key chemical transformations included a Mannich-type condensation and chemoselective N-acylation reactions. Screening shows anti-cancer activity of several library compounds which suggests translational potential of this novel chemical scaffold.

  9. Characterization, catalyzed water oxidation and anticancer activities of a NIR BODIPY-Mn polymer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lan, Ya-Quan; Xiao, Ke-Jing; Wu, Yun-Jie; Chen, Qiu-Yun

    2017-04-01

    To obtain near-IR absorbing biomaterials as fluorescence cellular imaging and anticancer agents for hypoxic cancer cell, a nano NIR fluorescence Mn(III/IV) polymer (PMnD) was spectroscopically characterized. The PMnD shows strong emission at 661 nm when excited with 643 nm. Furthermore, PMnD can catalyze water oxidation to generate dioxygen when irradiated by red LED light (10 W). In particular, the PMnD can enter into HepG-2 cells and mitochondria. Both anticancer activity and the inhibition of the expression of HIF-1α for PMnD were concentration dependent. Our results demonstrate that PMnD can be developed as mitochondria targeted imaging agents and new inhibitors for HIF-1 in hypoxic cancer cells.

  10. Multimodal HDAC Inhibitors with Improved Anticancer Activity.

    PubMed

    Schobert, Rainer; Biersack, Bernhard

    2018-01-01

    Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a significant role in the proliferation and dissemination of cancer and represent promising epigenetic drug targets. The HDAC inhibitor vorinostat featuring a zinc-binding hydroxamate fragment was already clinically approved. However, HDAC inhibitors containing hydroxamic acids are often hampered by acquired or intrinsic drug resistance and may lead to enhanced tumor aggressiveness. In order to overcome these drawbacks of hydroxamate HDAC inhibitors, a series of multimodal derivatives of this compound class, including such with different zinc-binding groups, was recently developed and showed promising anticancer activity. This review provides an overview of the chemistry and pleiotropic anticancer modes of action of these conceptually new HDAC inhibitors. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  11. Resveratrol and Pterostilbene Exhibit Anticancer Properties Involving the Downregulation of HPV Oncoprotein E6 in Cervical Cancer Cells.

    PubMed

    Chatterjee, Kaushiki; AlSharif, Dina; Mazza, Christina; Syar, Palwasha; Al Sharif, Mohamed; Fata, Jimmie E

    2018-02-21

    Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women living in developing countries. Due to a lack of affordable effective therapy, research into alternative anticancer compounds with low toxicity such as dietary polyphenols has continued. Our aim is to determine whether two structurally similar plant polyphenols, resveratrol and pterostilbene, exhibit anticancer and anti-HPV (Human papillomavirus) activity against cervical cancer cells. To determine anticancer activity, extensive in vitro analyses were performed. Anti-HPV activity, through measuring E6 protein levels, subsequent downstream p53 effects, and caspase-3 activation, were studied to understand a possible mechanism of action. Both polyphenols are effective agents in targeting cervical cancer cells, having low IC50 values in the µM range. They decrease clonogenic survival, reduce cell migration, arrest cells at the S-phase, and reduce the number of mitotic cells. These findings were significant, with pterostilbene often being more effective than resveratrol. Resveratrol and to a greater extent pterostilbene downregulates the HPV oncoprotein E6, induces caspase-3 activation, and upregulates p53 protein levels. Results point to a mechanism that may involve the downregulation of the HPV E6 oncoprotein, activation of apoptotic pathways, and re-establishment of functional p53 protein, with pterostilbene showing greater efficacy than resveratrol.

  12. Evaluation of phenolic composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of Polygonatum verticillatum (L.).

    PubMed

    Kumar Singh, Sandeep; Patra, Arjun

    2018-04-18

    Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All. (Ruscaceae), one of the Ashtawarga plants, is widely used for treatment of various ailments. The present study was undertaken to determine the phenolic composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of several extracts (petroleum ether, dichloromethane, chloroform, ethanol, and aqueous) from the rhizomes of the plant. Coarsely powdered dry rhizome was successively extracted with different solvents of increasing polarity (petroleum ether, dichloromethane, chloroform, ethanol and water). The phenolic compositions, in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total condensed tannin content (TTC), were evaluated with the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, aluminum chloride colorimetric assay and vanillin spectrophotometric assay, respectively. Total antioxidant capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays were used to assess the antioxidant potential of each extract. A protein denaturation model and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay were used to evaluate in vitro anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was carried out to demonstrate various phytoconstituents in each extract. Correlation studies were also performed between phenolic composition (TPC, TFC and TTC) and different biological activities. Ethanol extract showed maximum TPC (0.126 mg/g, gallic acid equivalent in dry sample), TFC (0.094 mg/g, rutin equivalent in dry sample) and TTC (29.32 mg/g, catechin equivalent in dry sample), as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Chloroform extract exhibited the strongest cytotoxicity against the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 90 different phytoconstituents among the extracts. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities had a positive correlation with TPC, TFC and TTC. However, the anticancer activity showed a negative correlation with TPC, TFC and TTC. From the present study, it can be concluded that P. verticillatum possessed remarkable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities, which could be due to different secondary metabolites of the plant. Phenolic compounds are likely responsible for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, flavonoids and other compounds might contribute to the anticancer potential of the plant. Copyright © 2018 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Evaluation of in vitro anticancer activity of 1,8-Cineole-containing n-hexane extract of Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Skeels plant and its apoptotic potential.

    PubMed

    Sampath, Sowndarya; Veeramani, Vidhya; Krishnakumar, Gopal Shankar; Sivalingam, Udhayakumar; Madurai, Suguna Lakshmi; Chellan, Rose

    2017-09-01

    Plants are the source of a variety of secondary metabolites, which are often used in the anticancer activity. Discovering new anticancer drug from herbal source is more important in both biological and pharmacological activities. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify the anticancer agent in Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Skeels (CC) for the treatment of cancer. Very recently we have reported an increased antioxidant activity in the ethanolic and methanolic extracts (EE and ME) of CC but significantly reduced activity (rather increased cytotoxicity), in the n-hexane extract (HE). In this study, the cytotoxicity of all the three solvent extracts was tested against A431, MG-63 and HaCaT cell lines by MTT assay. Interestingly HE has showed increased anti-proliferative effect against the cancer cells but was resisted by non-malignant cells. HPLC and GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 1,8-Cineole as a predominant compound in HE, the semi-purified bioactive extract. Henceforth, this would be called HE-C and be used for further analyses to understand its mode of action on induced apoptosis/necrosis. Alamar blue assay of HE-C showed cytotoxicity and change in morphological characteristics, which was confirmed by AO/EB staining using fluorescence microscopy, ultra-structural features of apoptosis using SEM and TEM. HE-C induced cell death was also detected by FACS using FITC-labelled Annexin-V and Propidium iodide. ROS generation was monitored using DCF-DA by flow cytometry. The overall results suggested that the selective extract (HE-C) containing 1,8-Cineole has shown potential anti-cancer activity in a dose-dependent manner, and cell death was induced through ROS-mediated apoptosis. Our findings provide an insight into the potential of 1,8-Cineole as a novel drug for killing cancer cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using ethanolic petals extract of Rosa indica and characterization of its antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities.

    PubMed

    Manikandan, Ramar; Manikandan, Beulaja; Raman, Thiagarajan; Arunagirinathan, Koodalingam; Prabhu, Narayanan Marimuthu; Jothi Basu, Muthuramalingam; Perumal, Muthulakshmi; Palanisamy, Subramanian; Munusamy, Arumugam

    2015-03-05

    The present study was aimed at biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using ethanolic extract of rose (Rosa indica) petals and testing their potential antibacterial activity using selective human pathogenic microbes, anticancer activity using human colon adenocarcinoma cancer cell line HCT 15 as well as anti-inflammatory activity using rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The biologically synthesized AgNPs were also characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The characterized AgNPs showed an effective antibacterial activity against Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) than Gram positive (Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis) bacteria. MTT assay, analysis of nuclear morphology, mRNA expression of Bcl-2, Bax and protein expression of caspase 3 as well as 9, indicated potential anticancer activity. In addition, green synthesized AgNPs also attenuated cytotoxicity, nuclear morphology and free radical generation (O2(-) and NO) by rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The results of our study show the potential green synthesis of silver nanoparticles in mitigating their toxicity while retaining their antibacterial activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The glutaminase activity of l-asparaginase is not required for anticancer activity against ASNS-negative cells

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Wai Kin; Lorenzi, Philip L.; Anishkin, Andriy; Purwaha, Preeti; Rogers, David M.; Sukharev, Sergei; Rempe, Susan B.; Weinstein, John N.

    2014-01-01

    l-Asparaginase (l-ASP) is a key component of therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Its mechanism of action, however, is still poorly understood, in part because of its dual asparaginase and glutaminase activities. Here, we show that l-ASP’s glutaminase activity is not always required for the enzyme’s anticancer effect. We first used molecular dynamics simulations of the clinically standard Escherichia coli l-ASP to predict what mutated forms could be engineered to retain activity against asparagine but not glutamine. Dynamic mapping of enzyme substrate contacts identified Q59 as a promising mutagenesis target for that purpose. Saturation mutagenesis followed by enzymatic screening identified Q59L as a variant that retains asparaginase activity but shows undetectable glutaminase activity. Unlike wild-type l-ASP, Q59L is inactive against cancer cells that express measurable asparagine synthetase (ASNS). Q59L is potently active, however, against ASNS-negative cells. Those observations indicate that the glutaminase activity of l-ASP is necessary for anticancer activity against ASNS-positive cell types but not ASNS-negative cell types. Because the clinical toxicity of l-ASP is thought to stem from its glutaminase activity, these findings suggest the hypothesis that glutaminase-negative variants of l-ASP would provide larger therapeutic indices than wild-type l-ASP for ASNS-negative cancers. PMID:24659632

  16. Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of 3-(Substituted Aroyl)-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-pyrrole Derivatives.

    PubMed

    Zhan, Xiao-Ping; Lan, Lan; Wang, Shuai; Zhao, Kai; Xin, Yu-Xuan; Qi, Qi; Wang, Yao-Lin; Mao, Zhen-Min

    2017-02-01

    A series of 3-(substituted aroyl)-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-pyrrole derivatives were synthesized and determined for their anticancer activity against eleven cancer cell lines and two normal tissue cell lines using MTT assay. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 3f was the most potent compound against A375, CT-26, HeLa, MGC80-3, NCI-H460 and SGC-7901 cells (IC 50  = 8.2 - 31.7 μm); 3g, 3n and 3a were the most potent compounds against CHO (IC 50  = 8.2 μm), HCT-15 (IC 50  = 21 μm) and MCF-7 cells (IC 50  = 18.7 μm), respectively. Importantly, all the target compounds showed no cytotoxicity towards the normal tissue cell (IC 50  > 100 μm). Thus, these compounds with the potent anticancer activity and low toxicity have potential for the development of new anticancer chemotherapy agents. © 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

  17. In vitro and in vivo anti-cancer activity of silymarin on oral cancer.

    PubMed

    Won, Dong-Hoon; Kim, Lee-Han; Jang, Boonsil; Yang, In-Hyoung; Kwon, Hye-Jeong; Jin, Bohwan; Oh, Seung Hyun; Kang, Ju-Hee; Hong, Seong-Doo; Shin, Ji-Ae; Cho, Sung-Dae

    2018-05-01

    Silymarin, a standardized extract from milk thistle fruits has been found to exhibit anti-cancer effects against various cancers. Here, we explored the anti-cancer activity of silymarin and its molecular target in human oral cancer in vitro and in vivo. Silymarin dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of HSC-4 oral cancer cells and promoted caspase-dependent apoptosis. A human apoptosis protein array kit showed that death receptor 5 may be involved in silymarin-induced apoptosis, which was also shown through western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Silymarin increased cleaved caspase-8 and truncated Bid, leading to accumulation of cytochrome c. In addition, silymarin activated death receptor 5/caspase-8 to induce apoptotic cell death in two other oral cancer cell lines (YD15 and Ca9.22). Silymarin also suppressed tumor growth and volume without any hepatic or renal toxicity in vivo. Taken together, these results provide in vitro and in vivo evidence supporting the anti-cancer effect of silymarin and death receptor 5, and caspase-8 may be essential players in silymarin-mediated apoptosis in oral cancer.

  18. Potential role of tocotrienols in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Sylvester, Paul W; Akl, Mohamed R; Malaviya, Abhita; Parajuli, Parash; Ananthula, Suryatheja; Tiwari, Roshan V; Ayoub, Nehad M

    2014-01-01

    Vitamin E is a generic term that refers to a family of compounds that is further divided into two subgroups called tocopherols and tocotrienols. Although all natural forms of vitamin E display potent antioxidant activity, tocotrienols are significantly more potent than tocopherols in inhibiting tumor cell growth and viability, and anticancer activity of tocotrienols is mediated independently of their antioxidant activity. In addition, the anticancer effects of tocotrienols are observed using treatment doses that have little or no effect on normal cell function or viability. This review will summarize experimental studies that have identified the intracellular mechanism mediating the anticancer effects of tocotrienols. Evidence is also provided showing that combined treatment of tocotrienol with other cancer chemotherapies can result in a synergistic inhibition in cancer cell growth and viability. Taken together, these findings strongly indicate that tocotrienols may provide significant health benefits in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer when used either alone as monotherapy or in combination with other anticancer agents. © 2013 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  19. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-substituted-4-(4-methylthio phenyl)-1H-pyrrole derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Lan, Lan; Qin, Weixi; Zhan, Xiaoping; Liu, Zenglu; Mao, Zhenmin

    2014-01-01

    A novel series of 3-substituted-4-(4-methylthio phenyl)-1H-pyrrole derivatives were synthesized via Van Leusen pyrrole synthesis. The in vitro anticancer activity against a panel of 16 cancer cell lines and 2 normal cell lines was investigated by MTT assay. It was found that some of the pyrrole compounds showed similar antiproliferative activity against cancer cells compared with Paclitaxel, but little impact on normal cell lines, which indicated that the novel pyrrole derivatives could be used as potential anticancer candidates for possessing both selectivity and good therapeutic efficacy. Structure-activity relationship analysis found that 3-phenylacetyl-4- (4-methylthio phenyl)-1H-pyrrole derivatives displayed the most strong anticancer activity, among which [4-(4-methylthio phenyl)-1H-pyrrol- 3-yl] (4-methoxy phenyl) methanone (3j) was employed to investigate the effect of these pyrrole analogues on cell cycle by propidium iodide (PI) staining on cell flow cytometry. Cell necrotic effect of 10.0 µM 3j against MGC80-3 cells were also observed under fluorescence microscope and transmission electron microscope by ultrathin sections observation.

  20. Anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities of plant extracts used against hematological tumors in traditional medicine of Jordan.

    PubMed

    Assaf, Areej M; Haddadin, Randa N; Aldouri, Nedhal A; Alabbassi, Reem; Mashallah, Sundus; Mohammad, Mohammad; Bustanji, Yasser

    2013-02-13

    Mercurialis annua L., Bongardia chrysogonum L., and Viscum cruciatum Sieb have been traditionally used by local herbalists in Jordan for the treatment of hematopoietic neoplasms. To determine the anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial potentials of the three extracts against two of the most common hematopoietic malignancies in the Jordanian populations; Burkitt's lymphoma and Multiple myeloma. The anti-cancer activity was tested against the two cell lines (BJAB Burkitt's lymphoma and U266 multiple myeloma) using the MTT and trypan blue assays. The agar dilution assay was used to study the anti-microbial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, anaerobic bacteria and yeast. The pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) -1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in the pretreated cell lines using ELISA assay to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of Viscum cruciatum Sieb against the two cell lines. The results show no evidence of stimulation of tumor growth by any of the three extracts comprising cell lines from hematological malignancies, but Viscum cruciatum Sieb showed a selective anticancer activity against BJAB cells, with IC(50) value of 14.21μg/ml. The antimicrobial effect was only noticed with Viscum cruciatum extract by inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Propionibacterium acne, but not Pseudomonas aeruginosa at MIC of 1.25, 1.25, 0.625 and <5mg/ml, respectively. The highest activity was against the anaerobic bacteria Propionibacterium acne. Viscum cruciatum Sieb extract showed an inhibitory effect on the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8, but it increased TNF-α and IL-1β secretions in BJAB cells. Whereas, it had an inhibitory effect on TNF-α and IL-1β cytokines while it enhanced IL-8 secretions in U266 cells. Among the three tested herbal extracts used in the traditional medicine in Jordan, only Viscum cruciatum Sieb showed high anti-cancer and anti-microbial potentials. They also had an anti-inflammatory effect. These observations raise the prospects of using Viscum cruciatum Sieb for treatment of diseases associated with some bacterial and fungal infections, for imbalanced cytokine production and for enhancing cancer and other immunotherapies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. New arylated benzo[h]quinolines induce anti-cancer activity by oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Dharmendra K; Rai, Reeta; Kumar, Naresh; Singh, Surjeet; Misra, Sanjeev; Sharma, Praveen; Shaw, Priyanka; Pérez-Sánchez, Horacio; Mancera, Ricardo L; Choi, Eun Ha; Kim, Mi-Hyun; Pratap, Ramendra

    2016-12-06

    The anti-cancer activity of the benzo[h]quinolines was evaluated on cultured human skin cancer (G361), lung cancer (H460), breast cancer (MCF7) and colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines. The inhibitory effect of these compounds on the cell growth was determined by the MTT assay. The compounds 3e, 3f, 3h and 3j showed potential cytotoxicity against these human cancer cell lines. Effect of active compounds on DNA oxidation and expression of apoptosis related gene was studied. We also developed a quantitative method to measure the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases-2 (CDK2) by western blotting in the presence of active compound. In addition, molecular docking revealed that benzo[h]quinolines can correctly dock into the hydrophobic pocket of the targets receptor protein aromatase and CDK2, while their bioavailability/drug-likeness was predicted to be acceptable but requires future optimization. These findings reveal that benzo[h]quinolines act as anti-cancer agents by inducing oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage.

  2. Identification of acetylshikonin as the novel CYP2J2 inhibitor with anti-cancer activity in HepG2 cells.

    PubMed

    Park, See-Hyoung; Phuc, Nguyen Minh; Lee, Jongsung; Wu, Zhexue; Kim, Jieun; Kim, Hyunkyoung; Kim, Nam Doo; Lee, Taeho; Song, Kyung-Sik; Liu, Kwang-Hyeon

    2017-01-15

    Acetylshikonin is one of the biologically active compounds derived from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, a medicinal plant with anti-cancer and anti-inflammation activity. Although there have been a few previous reports demonstrating that acetylshikonin exerts anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo, it is still not clear what is the exact molecular target protein of acetylshikonin in cancer cells. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the inhibitory effect of acetylshikonin against CYP2J2 enzyme which is predominantly expressed in human tumor tissues and carcinoma cell lines. The inhibitory effect of acetylshikonin on the activities of CYP2J2-mediated metabolism were investigated using human liver microsomes (HLMs), and its cytotoxicity against human hepatoma HepG2 cells was also evaluated. Astemizole, a representative CYP2J2 probe substrate, was incubated in HLMs in the presence or absence of acetylshikonin. After incubation, the samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The anti-cancer activity of acetylshikonin was evaluated on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. WST-1, cell counting, and colony formation assays were further adopted for the estimation of the growth rate of HepG2 cells treated with acetylshikonin. Acetylshikonin inhibited CYP2J2-mediated astemizole O-demethylation activity (K i = 2.1µM) in a noncompetitive manner. The noncompetitive inhibitory effect of acetylshikonin on CYP2J2 enzyme was also demonstrated using this 3D structure, which showed different binding location of astemizole and acetylshikonin in CYP2J2 model. It showed cytotoxic effects against human hepatoma HepG2 cells (IC 50 = 2μM). In addition, acetylshikonin treatment inhibited growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells leading to apoptosis accompanied with p53, bax, and caspase3 activation as well as bcl2 down-regulation. Taken together, our present study elucidates acetylshikonin displays the inhibitory effects against CYP2J2 in HLMs and anti-cancer activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  3. Bioinspired green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles from Syzygium alternifolium (Wt.) Walp: characterization and evaluation of its synergistic antimicrobial and anticancer activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yugandhar, Pulicherla; Vasavi, Thirumalanadhuni; Uma Maheswari Devi, Palempalli; Savithramma, Nataru

    2017-10-01

    In recent times, nanoparticles are attributed to green nanotechnology methods to know the synergistic biological activities. To accomplish this phenomenon, present study was aimed to synthesize copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) by using Syzygium alternifolium stem bark, characterized those NPs using expository tools and to elucidate high prioritized antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Synthesized particles exhibited a color change pattern upon synthesis and affirmed its respective broad peak at 285 nm which was analyzed through UV-vis spectroscopy. FT-IR study confirmed that phenols and primary amines were mainly involved in capping and stabilization of nanoparticles. DLS and Zeta potential studies revealed narrow size of particles with greater stability. XRD studies revealed the crystallographic nature of particles with 17.2 nm average size. Microscopic analysis by using TEM revealed that particle size range from 5-13 nm and most of them were spherical in shape, non-agglomerated and poly-dispersed in condition. Antimicrobial studies of particles showed highest inhibitory activity against E. coli and T. harzianum among bacterial and fungal strains, respectively. The scope of this study is extended by examining anticancer activity of CuO NPs. This study exhibited potential anticancer activity towards MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer lines. Overall, these examinations relate that the S. alternifolium is described as efficient well-being plant and probabilistically for the design and synthesis of nanoparticles for human health. This study paves a way to better understand antimicrobial and anticancer therapeutic drug potentials of nanoparticles to design and analysis of pharmaceuticals by in vivo and in vitro approaches.

  4. [Review in the studies on tannins activity of cancer prevention and anticancer].

    PubMed

    Li, Haixia; Wang, Zhao; Liu, Yanze

    2003-06-01

    This paper reviewed the biological activities of tannins in cancer prevention and anticancer, and mainly discussed related mechanisms. The results suggest that tannins, whether total tannins or pure tannin compound, have remarkable activity in cancer prevention and anticancer. It has wealthy foreground for developing new cancer prevention agents and/or new anticancer drugs screening among tannin compounds.

  5. In-silico and in-vitro anti-cancer potential of a curcumin analogue (1E, 6E)-1, 7-di (1H-indol-3-yl) hepta-1, 6-diene-3, 5-dione.

    PubMed

    Sufi, Shamim Akhtar; Adigopula, Lakshmi Narayana; Syed, Safiulla Basha; Mukherjee, Victor; Coumar, Mohane S; Rao, H Surya Prakash; Rajagopalan, Rukkumani

    2017-01-01

    Previously we showed that BDMC, an analogue of curcumin suppresses growth of human breast and laryngeal cancer cell line by causing apoptosis. Here, we demonstrate the enhanced anti-cancer activity of a heterocyclic ring (indole) incorporated curcumin analogue ((1E, 6E)-1, 7-di (1H-indol-3-yl) hepta-1, 6-diene-3, 5-Dione), ICA in short, in comparison to curcumin. ICA was synthesized by a one pot condensation reaction. Anti-cancer potential of ICA was assessed in three human cancer cell lines of different origin (Lung adenocarcinoma (A549), leukemia (K562) and colon cancer (SW480)) by MTT assay. Mode of cell death was determined by acridine orange-ethidium bromide (Ao-Eb) staining. Putative cellular targets of ICA were investigated by molecular docking studies. Cell cycle analysis following curcumin or ICA treatment in SW480 cell line was carried out by flow cytometry. Expression levels of Cyclin D1 and apoptotic markers, such as Caspase 3, 8 and 9 were studied by western blot analysis in SW480 cell line treated with or without ICA and curcumin. The yield of ICA synthesis was found to be 69% with a purity of 98%. ICA demonstrated promising anti-cancer activity compared to curcumin alone, as discerned by MTT assay. ICA was non-toxic to the cell line of normal origin. We further observed that ICA is ∼2 fold more potent than curcumin in inhibiting the growth of SW480 cells. Ao-Eb staining revealed that ICA could induce apoptosis in all the cell lines tested. Molecular docking studies suggest that ICA may possibly exhibit its anticancer effect by inhibiting EGFR in A549, Bcr-Abl in K562 and GSK-3β kinase in SW480 cell line. Moreover, ICA showed strong binding avidity for Bcl-2 protein in silico, which could result in induction of apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis revealed that both curcumin and ICA induced concomitant cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 and G2/M phase. Western blot shows that ICA could effectively down regulate the expression of cell cycle protein cyclin D1, while promoting the activation of Caspase 3, 8 and 9 when compared to curcumin in human colon cancer cell line SW480. The result of this study indicates that ICA could hold promise to be a potential anti-cancer agent. Since ICA has shown encouraging results in terms of its anti-cancer activity compared to curcumin, further research is necessary to fully delineate the underlying molecular mechanism of its anticancer potential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. A novel green one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles using crocin and their anti-cancer activities.

    PubMed

    Hoshyar, Reyhane; Khayati, Gholam Reza; Poorgholami, Maliheh; Kaykhaii, Massoud

    2016-06-01

    Functionalized nanoparticles are specifically designed to deliver drugs at tumor cells and can potentially enhance anticancer activity of drugs such as crocin. In the present study, we have applied antioxidant crocin as a reducing agent for one pot green synthesis of controlled size gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Spherical, stable and uniform AuNPs were synthesized using crocin. These AuNPs are characterized by UV-Vis, TEM and XRD techniques. The prepared AuNPs showed surface plasm on resonance centered at 520nm with the average particle size of about 4-10nm. The anti-cancer effect of AuNPs was determined using MTT and LDH tests. The cellular data showed that these AuNPs significantly decreased cancerous cells' growth after 24 and 48hours in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The results suggest that such AuNPs can be synthesized simply and quickly with invaluable clinical as well as pharmaceutical activities which can help to treat human breast cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Pharmacokinetic studies and anticancer activity of curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fengling; Chen, Jin; Dai, Wenting; He, Zhengmin; Zhai, Dandan; Chen, Weidong

    2017-09-01

    In order to investigate the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers for efficient and targeted delivery of curcumin, the pharmacokinetic parameters of curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Cur-NLC) were evaluated in rats after a single intraperitoneal dose of Cur-NLC. In addition, the anticancer activity of Cur-NLC against human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells was verified by a cellular uptake study, and a cytotoxicity and apoptosis assay. Bioavailability of Cur-NLC was better than that of native curcumin (p > 0.01), as seen from the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), mean residence time (MRT) and total plasma clearance (CLz/F). Cur-NLC has a more obvious lung-targeting property in comparison with native curcumin. Cur-NLC showed higher anticancer activity in vitro against A549 cells than native curcumin (IC50 value of 5.66 vs. 9.81 mg L-1, respectively). Meanwhile, Cur-NLC treated A549 cells showed a higher apoptosis rate compared to that of native curcumin. These results indicate that NLC is a promising system for the delivery of curcumin in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

  8. Aspirin disrupts the mTOR-Raptor complex and potentiates the anti-cancer activities of sorafenib via mTORC1 inhibition.

    PubMed

    Sun, Danni; Liu, Hongchun; Dai, Xiaoyang; Zheng, Xingling; Yan, Juan; Wei, Rongrui; Fu, Xuhong; Huang, Min; Shen, Aijun; Huang, Xun; Ding, Jian; Geng, Meiyu

    2017-10-10

    Aspirin is associated with a reduced risk of cancer and delayed progression of malignant disease. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mTOR signaling is believed to partially contribute to these anticancer effects, although the mechanism is unclear. In this study, we revealed the mechanism underlying the effects of aspirin on AMPK-mTOR signaling, and described a mechanism-based rationale for the use of aspirin in cancer therapy. We found that aspirin inhibited mTORC1 signaling through AMPK-dependent and -independent manners. Aspirin inhibited the AMPK-TSC pathway, thus resulting in the suppression of mTORC1 activity. In parallel, it directly disrupted the mTOR-raptor interaction. Additionally, the combination of aspirin and sorafenib showed synergetic effects via inhibiting mTORC1 signaling and the PI3K/AKT, MAPK/ERK pathways. Aspirin and sorafenib showed synergetic anticancer efficacy in the SMMC-7721 model. Our study provides mechanistic insights and a mechanism-based rationale for the roles of aspirin in cancer treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Individual differences on immunostimulatory activity of raw and black garlic extract in human primary immune cells.

    PubMed

    Purev, Uranchimeg; Chung, Mi Ja; Oh, Deog-Hwan

    2012-08-01

    The immunostimulatory activities of garlic extract using a cell line or animal models have been reported; however, no previous studies have evaluated individual differences in regards to the immunostimulatory activities. The immunostimulatory activities such as cell proliferation, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and nitric oxides (NO) production of raw garlic and black garlic extracts on individual primary lymphocytes or macrophages isolated from the blood of 21 volunteers were evaluated. The antioxidant and anticancer effects of raw garlic and black garlic ethanol extract was measured to determine the optimum conditions for extraction. The 70% ethanol black garlic extracts at 70°C for 12 h (70% BGE) showed the strongest antioxidant and anticancer activities. Immunostimulatory activities of garlic extracts extracted under optimal condition on primary immune cells obtained from 21 volunteers were analyzed. Results showed that the cell proliferation, TNF-α and NO production of primary immune cells treated with 70% raw garlic extract (70% RGE) were significantly different; however, little difference was observed for the 70% BGE treatment. BGE showed stronger immunostimulatory activities than RGE. These results indicate that the immunostimulatory activities of RGE and BGE can be strongly correlated with the antioxidant and anticancer activities. Determination of immunostimulatory activities of different types of garlic using immune cells isolated from volunteers was dependent on the individual constituents due to changes in the composition of garlic during processing. Individual primary immune cells might be used as important tools to determine individual differences in all food ingredients for the development of personalized immunostimulatory active foods.

  10. Mangiferin exerts antitumor activity in breast cancer cells by regulating matrix metalloproteinases, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and β-catenin signaling pathway.

    PubMed

    Li, Hongzhong; Huang, Jing; Yang, Bing; Xiang, Tingxiu; Yin, Xuedong; Peng, Weiyan; Cheng, Wei; Wan, Jingyuan; Luo, Fuling; Li, Hongyuan; Ren, Guosheng

    2013-10-01

    Although mangiferin which is a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone has exhibited promising anticancer activities, the detailed molecular mechanism of mangiferin on cancers still remains enigmatic. In this study, the anticancer activity of mangiferin was evaluated in breast cancer cell line-based in vitro and in vivo models. We showed that mangiferin treatment resulted in decreased cell viability and suppression of metastatic potential in breast cancer cells. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that mangiferin induced decreased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 and -9, and reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, it was demonstrated that mangiferin significantly inhibited the activation of β-catenin pathway. Subsequent experiments showed that inhibiting β-catenin pathway might play a central role in mangiferin-induced anticancer activity through modulation of MMP-7 and -9, and EMT. Consistent with these findings in vitro, the antitumor potential was also verified in mangiferin-treated MDA-MB-231 xenograft mice where significantly decreased tumor volume, weight and proliferation, and increased apoptosis were obtained, with lower expression of MMP-7 and -9, vimentin and active β-catenin, and higher expression of E-cadherin. Taken together, our study suggests that mangiferin might be used as an effective chemopreventive agent against breast cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Synthesis, Characterization, Anticancer and Antibacterial Activity of Some Novel Pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidinone Carbonitrile Derivatives.

    PubMed

    Aremu, Oluwole S; Gopaul, Kaalin; Kadam, Pramod; Singh, Moganavelli; Mocktar, Chunderika; Singh, Parvesh; Koorbanally, Neil A

    2017-01-01

    Pyrimidines have widespread activity and have shown potent antibacterial and anticancer activity. To synthesise a range of pyrimidine diones and test them for their antibacterial and anticancer activity. The pyranopyrimidin-2,4-dione derivatives (1-7) were synthesized in a one-pot reaction by reacting malononitrile and barbituric acid with several aromatic aldehydes in the presence of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) in aqueous medium. The compounds were tested for their antibacterial activity using the broth microdilution method and for their cytotoxicity against three cell lines, HeLa (cervical cancer), Caco-2 (human colon adenocarcinoma) and HEK 293 (human embryonic kidney cells) using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Compounds 1-7 were successfully synthesized in yields of >90%. The 3,4-dihydroxyaryl (3) and the 2,5- dimethoxyaryl (7) derivatives were novel. Compounds 3, 5 (4'-methoxy derivative) and 6 (2',3'-dimethoxy derivative) showed antibacterial activity comparable to or better than the standard ampicillin. All the test compounds 1-7 showed good anticancer activity. The IC50 values ranged from 3.46 to 37.13 μM (HeLa); 136.78 to 297.05 μM (Caco-2) and 137.84 to 333.81 μM (HEK293). The best activity was seen in the HeLa cell line when compared to the standard 5FU (5-Fluorouracil IC50 of 41.85 μM), with 1, 2, 5 and 7 having IC50 values of 10.64, 3.46, 4.36 and 4.44 μM respectively. Additionally, two representative compounds (1 and 7) found to be potent against the two cell lines (HeLa and HEK 293) were docked into the binding site of human kinesin Eg5 with the aim of predicting their binding propensities and to establish their mechanism of action. The Lipinski parameters of these compounds were also computed and analysed for their drug-likeness. Compound 6 is an excellent candidate for a broad spectrum antibiotic with MBCs of 45.6-365.2 μM, while both 3 and 6 have the potential to be developed into an antibiotic against MRSA, with MBCs of 183-199 μM. Since all synthesized compounds showed IC50 values of 10 μM or less especially against the HeLa cells, they can be considered good lead compounds for anticancer agents. Additionally, the docking simulations suggested a good binding affinity of the compounds with Eg5 and indicated their anti-cancer action, at least partially, through its inhibition. The predicted Lipinski descriptors also indicated the potential of these compounds as an orally active drug. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  12. Dihydroartemisinin inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin-mediated signaling pathways in tumor cells

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Shile

    2014-01-01

    Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), an antimalarial drug, has previously unrecognized anticancer activity, and is in clinical trials as a new anticancer agent for skin, lung, colon and breast cancer treatment. However, the anticancer mechanism is not well understood. Here, we show that DHA inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in rhabdomyosarcoma (Rh30 and RD) cells, and concurrently inhibited the signaling pathways mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central controller for cell proliferation and survival, at concentrations (<3 μM) that are pharmacologically achievable. Of interest, in contrast to the effects of conventional mTOR inhibitors (rapalogs), DHA potently inhibited mTORC1-mediated phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase 1 and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 but did not obviously affect mTORC2-mediated phosphorylation of Akt. The results suggest that DHA may represent a novel class of mTORC1 inhibitor and may execute its anticancer activity primarily by blocking mTORC1-mediated signaling pathways in the tumor cells. PMID:23929438

  13. Bauhinia variegata Leaf Extracts Exhibit Considerable Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Activities

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Amita; Sharma, Amit Kumar; Kumar, Shashank; Saxena, Ajit K.; Pandey, Abhay K.

    2013-01-01

    The present study reports the phytochemical profiling, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of Bauhinia variegata leaf extracts. The reducing sugar, anthraquinone, and saponins were observed in polar extracts, while terpenoids and alkaloids were present in nonpolar and ethanol extracts. Total flavonoid contents in various extracts were found in the range of 11–222.67 mg QE/g. In disc diffusion assays, petroleum ether and chloroform fractions exhibited considerable inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Several other extracts also showed antibacterial activity against pathogenic strains of E. coli, Proteus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of potential extracts were found between 3.5 and 28.40 mg/mL. The lowest MBC (3.5 mg/mL) was recorded for ethanol extract against Pseudomonas spp. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was compared with standard antioxidants. Dose dependent response was observed in reducing power of extracts. Polar extracts demonstrated appreciable metal ion chelating activity at lower concentrations (10–40 μg/mL). Many extracts showed significant antioxidant response in beta carotene bleaching assay. AQ fraction of B. variegata showed pronounced cytotoxic effect against DU-145, HOP-62, IGR-OV-1, MCF-7, and THP-1 human cancer cell lines with 90–99% cell growth inhibitory activity. Ethyl acetate fraction also produced considerable cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and THP-1 cell lines. The study demonstrates notable antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities in B. variegata leaf extracts. PMID:24093108

  14. Biotin Decorated Gold Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of a Smart-Linked Anticancer Active Copper Complex: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

    PubMed

    Pramanik, Anup K; Siddikuzzaman; Palanimuthu, Duraippandi; Somasundaram, Kumaravel; Samuelson, Ashoka G

    2016-12-21

    The synthesis and anticancer activity of a copper(II) diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) complex and its nanoconjugates are reported. The copper(II) complex is connected to a carboxylic acid group through a cleavable disulfide link to enable smart delivery. The copper complex is tethered to highly water-soluble 20 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), stabilized by amine terminated lipoic acid-polyethylene glycol (PEG). The gold nanoparticle carrier was further decorated with biotin to achieve targeted action. The copper complex and the conjugates with and without biotin, were tested against HeLa and HaCaT cells. They show very good anticancer activity against HeLa cells, a cell line derived from cervical cancer and are less active against HaCaT cells. Slow and sustained release of the complex from conjugates is demonstrated through cleavage of disulfide linker in the presence of glutathione (GSH), a reducing agent intrinsically present in high concentrations within cancer cells. Biotin appended conjugates do not show greater activity than conjugates without biotin against HeLa cells. This is consistent with drug uptake studies, which suggests similar uptake profiles for both conjugates in vitro. However, in vivo studies using a HeLa cell xenograft tumor model shows 3.8-fold reduction in tumor volume for the biotin conjugated nanoparticle compared to the control whereas the conjugate without biotin shows only 2.3-fold reduction in the tumor volume suggesting significant targeting.

  15. Phytochemical screening, anti-oxidant activity and in vitro anticancer potential of ethanolic and water leaves extracts of Annona muricata (Graviola).

    PubMed

    Gavamukulya, Yahaya; Abou-Elella, Faten; Wamunyokoli, Fred; AEl-Shemy, Hany

    2014-09-01

    To determine the phytochemical composition, antioxidant and anticancer activities of ethanolic and water leaves extracts of Annona muricata (A. muricata) from the Eastern Uganda. Phytochemical screening was conducted using standard qualitative methods and a Chi-square goodness of fit test was used to assign the relative abundance of the different phytochemicals. The antioxidant activity was determined using the 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and reducing power methods whereas the in vitro anticancer activity was determined using three different cell lines. Phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed that they were rich in secondary class metabolite compounds such as alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins and lactones, anthraquinones, tannins, cardiac glycosides, phenols and phytosterols. Total phenolics in the water extract were (683.69±0.09) μg/mL gallic acid equivalents (GAE) while it was (372.92±0.15) μg/mL GAE in the ethanolic extract. The reducing power was 216.41 μg/mL in the water extract and 470.51 μg/mL GAE in the ethanolic extract. In vitro antioxidant activity IC50 was 2.0456 mg/mL and 0.9077 mg/mL for ethanolic and water leaves extracts of A. muricata respectively. The ethanolic leaves extract was found to be selectively cytotoxic in vitro to tumor cell lines (EACC, MDA and SKBR3) with IC50 values of 335.85 μg/mL, 248.77 μg/mL, 202.33 μg/mL respectively, while it had no cytotoxic effect on normal spleen cells. The data also showed that water leaves extract of A. muricata had no anticancer effect at all tested concentrations. The results showed that A. muricata was a promising new antioxidant and anticancer agent. Copyright © 2014 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Some Quinoxaline Derivatives: A Promising and Potent New Class of Antitumor and Antimicrobial Agents.

    PubMed

    Al-Marhabi, Aisha R; Abbas, Hebat-Allah S; Ammar, Yousry A

    2015-11-03

    In continuation of our endeavor towards the development of potent and effective anticancer and antimicrobial agents; the present work deals with the synthesis of some novel tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines, N-pyrazoloquinoxalines, the corresponding Schiff bases, 1,2,4-triazinoquinoxalines and 1,2,4-triazoloquinoxalines. These compounds were synthesized via the reaction of the key intermediate hydrazinoquinoxalines with various reagents and evaluated for anticancer and antimicrobial activity. The results indicated that tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline derivatives showed the best result, with the highest inhibitory effects towards the three tested tumor cell lines, which were higher than that of the reference doxorubicin and these compounds were non-cytotoxic to normal cells (IC50 values > 100 μg/mL). Also, most of synthesized compounds exhibited the highest degrees of inhibition against the tested strains of Gram positive and negative bacteria, so tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline derivatives show dual activity as anticancer and antimicrobial agents.

  17. Anticancer Activity of Chloroform Extract and Sub-fractions of Nepeta deflersiana on Human Breast and Lung Cancer Cells: An In vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment.

    PubMed

    Al-Oqail, Mai M; Al-Sheddi, Ebtesam S; Siddiqui, Maqsood A; Musarrat, Javed; Al-Khedhairy, Abdulaziz A; Farshori, Nida N

    2015-10-01

    Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. The plant-derived natural products have received considerable attention in recent years due to their diverse pharmacological properties including anticancer effects. Nepeta deflersiana (ND) is used in the folk medicine as antiseptic, carminative, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and for treating rheumatic disorders. However, the anticancer activity of ND chloroform extract has not been explored so far. The present study was aimed to investigate the anticancer activities of chloroform Nepeta deflersiana extract and various sub-fractions (ND-1-ND-15) of ND against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human lung cancer cells (A-549). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and neutral red uptake assays, and cellular morphological alterations using phase contrast light microscope were studied. Cells were exposed with 10-1000 μg/ml of sub-fractions of ND for 24 h. Results showed that selected sub-fractions of the chloroform extract significantly reduced the cell viability of MCF-7 and A-549 cells, and altered the cellular morphology in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the sub-fractions, ND-10 fraction showed relatively higher cytotoxicity compared to other fractions whereas, ND-1 did not cause any cytotoxicity even at higher concentrations. The A-549 cells were found to be more sensitive to growth inhibition by all the extracts as compared to the MCF-7 cells. The present study provides preliminary screening of anticancer activities of chloroform extract and sub-fractions of ND, which can be further used for the development of a potential therapeutic anticancer agent. Nepeta deflersiana extract exhibit cytotoxicity and altered the cellular morphology. Sub-fractions of the chloroform extract of Nepeta deflersiana reduced the cell viability of MCF-7 and A-549 cells. Among the sub-fractions, ND-10 fraction showed relatively higher cytotoxicity. The A-549 cells were found to be more sensitive as compared to the MCF-7 cells. Abbreviations used: MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide; NRU: Neutral red uptake; DMEM: Dulbecco's modified eagle medium; FBS: Fetal bovine serum; PBS: Phosphate buffer saline; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide.

  18. Single molecule force spectroscopy for in-situ probing oridonin inhibited ROS-mediated EGF-EGFR interactions in living KYSE-150 cells.

    PubMed

    Pi, Jiang; Jin, Hua; Jiang, Jinhuan; Yang, Fen; Cai, Huaihong; Yang, Peihui; Cai, Jiye; Chen, Zheng W

    2017-05-01

    As the active anticancer component of Rabdosia Rubescens, oridonin has been proved to show strong anticancer activity in cancer cells, which is also found to be closely related to its specific inhibition effects on the EGFR tyrosine kinase activity. In this study, atomic force microscopy based single molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) was used for real-time and in-situ detection of EGF-EGFR interactions in living esophageal cancer KYSE-150 cells to evaluate the anticancer activity of oridonin for the first time. Oridonin was found to induce apoptosis and also reduce EGFR expression in KYSE-150 cells. AFM-SMFS results demonstrated that oridonin could inhibit the binding between EGF and EGFR in KYSE-150 cells by decreasing the unbinding force and binding probability for EGF-EGFR complexes, which was further proved to be closely associated with the intracellular ROS level. More precise mechanism studies based on AFM-SMFS demonstrated that oridonin treatment could decrease the energy barrier width, increase the dissociation off rate constant and decrease the activation energy of EGF-EGFR complexes in ROS dependent way, suggesting oridonin as a strong anticancer agent targeting EGF-EGFR interactions in cancer cells through ROS dependent mechanism. Our results not only suggested oridonin as a strong anticancer agent targeting EGF-EGFR interactions in ROS dependent mechanism, but also highlighted AFM-SMFS as a powerful technique for pharmacodynamic studies by detecting ligand-receptor interactions, which was also expected to be developed into a promising tool for the screening and mechanism studies of drugs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Synthesis of Some Novel Fused Pyrimido[4″,5″:5',6']-[1,2,4]triazino[3',4':3,4] [1,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indoles with Expected Anticancer Activity.

    PubMed

    Ali, Rania S; Saad, Hosam A

    2018-03-19

    Our current goal is the synthesis of polyheterocyclic compounds starting from 3-amino-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6- b ]indole 1 and studying their anticancer activity to determine whether increasing of the size of the molecules increases the anticancer activity or not. 1-Amino[1,2,4]triazino[3',4':3,4]-[1,2,4]triazino[5,6- b ]indole-2-carbonitrile ( 4 ) was prepared by the diazotization of 3-amino[1,2,4]-triazino[5,6- b ]indole 1 followed by coupling with malononitrile in basic medium then cyclization under reflux to get 4 . Also, new fused pyrimido[4″,5″:5',6'][1,2,4]triazino-[3',4':3,4][1,2,4]triazino[5,6- b ]indole derivative 6 was prepared and used to obtain polycyclic heterocyclic systems. Confirmation of the synthesized compounds' structures was carried out using elemental analyses and spectral data (IR, ¹H-NMR and 13 C-NMR and mass spectra). The anticancer activity of some of the synthesized compounds was tested against HepG2, HCT-116 and MCF-7 cell lines. The anticancer screening results showed that some derivatives display good activity which was more potent than that of the reference drug used. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding between some of the synthesized compounds and the prostate cancer 2q7k hormone and breast ‎cancer 3hb5 receptors.

  20. Synthesis, docking and ADMET studies of novel chalcone triazoles for anti-cancer and anti-diabetic activity.

    PubMed

    Chinthala, Yakaiah; Thakur, Sneha; Tirunagari, Shalini; Chinde, Srinivas; Domatti, Anand Kumar; Arigari, Niranjana Kumar; K V N S, Srinivas; Alam, Sarfaraz; Jonnala, Kotesh Kumar; Khan, Feroz; Tiwari, Ashok; Grover, Paramjit

    2015-03-26

    A series of novel chalcone-triazole derivatives were synthesized and screened for in vitro anticancer activity on the human cancer cell lines IMR32 (neuroblastoma), HepG2 (hepatoma) and MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), DU-145 (prostate carcinoma), and A549 (lung adenocarcinoma). Among the tested compounds, 4r showed the most promising anticancer activity in all the cell lines whereas, compounds 4c (IC50 65.86 μM), 4e (IC50 66.28 μM), 4o (IC50 35.81 μM), 4q (IC50 50.82 μM) and 4s (IC50 48.63 μM) showed better activity than the standard doxorubicin (IC50 69.33 μM) in A549 cell line alone. Rat intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the synthesized derivatives showed 4m (IC50 67.77 μM), 4p (IC50 74.94 in μM) and 4s (IC50 102.10 μM) as most active compared to others. The in silico docking of synthesized derivatives 4a-4t with DNA topoisomerase IIα revealed the LibDock score in the range of 71.2623-118.29 whereas, compounds 4h, 4m, 4p and 4s with docking target α-glucosidase were in the range of 100.372-107.784. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Antitumor Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Dendrobium formosum in T-Cell Lymphoma: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

    PubMed Central

    Prasad, Ritika; Koch, Biplob

    2014-01-01

    Dendrobium, a genus of orchid, was found to possess useful therapeutic activities like anticancer, hypoglycaemic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities. The study was aimed to evaluate the anticancer property of the ethanolic extract of Dendrobium formosum on Dalton's lymphoma. In vitro cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay, apoptosis was determined by fluorescence microscopy, and cell cycle progression was analysed using flow cytometry; in vivo antitumor activity was performed in Dalton's lymphoma bearing mice. The IC50 value of ethanolic extract was obtained at 350 μg/mL in Dalton's lymphoma cells. Fluorescence microscopy analysis showed significant increase in apoptotic cell death in dose- and time-dependent manner which was further confirmed through the resulting DNA fragmentation. Further, flow cytometry analysis showed that the ethanolic extract arrests the cells in G2/M phase of the cell cycle. The in vivo anticancer activity study illustrates significant increase in the survival time of Dalton's lymphoma bearing mice on treatment with ethanolic extract when compared to control. These results substantiate the antitumor properties of ethanolic extract of Dendrobium formosum and suggest an alternative in treatment of cancer. Further studies are required regarding the isolation and characterization of bioactive components along with the analysis of molecular mechanism involved. PMID:24959588

  2. Eco-friendly approach for nanoparticles synthesis and mechanism behind antibacterial activity of silver and anticancer activity of gold nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Patil, Maheshkumar Prakash; Kim, Gun-Do

    2017-01-01

    This review covers general information about the eco-friendly process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and focuses on mechanism of the antibacterial activity of AgNPs and the anticancer activity of AuNPs. Biomolecules in the plant extract are involved in reduction of metal ions to nanoparticle in a one-step and eco-friendly synthesis process. Natural plant extracts contain wide range of metabolites including carbohydrates, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and enzymes. A variety of plant species and plant parts have been successfully extracted and utilized for AgNP and AuNP syntheses. Green-synthesized nanoparticles eliminate the need for a stabilizing and capping agent and show shape and size-dependent biological activities. Here, we describe some of the plant extracts involved in nanoparticle synthesis, characterization methods, and biological applications. Nanoparticles are important in the field of pharmaceuticals for their strong antibacterial and anticancer activity. Considering the importance and uniqueness of this concept, the synthesis, characterization, and application of AgNPs and AuNPs are discussed in this review.

  3. Synthesis, characterization and biological activities of semicarbazones and their copper complexes.

    PubMed

    Venkatachalam, Taracad K; Bernhardt, Paul V; Noble, Chris J; Fletcher, Nicholas; Pierens, Gregory K; Thurecht, Kris J; Reutens, David C

    2016-09-01

    Substituted semicarbazones/thiosemicarbazones and their copper complexes have been prepared and several single crystal structures examined. The copper complexes of these semicarbazone/thiosemicarbazones were prepared and several crystal structures examined. The single crystal X-ray structure of the pyridyl-substituted semicarbazone showed two types of copper complexes, a monomer and a dimer. We also found that the p-nitrophenyl semicarbazone formed a conventional 'magic lantern' acetate-bridged dimer. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) of several of the copper complexes was consistent with the results of single crystal X-ray crystallography. The EPR spectra of the p-nitrophenyl semicarbazone copper complex in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) showed the presence of two species, confirming the structural information. Since thiosemicarbazones and semicarbazones have been reported to exhibit anticancer activity, we examined the anticancer activity of several of the derivatives reported in the present study and interestingly only the thiosemicarbazone showed activity while the semicarbazones were not active indicating that introduction of sulphur atom alters the biological profile of these thiosemicarbazones. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Conjugation of Benzylvanillin and Benzimidazole Structure Improves DNA Binding with Enhanced Antileukemic Properties

    PubMed Central

    Al-Mudarris, Ban A.; Chen, Shih-Hsun; Liang, Po-Huang; Osman, Hasnah; Jamal Din, Shah Kamal Khan; Abdul Majid, Amin M. S.

    2013-01-01

    Benzyl-o-vanillin and benzimidazole nucleus serve as important pharmacophore in drug discovery. The benzyl vanillin (2-(benzyloxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) compound shows anti-proliferative activity in HL60 leukemia cancer cells and can effect cell cycle progression at G2/M phase. Its apoptosis activity was due to disruption of mitochondrial functioning. In this study, we have studied a series of compounds consisting of benzyl vanillin and benzimidazole structures. We hypothesize that by fusing these two structures we can produce compounds that have better anticancer activity with improved specificity particularly towards the leukemia cell line. Here we explored the anticancer activity of three compounds namely 2-(2-benzyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole, 2MP, N-1-(2-benzyloxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-2-(2-benzyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole, 2XP, and (R) and (S)-1-(2-benzyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2, 2, 2-trichloroethyl benzenesulfonate, 3BS and compared their activity to 2-benzyloxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, (Bn1), the parent compound. 2XP and 3BS induces cell death of U937 leukemic cell line through DNA fragmentation that lead to the intrinsic caspase 9 activation. DNA binding study primarily by the equilibrium binding titration assay followed by the Viscosity study reveal the DNA binding through groove region with intrinsic binding constant 7.39 µM/bp and 6.86 µM/bp for 3BS and 2XP respectively. 2XP and 3BS showed strong DNA binding activity by the UV titration method with the computational drug modeling showed that both 2XP and 3BS failed to form any electrostatic linkages except via hydrophobic interaction through the minor groove region of the nucleic acid. The benzylvanillin alone (Bn1) has weak anticancer activity even after it was combined with the benzimidazole (2MP), but after addition of another benzylvanillin structure (2XP), stronger activity was observed. Also, the combination of benzylvanillin with benzenesulfonate (3BS) significantly improved the anticancer activity of Bn1. The present study provides a new insight of benzyl vanillin derivatives as potential anti-leukemic agent. PMID:24260527

  5. Could the FDA-approved anti-HIV PR inhibitors be promising anticancer agents? An answer from enhanced docking approach and molecular dynamics analyses.

    PubMed

    Arodola, Olayide A; Soliman, Mahmoud E S

    2015-01-01

    Based on experimental data, the anticancer activity of nelfinavir (NFV), a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved HIV-1 protease inhibitor (PI), was reported. Nevertheless, the mechanism of action of NFV is yet to be verified. It was hypothesized that the anticancer activity of NFV is due to its inhibitory effect on heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a promising target for anticancer therapy. Such findings prompted us to investigate the potential anticancer activity of all other FDA-approved HIV-1 PIs against human Hsp90. To accomplish this, "loop docking" - an enhanced in-house developed molecular docking approach - followed by molecular dynamic simulations and postdynamic analyses were performed to elaborate on the binding mechanism and relative binding affinities of nine FDA-approved HIV-1 PIs against human Hsp90. Due to the lack of the X-ray crystal structure of human Hsp90, homology modeling was performed to create its 3D structure for subsequent simulations. Results showed that NFV has better binding affinity (ΔG =-9.2 kcal/mol) when compared with other PIs: this is in a reasonable accordance with the experimental data (IC50 3.1 μM). Indinavir, saquinavir, and ritonavir have close binding affinity to NFV (ΔG =-9.0, -8.6, and -8.5 kcal/mol, respectively). Per-residue interaction energy decomposition analysis showed that hydrophobic interaction (most importantly with Val534 and Met602) played the most predominant role in drug binding. To further validate the docking outcome, 5 ns molecular dynamic simulations were performed in order to assess the stability of the docked complexes. To our knowledge, this is the first account of detailed computational investigations aimed to investigate the potential anticancer activity and the binding mechanism of the FDA-approved HIV PIs binding to human Hsp90. Information gained from this study should also provide a route map toward the design, optimization, and further experimental investigation of potential derivatives of PIs to treat HER2+ breast cancer.

  6. Chemical composition and anticancer, antiinflammatory, antioxidant and antimalarial activities of leaves essential oil of Cedrelopsis grevei.

    PubMed

    Afoulous, Samia; Ferhout, Hicham; Raoelison, Emmanuel Guy; Valentin, Alexis; Moukarzel, Béatrice; Couderc, François; Bouajila, Jalloul

    2013-06-01

    The essential oil from Cedrelopsis grevei leaves, an aromatic and medicinal plant from Madagascar, is widely used in folk medicine. Essential oil was characterized by GC-MS and quantified by GC-FID. Sixty-four components were identified. The major constituents were: (E)-β-farnesene (27.61%), δ-cadinene (14.48%), α-copaene (7.65%) and β-elemene (6.96%). The essential oil contained a complex mixture consisting mainly sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (83.42%) and generally sesquiterpenes (98.91%). The essential oil was tested cytotoxic (on human breast cancer cells MCF-7), antimalarial (Plasmodium falciparum), antiinflammatory and antioxidant (ABTS and DPPH assays) activities. C. grevei essential oil was active against MCF-7 cell lines (IC50=21.5 mg/L), against P. falciparum, (IC50=17.5mg/L) and antiinflammatory (IC50=21.33 mg/L). The essential oil exhibited poor antioxidant activity against DPPH (IC50>1000 mg/L) and ABTS (IC50=110 mg/L) assays. A bibliographical review was carried out of all essential oils identified and tested with respect to antiplasmodial, anticancer and antiinflammatory activities. The aim was to establish correlations between the identified compounds and their biological activities (antiplasmodial, anticancer and antiinflammatory). According to the obtained correlations, 1,4-cadinadiene (R(2)=0.61) presented a higher relationship with antimalarial activity. However, only (Z)-β-farnesene (R(2)=0.73) showed a significant correlation for anticancer activity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Anticancer agent ABT-737 possesses anti-atopic dermatitis activity via blockade of caspase-1 in atopic dermatitis in vitro and in vivo models.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Hyun-Ja; Ryu, Ka-Jung; Kim, Hyung-Min

    2018-06-29

    Previous studies reported that depletion of Bcl-2 has a protective effect against allergic diseases. Furthermore, recently our study showed that anticancer drug has antiallergic inflammatory effect. An anticancer agent ABT-737 is an inhibitor of Bcl-2 and has an anti-inflammatory effect. However, the antiallergic inflammatory activity of ABT-737 is still unknown. Here, we aimed to explore the anti-atopic dermatitis (AD) activity and the mechanism of ABT-737 in AD models. HaCaT cells were used for in vitro experiments. To evaluate the effect of ABT-737 in vivo model, BalB/c mice were orally administered ABT-737 for 6 weeks in 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced AD-like murine model. Major assays were enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-PCR, caspase-1 assay, histamine assay, and H&E staining. ABT-737 significantly decreased thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) secretion and caspase-1 activity in activated HaCaT cells. In DNFB-induced AD mice, oral administration of ABT-737 alleviated clinical severity and scratching behavior. ABT-737 decreased levels of AD-related biomarkers including IgE, histamine, TSLP, and inflammatory cytokines. In addition, ABT significantly reduced caspase-1 activity in skin lesions of AD mice. ABT-737 elicited an anti-AD activity via suppression of caspase-1 activation in AD in vitro and in vivo models. Therefore, this study provides important information regarding the use of anticancer drugs for controlling allergic inflammatory diseases.

  8. Safe and targeted anticancer therapy for ovarian cancer using a novel class of curcumin analogs

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer is the beginning of a long and arduous journey for a patient. Worldwide, approximately half of the individuals undergoing therapy for advanced cancer will succumb to the disease, or consequences of treatment. Well-known and widely-used chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin, paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and doxorubicin are toxic to both cancer and non-cancerous cells, and have debilitating side effects Therefore, development of new targeted anticancer therapies that can selectively kill cancer cells while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues is essential to develop more effective therapies. We have developed a new class of synthetic curcumin analogs, diarylidenyl-piperidones (DAPs), which have higher anticancer activity and enhanced bio-absorption than curcumin. The DAP backbone structure exhibits cytotoxic (anticancer) activity, whereas the N-hydroxypyrroline (-NOH) moiety found on some variants functions as a cellular- or tissue-specific modulator (antioxidant) of cytotoxicity. The anticancer activity of the DAPs has been evaluated using a number of ovarian cancer cell lines, and the safety has been evaluated in a number of non-cancerous cell lines. Both variations of the DAP compounds showed similar levels of cell death in ovarian cancer cells, however the compounds with the -NOH modification were less toxic to non-cancerous cells. The selective cytotoxicity of the DAP–NOH compounds suggests that they will be useful as safe and effective anticancer agents. This article reviews some of the key findings of our work with the DAP compounds, and compares this to some of the targeted therapies currently used in ovarian cancer therapy. PMID:23663277

  9. Discovery of Quinoline-Derived Trifluoromethyl Alcohols, Determination of Their in vivo Toxicity and Anticancer Activity in a Zebrafish Embryo Model.

    PubMed

    Sittaramane, Vinoth; Padgett, Jihan; Salter, Philip; Williams, Ashley; Luke, Shauntelle; McCall, Rebecca; Arambula, Jonathan F; Graves, Vincent B; Blocker, Mark; Van Leuven, David; Bowe, Keturah; Heimberger, Julia; Cade, Hannah C; Immaneni, Supriya; Shaikh, Abid

    2015-11-01

    In this study the rational design, synthesis, and anticancer activity of quinoline-derived trifluoromethyl alcohols were evaluated. Members of this novel class of trifluoromethyl alcohols were identified as potent growth inhibitors in a zebrafish embryo model. Synthesis of these compounds was carried out with an sp(3) -C-H functionalization strategy of methyl quinolines with trifluoromethyl ketones. A zebrafish embryo model was also used to explore the toxicity of ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-hydroxy-3-(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)butanoate (1), 2-benzyl-1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(quinolin-2-yl)propan-2-ol (2), and trifluoro-3-(isoquinolin-1-yl)-2-(thiophen-2-yl)propan-2-ol (3). Compounds 2 and 3 were found to be more toxic than compound 1; apoptotic staining assays indicated that compound 3 causes increased cell death. In vitro cell proliferation assays showed that compound 2, with an LC50 value of 14.14 μm, has more potent anticancer activity than cisplatin. This novel class of inhibitors provides a new direction in the discovery of effective anticancer agents. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Anticancer effects of deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide on hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Jianfeng; Xiang, Yanjie; Lin, Shengming; Xin, Dongwei; Liu, Xiaoyu; Weng, Lingling; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Minguang

    2014-04-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies in the world whose chemoprevention became increasingly important in HCC treatment. Although the anticancer effects of asparagus constituents have been investigated in several cancers, its effects on hepatocellular carcinoma have not been fully studied. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of the deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide on the hepatocellular carcinoma cells using the in vitro and in vivo experimental model. Our data showed that deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide might act as an effective inhibitor on cell growth in vitro and in vivo and exert potent selective cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B and HepG2 cells. Further study showed that it could potently induce cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in the more sensitive Hep3B and HepG2 cell lines. Moreover, deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide potentiated the effects of mitomycin both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide might exert its activity through an apoptosis-associated pathway by modulating the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3. In conclusion, deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide exhibited significant anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells and could sensitize the tumoricidal effects of mitomycin, indicating that it is a potential therapeutic agent (or chemosensitizer) for liver cancer therapy.

  11. Isolation and characterization of an anticancer catechol compound from Semecarpus anacardium.

    PubMed

    Nair, P K Raveedran; Melnick, Steven J; Wnuk, Stanislaw F; Rapp, Magdalena; Escalon, Enrique; Ramachandran, Cheppail

    2009-04-21

    The fruits and seeds of Semecarpus anacardium are used widely for the treatment of human cancers and other diseases in the Ayurvedic and Sidda systems of medicine in India. The principal aim of this investigation was to isolate and characterize the anticancer compound from the kernel of Semecarpus anacardium nut. The bioactivity-tailored isolation and detailed chemical characterization were used to identify the active compound. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest as well as synergism between the identified anticancer compound and doxorubicin in human tumor cell lines were analyzed. GC/MS, IR, proton NMR, carbon NMR and collisionally induced dissociation (CID) spectra analysis showed that the isolated active compound is 3-(8'(Z),11'(Z)-pentadecadienyl) catechol (SA-3C). SA-3C is cytotoxic to tumor cell lines with IC(50) values lower than doxorubicin and even multidrug resistant tumor cell lines were equally sensitive to SA-3C. SA-3C induced apoptosis in human leukemia cell lines in a dose-dependent manner and showed synergistic cytotoxicity with doxorubicin. The cell cycle arrest induced by SA-3C at S- and G(2)/M-phases correlated with inhibition of checkpoint kinases. SA-3C isolated from the kernel of Semecarpus anacardium can be developed as an important anticancer agent for single agent and/or multiagent cancer therapy.

  12. Maspin Enhances the Anticancer Activity of Curcumin in Hormone-refractory Prostate Cancer Cells.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Wan-Li; Huang, Chien-Yu; Tai, Cheng-Jeng; Chang, Yu-Jia; Hung, Chin-Sheng

    2018-02-01

    Androgen deprivation therapy remains the principal treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer, though, most patients will eventually develop hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Androgen ablation mediated maspin-induction has been identified in cancer patients. However, the role of maspin on the anticancer activity of curcumin derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa) in HRPC cells has not been elucidated. The anticancer action of curcumin in hormone-independent prostate cancer cells (DU145, and PC-3) was determined by measures of cell survival rate. The cause of maspin silencing on the anti-tumor abilities of curcumin in PC-3 cells was evaluated by measures of cell survival rate, cell-cycle distribution, and apoptosis signaling analysis. Our present study showed that PC-3 cells (with higher maspin expression) were more sensitive than DU145 cells to curcumin treatment (with lower maspin expression). RNA interference-mediated maspin silencing reduced curcumin sensitivity of PC-3 cells, as evidenced by reduced apoptotic cell death. After exposure to curcumin, maspin-knockdown cells showed lower expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins, Bad and Bax, as compared with control cells. Maspin can enhance the sensitivity of HRPC cells to curcumin treatment. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  13. A small diversity library of α-methyl amide analogs of sulindac for probing anticancer structure-activity relationships.

    PubMed

    Mathew, Bini; Snowden, Timothy S; Connelly, Michele C; Guy, R Kiplin; Reynolds, Robert C

    2018-05-10

    Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a variety of potential indications that include management of pain and inflammation as well as chemoprevention and/or treatment of cancer. Furthermore, a specific form of ibuprofen, dexibuprofen or the S-(+) form, shows interesting neurological activities and has been proposed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In a continuation of our work probing the anticancer activity of small sulindac libraries, we have prepared and screened a small diversity library of α-methyl substituted sulindac amides in the profen class. Several compounds of this series displayed promising activity compared with a lead sulindac analog. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Melia dubia leaf extract and their in vitro anticancer activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kathiravan, V.; Ravi, S.; Ashokkumar, S.

    2014-09-01

    Silver nanoparticles have a significant role in the pharmaceutical science. Especially, silver nanoparticles synthesized by the plant extracts lead a significant role in biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer. Keeping this in mind, the present work investigation has been taken up with the synthesized silver nanoparticles using the plant extract of Melia dubia and it characterizes by using UV-visible, XRD and SEM-EDS. The effect of the silver nanoparticles on human breast cancer (KB) cell line has been tested. Silver nanoparticles showed remarkable cytotoxicity activity against KB cell line with evidence of high therapeutic index value are the results are discussed.

  15. Gingerol-derivatives: emerging new therapy against human drug-resistant MCF-7.

    PubMed

    Ibrahim, Ahmed S; Sobh, Mohamed A M; Eid, Hossam Mohammed; Salem, Amgad; Elbelasi, Hossam Hamza; El-Naggar, Mai H; AbdelBar, Fatma M; Sheashaa, Hussein; Sobh, Mohamed A; Badria, Farid A

    2014-10-01

    Cancer chemotherapies have been improved dramatically over the last two decades. In the case of human breast cancer, the combination chemotherapeutic protocol, cyclophosphamide (CPA), doxorubicin (DOX), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (CDF), is often used. Nevertheless, the clinical usefulness of CDF is limited by its remarkably low therapeutic window and frequent eruption of resistance. These limitations prompted our search for a more effective and safe drug candidate that may raise the therapeutic benefits for breast cancer patients. Gingerols' wide therapeutic indices as well as their high efficacy in the suppression of carcinogenesis are well established. However, no thorough study to date has profiled their antibreast cancer activities in depth. Therefore, the aims of the present study are to evaluate the antibreast cancer activities of gingerols in comparison to CDF and to gain insight into the structure activity relationships (SARs) responsible for the observed effect using a breast cancer cell model, MCF-7. Our data revealed that 6-gingerol showed the highest anticancer potency that is superior to that of CDF with IC50 = 30.4 μM. Guided by these results, semisynthetic modifications of 6-gingerol have been carried out to characterize 6-gingerol's SARs. The obtained results showed that the acquisition of free hydroxyl group in the aliphatic side chain of 6-gingerol is essential for the antibreast cancer activity. Likewise, the length of aliphatic side chain in 6-gingerol is optimum for its anticancer activity because any decrease in the side chain length resulted in a dramatic loss of anticancer activity. Additionally, allylation of phenolic group has shown antibreast cancer activity superior to that of 6-gingerol per se. Conversely, methylation or isoprenylation of phenolic group has led to a potential decrease in the anticancer activity, whereas loss of aromaticity resulted in a complete loss of 6-gingerol's cytotoxic activity. Collectively, the present results would simplify drug design to allow safer and more effective antibreast cancer pharmaceuticals to be designed.

  16. Antioxidant & anticancer activities of isatin (1H-indole-2,3-dione), isolated from the flowers of Couroupita guianensis Aubl

    PubMed Central

    Premanathan, Mariappan; Radhakrishnan, Srinivasan; Kulangiappar, Kumarasamy; Singaravelu, Ganesan; Thirumalaiarasu, Velayutham; Sivakumar, Thangavel; Kathiresan, Kandasamy

    2012-01-01

    Background & objectives: Derivatives of isatin are known to have cytotoxicity against human carcinoma cell lines. This compound therefore, has a potential to be used as a chemotherapeutic agent against cancer. This study was done to investigate the antioxidant and anticancer activities of isatin, extracted from flower of a folklore medicinal plant Couroupita guianensis against human promylocytic leukemia (HL60) cells. Methods: Active fractions demonstrating anticancer and antioxidant activities were isolated from the extracts of shade-dried flowers of C. guianensis by bioassay guided fractionation. The free radical scavenging activity was determined using lipid peroxidation assay. Cytotoxicity against human promylocytic leukemia HL60 cells was determined by MTT assay. Apoptotic activity was analyzed by DNA fragmentation and flowcytometry. Results: Isatin isolated from the active fraction showed antioxidant activity with the EC50 value of 72.80 μg/ml. It also exhibited cytotoxicity against human promylocytic leukemia HL60 cells in dose-dependant manner with the CC50 value of 2.94 μg/ml. The isatin-treated cells underwent apoptosis and DNA fragmentation. Apoptosis was confirmed by the FACS analysis using FITC-annexin V markers. Interpretation & conclusions: Isatin showed antioxidant activity and was cytotoxic to the HL60 cells due to induction of apoptosis. The isatin can be further evaluated to be used as a prophylactic agent to prevent the free radical-induced cancer and as a chemotherapeutic agent to kill the cancer cells. PMID:23287130

  17. Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor A Ligands as Anticancer Drugs Targeting Mitochondrial Metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Grabacka, Maja; Pierzchalska, Malgorzata; Reiss, Krzysztof

    2011-01-01

    Tumor cells show metabolic features distinctive from normal tissues, with characteristically enhanced aerobic glycolysis, glutaminolysis and lipid synthesis. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPAR α) is activated by nutrients (fatty acids and their derivatives) and influences these metabolic pathways acting antagonistically to oncogenic Akt and c-Myc. Therefore PPAR α can be regarded as a candidate target molecule in supplementary anticancer pharmacotherapy as well as dietary therapeutic approach. This idea is based on hitting the cancer cell metabolic weak points through PPAR α mediated stimulation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis with simultaneous reduction of glucose and glutamine consumption. PPAR α activity is induced by fasting and its molecular consequences overlap with the effects of calorie restriction and ketogenic diet (CRKD). CRKD induces increase of NAD+/NADH ratio and drop in ATP/AMP ratio. The first one is the main stimulus for enhanced protein deacetylase SIRT1 activity; the second one activates AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK). Both SIRT1 and AMPK exert their major metabolic activities such as fatty acid oxidation and block of glycolysis and protein, nucleotide and fatty acid synthesis through the effector protein peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma 1 α coactivator (PGC-1α). PGC-1α cooperates with PPAR α and their activities might contribute to potential anticancer effects of CRKD, which were reported for various brain tumors. Therefore, PPAR α activation can engage molecular interplay among SIRT1, AMPK, and PGC-1α that provides a new, low toxicity dietary approach supplementing traditional anticancer regimen. PMID:21133850

  18. In vitro and in vivo anticancer effects of Lithospermum erythrorhizon extract on B16F10 murine melanoma.

    PubMed

    Rajasekar, Seetharaman; Park, Da Jung; Park, Cheol; Park, Sejin; Park, Young Hoon; Kim, Sun Tae; Choi, Yung Hyun; Choi, Young Whan

    2012-11-21

    Lithospermum erythrorhizon has long been used in traditional Asian medicine for the treatment of diseases including skin cancer. In this study, hexane extract from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LEH) was chemically characterized and its anticancer activity was tested against the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The in vitro anticancer studies viz. cell growth, cell cycle and apoptosis, and the expression of tumor regulating proteins were analyzed against B16F10 melanoma cells. In addition, C57BL/6 mice models were used to evaluate the in vivo anticancer potential of LEH. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with LEH at doses of 0.1 and 10mg/kg every 3 days. The tumor inhibition ratio was determined after 21 days of treatment and the histopathological analyses of the tumor tissues were compared. Further, LEH was purified and its active compounds were structurally elucidated and identified by NMR spectra and quantified by HPLC analyses. LEH effectively inhibits the growth of melanoma cells with an IC(50) of 2.73μg/ml. Cell cycle analysis revealed that LEH increased the percentage of cells in sub-G1 phase by dose dependent manner. LEH exhibited down regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins and up regulation of apoptotic Bax protein expression. Importantly, LEH induced cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and activated the caspase cascade (caspase 3) with this cleavage mediating the apoptosis of B16F10 cells. LEH treatment at a dose of 10mg/kg for 21 days in experimental mice implanted with tumors resulted in significant reduction of the tumor growth (43%) and weight (36%). Histopathology analysis of LEH treated tumor tissues showed evidence of increased necrotic cells in a concentration dependent manner. Meanwhile, five naphthoquinone compounds [Shikonin (1); Deoxyshikonin (2); β-Hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (3); Acetylshikonin (4) and Isobutyrylshikonin (5)] were purified from LEH and responsible for its anticancer activity. LEH induced apoptosis in B16F10 cells by activation of caspase 3 and inducing sub-G1 cell cycle arrest. LEH exhibited both in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. Shikonin derivatives in the LEH are responsible for the anticancer activity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Carrier-Free, Pure Nanodrug Formed by the Self-Assembly of an Anticancer Drug for Cancer Immune Therapy.

    PubMed

    Fan, Lulu; Zhang, Bingchen; Xu, Aixiao; Shen, Zhichun; Guo, Yan; Zhao, Ruirui; Yao, Huilu; Shao, Jing-Wei

    2018-06-04

    Ursolic acid (UA) is a food-plant-derived natural product which has good anticancer activities and low toxicity. However, the poor water solubility of UA limits its application in clinic. To address this issue, we developed a carrier-free nanodrug by self-assembly of UA. Here, we showed that UA nanoparticles (NPs) have a near-spherical shape with a diameter of ∼150 nm. UA NPs exhibited higher antiproliferative activity; significantly caused apoptosis; decreased the expression of COX-2/VEGFR2/VEGFA; and increased the immunostimulatory activity of TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-β and decreased the activity of STAT-3 in A549 cells in vitro. Furthermore, UA NPs could inhibit tumor growth and have the ability of liver protection in vivo. More importantly, UA NPs could significantly improve the activation of CD4+ T-cells, which indicated that UA NPs have the potential for immunotherapy. Overall, a carrier-free UA nanodrug may be a promising drug to further enhance their anticancer efficacy and immune function.

  20. (-)-Epigallocatechin 3-Gallate Synthetic Analogues Inhibit Fatty Acid Synthase and Show Anticancer Activity in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

    PubMed

    Crous-Masó, Joan; Palomeras, Sònia; Relat, Joana; Camó, Cristina; Martínez-Garza, Úrsula; Planas, Marta; Feliu, Lidia; Puig, Teresa

    2018-05-11

    (-)-Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) is a natural polyphenol from green tea with reported anticancer activity and capacity to inhibit the lipogenic enzyme fatty acid synthase (FASN), which is overexpressed in several human carcinomas. To improve the pharmacological profile of EGCG, we previously developed a family of EGCG derivatives and the lead compounds G28, G37 and G56 were characterized in HER2-positive breast cancer cells overexpressing FASN. Here, diesters G28, G37 and G56 and two G28 derivatives, monoesters M1 and M2, were synthesized and assessed in vitro for their cytotoxic, FASN inhibition and apoptotic activities in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. All compounds displayed moderate to high cytotoxicity and significantly blocked FASN activity, monoesters M1 and M2 being more potent inhibitors than diesters. Interestingly, G28, M1, and M2 also diminished FASN protein expression levels, but only monoesters M1 and M2 induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that FASN inhibition by such polyphenolic compounds could be a new strategy in TNBC treatment, and highlight the potential anticancer activities of monoesters. Thus, G28, G37, G56, and most importantly M1 and M2, are anticancer candidates (alone or in combination) to be further characterized in vitro and in vivo.

  1. Copper-tolfenamic acid: evaluation of stability and anti-cancer activity.

    PubMed

    Hurtado, Myrna; Sankpal, Umesh T; Chhabra, Jaya; Brown, Deondra T; Maram, Rajasekhar; Patel, Rafid; Gurung, Raj K; Simecka, Jerry; Holder, Alvin A; Basha, Riyaz

    2018-05-15

    The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Tolfenamic acid (TA) acts as an anti-cancer agent in several adult and pediatric cancer models. Copper (Cu) is an important element with multiple biological functions and has gained interest in medical applications. Recently, [Cu(TA) 2 (bpy)] (Cu-TA) has been synthesized in order to enhance therapeutic activity. In this study, we synthesized Cu-TA using an established method, characterized it by UV visible spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and tested its anti-cancer activity using twelve cell lines representing various cancers, such as Ewing sarcoma, glioblastoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, pancreatic and prostate. The anti-proliferative activity of Cu-TA was determined at 48 h post-treatment and compared with the parental compound, TA. The IC 50 values were calculated using GraphPad Prism software. The biological stability of Cu-TA was evaluated using twelve-month-old powder and six-month-old stock solution. Cardiomyocytes (H9C2) were used to test the cytotoxicity in non-malignant cells. Cu-TA showed higher anti-proliferative activity, and the IC 50 values were 30 to 80% lower when compared with TA. H9C2 cells were non-responsive to Cu-TA, suggesting that it is selective towards malignant cells. Comparison of the twelve-month-old powder and six-month-old stock solution using the Panc1 cell line showed similar IC 50 values (<5% variation), confirming the stability of Cu-TA either in powder or solution form. These findings demonstrate the potential of Cu-TA as an effective anti-cancer agent. Further studies to delineate the detailed mechanism of action of Cu-TA for specific cancer model are underway.

  2. 12-Chloracetyl-PPD, a novel dammarane derivative, shows anti-cancer activity via delay the progression of cell cycle G2/M phase and reactive oxygen species-mediate cell apoptosis.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xu De; Sun, Yuan Yuan; Zhao, Chen; Qu, Fan Zhi; Zhao, Yu Qing

    2017-03-05

    (20R)-Dammarane-3β, 12β, 20, 25-tetrol (25-OH-PPD) is a ginsenoside isolated from Panax ginseng (C. A. Meyer). This compound exhibits anti-cancer activities on many human cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated anti-cancer mechanisms of 12β-O-( L -Chloracetyl)-dammar-20(22)-ene-3β,25-diol(12-Chloracetyl-PPD), a modified 25-OH-PPD. We found that compound 12-Chloracetyl-PPD resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of viability in prostate, breast, and gastric cancer cells, without affecting the viability of normal cell (human gastric epithelial cell line-GES-1, hair follicle dermal papilla cell line-HHDPC and rat myocardial cell line-H9C2). In MDA-MB-435 and C4-2B cancer cells, 12-Chloracetyl-PPD induced G2/M cell cycle arrest, down-regulated mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) expression, up-regulated p53 expression, triggered apoptosis, and stimulated reactive oxygen species production. Apoptosis can be attenuated by the reactive oxygen species scavenger N-acetylcysteine. Our results suggested that compound 12-Chloracetyl-PPD showed obvious anti-cancer activity based on delaying cell cycle arrest and inducing cell apoptosis by reactive oxygen species production, which supported development of 12-Chloracetyl-PPD as a potential agent for cancer chemotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Hybrid anticancer 1,2-diazine derivatives with multiple mechanism of action. Part 3.

    PubMed

    Antoci, Vasilichia; Mantu, Dorina; Cozma, Danut Gabriel; Usru, Cornelia; Mangalagiu, Ionel I

    2014-01-01

    Antitumour chemotherapy is nowadays a very active field of research, DNA targeting drugs being the most widely used group in therapy. The design, synthesis and anticancer activity of a new class of anticancer derivatives with pyrrolo-1,2-diazine and benzoquinone skeleton is presented. The synthesis is direct and efficient, involving an alkylation followed by a [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition. The penta- and tetra-cyclic pyrrolo-1,2-diazine were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against an NCI 60 human tumour cell line panel. The pentacyclic-1,2-diazine exhibit a significant anticancer activity against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer NCI-H460, Leukemia MOLT-4, Leukemia CCRF-CEM and Breast Cancer MCF7. We hypothesize that these molecules will exert their anticancer activity through multiple mechanisms of action: intercalating the DNA, inhibiting the topoisomerase enzymes and, destroying the DNA strands via electron transfer mechanism. However, the intercalation with the DNA seems to prevail in competition with the others mechanisms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Comparison of Artemisia annua Bioactivities between Traditional Medicine and Chemical Extracts

    PubMed Central

    Nageeb, Ahmed; Al-Tawashi, Azza; Mohammad Emwas, Abdul-Hamid; Abdel-Halim Al-Talla, Zeyad; Al-Rifai, Nahla

    2013-01-01

    The present work investigates the efficacy of using Artemisia annua in traditional medicine in comparison with chemical extracts of its bioactive molecules. In addition, the effects of location (Egypt and Jericho) on the bioactivities of the plant were investigated. The results showed that water extracts of Artemisia annua from Jericho have stronger antibacterial activities than organic solvent extracts. In contrast, water and organic solvent extracts of the Artemisia annua from Egypt do not have anti-bacterial activity. Furthermore, while the methanol extract of EA displayed high anticancer affects, the water extract of Egypt and the extracts of Jericho did not show significant anticancer activity. Finally, the results showed that the methanol and water extracts of Jericho had the highest antioxidant activity, while the extracts of Egypt had none. The current results validate the scientific bases for the use of Artemisia annua in traditional medicine. In addition, our results suggest that the collection location of the Artemisia annua has an effect on its chemical composition and bioactivities. PMID:24761137

  5. Indole-based hydrazide-hydrazones and 4-thiazolidinones: synthesis and evaluation as antitubercular and anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Cihan-Üstündağ, Gökçe; Şatana, Dilek; Özhan, Gül; Çapan, Gültaze

    2016-01-01

    A new series of indolylhydrazones (6) and indole-based 4-thiazolidinones (7, 8) have been designed, synthesized and screened for in vitro antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. 4-Thiazolidinone derivatives 7g-7j, 8g, 8h and 8j displayed notable antituberculosis (anti-TB) activity showing 99% inhibition at MIC values ranging from 6.25 to 25.0 µg/ml. Compounds 7g, 7h, 7i, 8h and 8j demonstrated anti-TB activity at concentrations 10-fold lower than those cytotoxic for the mammalian cell lines. The indolylhydrazone derivative 6b has also been evaluated for antiproliferative activity against human cancer cell lines at the National Cancer Institute (USA). Compound 6b showed an interesting anticancer profile against different human tumor-derived cell lines at sub-micromolar concentrations with obvious selectivity toward colon cancer cell line COLO 205.

  6. Stereoselective synthesis, X-ray analysis, computational studies and biological evaluation of new thiazole derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Mabkhot, Yahia N; Alharbi, Mohammed M; Al-Showiman, Salim S; Ghabbour, Hazem A; Kheder, Nabila A; Soliman, Saied M; Frey, Wolfgang

    2018-05-11

    The synthesis of new thiazole derivatives is very important because of their diverse biological activities. Also , many drugs containing thiazole ring in their skeletons are available in the market such as Abafungin, Acotiamide, Alagebrium, Amiphenazole, Brecanavir, Carumonam, Cefepime, and Cefmatilen. Ethyl cyanoacetate reacted with phenylisothiocyanate, chloroacetone, in two different basic mediums to afford the thiazole derivative 6, which reacted with dimethylformamide- dimethyl acetal in the presence of DMF to afford the unexpected thiazole derivative 11. The structures of the thiazoles 6 and 11 were optimized using B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) method. The experimentally and theoretically geometric parameters agreed very well. Also, the natural charges at the different atomic sites were predicted. HOMO and LUMO demands were discussed. The anticancer activity of the prepared compounds was evaluated and showed moderate activity. Synthesis of novel thiazole derivatives was done. The structure was established using X-ray and spectral analysis. Optimized molecular structures at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level were investigated. Thiazole derivative 11 has more electropositive S-atom than thiazole 6. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap is lower in the former compared to the latter. The synthesized compounds showed moderate anticancer activity.

  7. Synthesis, Characterization, and Anti-Cancer Activity of Some New N'-(2-Oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-propylpentane hydrazide-hydrazones Derivatives.

    PubMed

    El-Faham, Ayman; Farooq, Muhammad; Khattab, Sherine N; Abutaha, Nael; Wadaan, Mohammad A; Ghabbour, Hazem A; Fun, Hoong-Kun

    2015-08-13

    Eight novel N'-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-propylpentane hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives 4a-h were synthesized and fully characterized by IR, NMR ((1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR), elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The cyto-toxicity and in vitro anti-cancer evaluation of the prepared compounds have been assessed against two different human tumour cell lines including human liver (HepG2) and leukaemia (Jurkat), as well as in normal cell lines derived from human embryonic kidney (HEK293) using MTT assay. The compounds 3e, 3f, 4a, 4c, and 4e revealed promising anti-cancer activities in tested human tumour cells lines (IC50 values between 3 and 7 μM) as compared to the known anti-cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (IC50 32-50 μM). Among the tested compounds, 4a showed specificity against leukaemia (Jurkat) cells, with an IC50 value of 3.14 μM, but this compound was inactive in liver cancer and normal cell lines.

  8. Synergistic anticancer effects of triptolide and celastrol, two main compounds from thunder god vine.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Qi-Wei; Cheng, Ke-Jun; Mei, Xiao-Long; Qiu, Jian-Ge; Zhang, Wen-Ji; Xue, You-Qiu; Qin, Wu-Ming; Yang, Yang; Zheng, Di-Wei; Chen, Yao; Wei, Meng-Ning; Zhang, Xu; Lv, Min; Chen, Mei-Wan; Wei, Xing; Shi, Zhi

    2015-10-20

    Triptolide and celastrol are two main active compounds isolated from Thunder God Vine with the potent anticancer activity. However, the anticancer effect of triptolide in combination with celastrol is still unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that the combination of triptolide with celastrol synergistically induced cell growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis with the increased intracellular ROS accumulation in cancer cells. Pretreatment with ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine dramatically blocked the apoptosis induced by co-treatment with triptolide and celastrol. Treatment with celastrol alone led to the decreased expressions of HSP90 client proteins including survivin, AKT, EGFR, which was enhanced by the addition of triptolide. Additionally, the celastrol-induced expression of HSP70 and HSP27 was abrogated by triptolide. In the nude mice with xenograft tumors, the lower-dose combination of triptolide with celastrol significantly inhibited the growth of tumors without obvious toxicity. Overall, triptolide in combination with celastrol showed outstanding synergistic anticancer effect in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this beneficial combination may offer a promising treatment option for cancer patients.

  9. The anticancer phytochemical rocaglamide inhibits Rho GTPase activity and cancer cell migration

    PubMed Central

    Becker, Michael S.; Müller, Paul M.; Bajorat, Jörg; Schroeder, Anne; Giaisi, Marco; Amin, Ehsan; Ahmadian, Mohammad R.; Rocks, Oliver; Köhler, Rebecca; Krammer, Peter H.; Li-Weber, Min

    2016-01-01

    Chemotherapy is one of the pillars of anti-cancer therapy. Although chemotherapeutics cause regression of the primary tumor, many chemotherapeutics are often shown to induce or accelerate metastasis formation. Moreover, metastatic tumors are largely resistant against chemotherapy. As more than 90% of cancer patients die due to metastases and not due to primary tumor formation, novel drugs are needed to overcome these shortcomings. In this study, we identified the anticancer phytochemical Rocaglamide (Roc-A) to be an inhibitor of cancer cell migration, a crucial event in metastasis formation. We show that Roc-A inhibits cellular migration and invasion independently of its anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects in different types of human cancer cells. Mechanistically, Roc-A treatment induces F-actin-based morphological changes in membrane protrusions. Further investigation of the molecular mechanisms revealed that Roc-A inhibits the activities of the small GTPases RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, the master regulators of cellular migration. Taken together, our results provide evidence that Roc-A may be a lead candidate for a new class of anticancer drugs that inhibit metastasis formation. PMID:27340868

  10. Apoptosis induction and anti-cancer activity of LeciPlex formulations.

    PubMed

    Dhawan, Vivek V; Joshi, Ganesh V; Jain, Ankitkumar S; Nikam, Yuvraj P; Gude, Rajiv P; Mulherkar, Rita; Nagarsenker, Mangal S

    2014-10-01

    Cationic agents have been reported to possess anti-neoplastic properties against various cancer cell types. However, their complexes with lipids appear to interact differently with different cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to (i) design and generate novel cationic lecithin nanoparticles, (ii) assess and understand the mechanism underlying their putative cytotoxicity and (iii) test their effect on cell cycle progression in various cancer-derived cell lines. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the in vivo potential of these newly developed nanoparticles in oral anti-cancer delivery. Cationic lecithin nanoparticles were generated using a single step nanoprecipitation method and they were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, stability and in vitro release. Their cytotoxic potential was assessed using a sulforhodamine B assay, and their effect on cell cycle progression was evaluated using flow cytometry. The nanoparticle systems were also tested in vivo for their anti-tumorigenic potential. In contrast to cationic agents alone, the newly developed nanoformulations showed a specific toxicity against cancer cells. The mechanism of toxic cell death included apoptosis, S and G2/M cell cycle phase arrest, depending on the type of cationic agent and the cancer-derived cell line used. Both blank and drug-loaded systems exhibited significant anti-cancer activity, suggesting a synergistic anti-tumorigenic effect of the drug and its delivery system. Both in vitro and in vivo data indicate that cationic agents themselves exhibit broad anti-neoplastic activities. Complex formation of the cationic agents with phospholipids was found to provide specificity to the anti-cancer activity. These formulations thus possess potential for the design of effective anti-cancer delivery systems.

  11. Geraniol and geranyl acetate induce potent anticancer effects in colon cancer Colo-205 cells by inducing apoptosis, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest.

    PubMed

    Qi, Fei; Yan, Qiang; Zheng, Zhaozheng; Liu, Jian; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Guiyang

    2018-01-01

    Colon cancer ranks second in mortality among all human malignancies, creating thus a need for exploration of novel molecules that would prove effective, cost-effective and with lower toxicity. In the recent past monoterpenes have gained tremendous attention for their anticancer activity. In the present study we evaluated the anticancer effects of two important monoterpenes, geraniol and geranyl acetate against colo-205 cancer cells. The antiproliferative activity was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed by DAPI staining and DNA damage was checked by comet assay. The cell cycle analysis was carried out by flow cytometry and protein expression was examined by western blotting. The results showed that both geraniol and geranyl acetate exhibited significant anticancer activity against colo-205 cancer cell line with IC50 values of 20 and 30 μM respectively. To find out the underlying mechanism, DAPI staining was carried out and it was observed that both the monoterpenes, geraniol and geranyl acetate, induced apoptosis in colo-205 cells. The apoptosis was also associated with upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 expressions, indicative of mitochondrial apoptosis. Moreover, these two monoterpenes could trigger DNA damage and G2/M cell cycle arrest in colo-205 cells. Taken together, we propose that geraniol and geranyl acetate may prove to be important lead molecular candidates for the treatment of colon cancer. Their anticancer activity can be attributed to the ability to trigger apoptosis, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest.

  12. Potential anticancer properties of bioactive compounds of Gymnema sylvestre and its biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Arunachalam, Kantha Deivi; Arun, Lilly Baptista; Annamalai, Sathesh Kumar; Arunachalam, Aarrthy M

    2015-01-01

    Gymnema sylvestre is an ethno-pharmacologically important medicinal plant used in many polyherbal formulations for its potential health benefits. Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) were biofunctionalized using aqueous leaf extracts of G. sylvestre. The anticancer properties of the bioactive compounds and the biofunctionalized SNPs were compared using the HT29 human adenoma colon cancer cell line. The preliminary phytochemical screening for bioactive compounds from aqueous extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids, steroids, and saponins. Biofunctionalized SNPs were synthesized using silver nitrate and characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction for size and shape. The characterized biofunctionalized G. sylvestre were tested for its in vitro anticancer activity against HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. The biofunctionlized G. sylvestre SNPs showed the surface plasmon resonance band at 430 nm. The scanning electron microscopy images showed the presence of spherical nanoparticles of various sizes, which were further determined using the Scherrer equation. In vitro cytotoxic activity of the biofunctionalized green-synthesized SNPs (GSNPs) indicated that the sensitivity of HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells for cytotoxic drugs is higher than that of Vero cell line for the same cytotoxic agents and also higher than the bioactive compound of the aqueous extract. Our results show that the anticancer properties of the bioactive compounds of G. sylvestre can be enhanced through biofunctionalizing the SNPs using the bioactive compounds present in the plant extract without compromising their medicinal properties.

  13. Synergistic effect of PEGylated resveratrol on delivery of anticancer drugs.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wenlong; Zhang, Liang; Le, Yuan; Chen, Jian-Feng; Wang, Jiexin; Yun, Jimmy

    2016-02-10

    Resveratrol (RES) is a natural polyphenol which can be considered as a nutraceutical because of its benefits such as anticancer and antioxidant activity. In this paper, we designed polymer-RES conjugates as anticancer drug carrier for synergistic therapeutic effect in cancer treatment. Bicalutamide (BIC) was used as a model drug to investigate the drug release behaviors and in vitro anticancer performance. PEG-RES and PEG-Glycine-RES nanoparticles were prepared and characterized. The size of the prepared particles was around 50 nm with RES content of 17.2 and 16.3 wt% for PEG-RES and PEG-Glycine-RES, respectively, and BIC loading efficiency were of 81.6% and 84.5%, separately. Release rate of RES from conjugates depended on the stability of ester group against hydrolysis. BIC release was much faster than RES release. The anticancer activity of BIC loaded PEGylated RES nanoparticles was much better than that of free BIC, indicating the conjugates provided a synergetic cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observation and flow cytometry analyses indicated that PEGylated RES conjugates were more efficiently internalized into cells, released drug into cytoplasm. These results suggest that PEGylated RES conjugates show great potential for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Phylogenetic Tree Analysis of the Cold-Hot Nature of Traditional Chinese Marine Medicine for Possible Anticancer Activity

    PubMed Central

    Song, Xuxia; Li, Xuebo; Zhang, Fengcong; Wang, Changyun

    2017-01-01

    Traditional Chinese Marine Medicine (TCMM) represents one of the medicinal resources for research and development of novel anticancer drugs. In this study, to investigate the presence of anticancer activity (AA) displayed by cold or hot nature of TCMM, we analyzed the association relationship and the distribution regularity of TCMMs with different nature (613 TCMMs originated from 1,091 species of marine organisms) via association rules mining and phylogenetic tree analysis. The screened association rules were collected from three taxonomy groups: (1) Bacteria superkingdom, Phaeophyceae class, Fucales order, Sargassaceae family, and Sargassum genus; (2) Viridiplantae kingdom, Streptophyta phylum, Malpighiales class, and Rhizophoraceae family; (3) Holothuroidea class, Aspidochirotida order, and Holothuria genus. Our analyses showed that TCMMs with closer taxonomic relationship were more likely to possess anticancer bioactivity. We found that the cluster pattern of marine organisms with reported AA tended to cluster with cold nature TCMMs. Moreover, TCMMs with salty-cold nature demonstrated properties for softening hard mass and removing stasis to treat cancers, and species within Metazoa or Viridiplantae kingdom of cold nature were more likely to contain AA properties. We propose that TCMMs from these marine groups may enable focused bioprospecting for discovery of novel anticancer drugs derived from marine bioresources. PMID:28191021

  15. Oxidative phosphorylation-dependent regulation of cancer cell apoptosis in response to anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Yadav, N; Kumar, S; Marlowe, T; Chaudhary, A K; Kumar, R; Wang, J; O'Malley, J; Boland, P M; Jayanthi, S; Kumar, T K S; Yadava, N; Chandra, D

    2015-11-05

    Cancer cells tend to develop resistance to various types of anticancer agents, whether they adopt similar or distinct mechanisms to evade cell death in response to a broad spectrum of cancer therapeutics is not fully defined. Current study concludes that DNA-damaging agents (etoposide and doxorubicin), ER stressor (thapsigargin), and histone deacetylase inhibitor (apicidin) target oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for apoptosis induction, whereas other anticancer agents including staurosporine, taxol, and sorafenib induce apoptosis in an OXPHOS-independent manner. DNA-damaging agents promoted mitochondrial biogenesis accompanied by increased accumulation of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial protein-folding machinery, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Induction of mitochondrial biogenesis occurred in a caspase activation-independent mechanism but was reduced by autophagy inhibition and p53-deficiency. Abrogation of complex-I blocked DNA-damage-induced caspase activation and apoptosis, whereas inhibition of complex-II or a combined deficiency of OXPHOS complexes I, III, IV, and V due to impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis did not modulate caspase activity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that inhibition of caspase activation in response to anticancer agents associates with decreased release of mitochondrial cytochrome c in complex-I-deficient cells compared with wild type (WT) cells. Gross OXPHOS deficiencies promoted increased release of apoptosis-inducing factor from mitochondria compared with WT or complex-I-deficient cells, suggesting that cells harboring defective OXPHOS trigger caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent apoptosis in response to anticancer agents. Interestingly, DNA-damaging agent doxorubicin showed strong binding to mitochondria, which was disrupted by complex-I-deficiency but not by complex-II-deficiency. Thapsigargin-induced caspase activation was reduced upon abrogation of complex-I or gross OXPHOS deficiency whereas a reverse trend was observed with apicidin. Together, these finding provide a new strategy for differential mitochondrial targeting in cancer therapy.

  16. Synthesis and biological evaluation of pyrimidine bridged combretastatin derivatives as potential anticancer agents and mechanistic studies.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Bhupinder; Sharma, Praveen; Gupta, Vivek Prakash; Khullar, Madhu; Singh, Sandeep; Dogra, Nilambra; Kumar, Vinod

    2018-08-01

    A number of pyrimidine bridged combretastatin derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for anticancer activities against breast cancer (MCF-7) and lung cancer (A549) cell lines using MTT assays. Most of the synthesized compounds displayed good anticancer activity with IC 50 values in low micro-molar range. Compounds 4a and 4p were found most potent in the series with IC 50 values of 4.67 µM & 3.38 µM and 4.63 µM & 3.71 µM against MCF7 and A549 cancer cell lines, respectively. Biological evaluation of these compounds showed that selective cancer cell toxicity (in vitro using human lung and breast cancer cell lines) might be due to the inhibition of antioxidant enzymes instigating elevated ROS levels which triggers intrinsic apoptotic pathways. These compounds were found nontoxic to the normal human primary cells. Compound 4a, was found to be competitive inhibitor of colchicine and in the tubulin binding assay it showed tubulin polymerization inhibition potential comparable to colchicine. The molecular modeling studies also showed that the synthesized compounds fit well in the colchicine-binding pocket. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Nature is the best source of anticancer drugs: Indexing natural products for their anticancer bioactivity

    PubMed Central

    Rayan, Anwar; Raiyn, Jamal

    2017-01-01

    Cancer is considered one of the primary diseases that cause morbidity and mortality in millions of people worldwide and due to its prevalence, there is undoubtedly an unmet need to discover novel anticancer drugs. However, the traditional process of drug discovery and development is lengthy and expensive, so the application of in silico techniques and optimization algorithms in drug discovery projects can provide a solution, saving time and costs. A set of 617 approved anticancer drugs, constituting the active domain, and a set of 2,892 natural products, constituting the inactive domain, were employed to build predictive models and to index natural products for their anticancer bioactivity. Using the iterative stochastic elimination optimization technique, we obtained a highly discriminative and robust model, with an area under the curve of 0.95. Twelve natural products that scored highly as potential anticancer drug candidates are disclosed. Searching the scientific literature revealed that few of those molecules (Neoechinulin, Colchicine, and Piperolactam) have already been experimentally screened for their anticancer activity and found active. The other phytochemicals await evaluation for their anticancerous activity in wet lab. PMID:29121120

  18. Nature is the best source of anticancer drugs: Indexing natural products for their anticancer bioactivity.

    PubMed

    Rayan, Anwar; Raiyn, Jamal; Falah, Mizied

    2017-01-01

    Cancer is considered one of the primary diseases that cause morbidity and mortality in millions of people worldwide and due to its prevalence, there is undoubtedly an unmet need to discover novel anticancer drugs. However, the traditional process of drug discovery and development is lengthy and expensive, so the application of in silico techniques and optimization algorithms in drug discovery projects can provide a solution, saving time and costs. A set of 617 approved anticancer drugs, constituting the active domain, and a set of 2,892 natural products, constituting the inactive domain, were employed to build predictive models and to index natural products for their anticancer bioactivity. Using the iterative stochastic elimination optimization technique, we obtained a highly discriminative and robust model, with an area under the curve of 0.95. Twelve natural products that scored highly as potential anticancer drug candidates are disclosed. Searching the scientific literature revealed that few of those molecules (Neoechinulin, Colchicine, and Piperolactam) have already been experimentally screened for their anticancer activity and found active. The other phytochemicals await evaluation for their anticancerous activity in wet lab.

  19. Induction of heme oxygenase-1 with hemin alleviates cisplatin-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats and enhances its cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cell line.

    PubMed

    Heeba, Gehan Hussein; Hamza, Alaaeldin Ahmed; Hassanin, Soha Osama

    2016-12-15

    Cisplatin-induced testicular damage is a major obstacle in the application of cisplatin as chemotherapeutic agent. However, it remains as one of the most widely employed anticancer agents in treating various solid tumors including prostate cancer. Since heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a cytoprotective enzyme with anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, we investigated the effects of up-regulation of HO-1 by hemin and its inhibition by zinc protoporphyrin-IX (ZnPP) on cisplatin-induced testicular toxicity in adult rats. Furthermore, the anticancer effect of hemin and ZnPP, with and without cisplatin, was evaluated on human prostate cancer cell line, PC3. Results of the animal study showed that hemin reversed cisplatin-induced perturbations in sperm characteristics, normalized serum testosterone level, and ameliorated cisplatin-induced alterations in testicular and epididymal weights, and restored normal testicular architecture. Moreover, hemin increased the expression and activity of HO-1 protein and prevented cisplatin-induced testicular toxicity by virtue of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This effect was evidenced by amelioration of testicular oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, reduced glutathione contents, and catalase activity) and inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide synthase expressions). In contrast, administration of ZnPP (HO-1 inhibitor) did not show significant improvement against cisplatin-induced testicular toxicity. Finally, in vitro analyses showed that, hemin augmented the anticancer efficacy of cisplatin, while ZnPP inhibited its apoptotic effect in PC3 cells. In conclusion, the induction of HO-1 represents a potential therapeutic approach to protect the testicular tissue from the detrimental effects of cisplatin without repressing, but rather augmenting, its cytotoxic effects on PC3 cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. In Vivo Anti-Cancer Mechanism of Low-Molecular-Weight Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfate (LFCS) from Sea Cucumber Cucumaria frondosa.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xiaoxiao; Liu, Yong; Hao, Jiejie; Zhao, Xiaoliang; Lang, Yinzhi; Fan, Fei; Cai, Chao; Li, Guoyun; Zhang, Lijuan; Yu, Guangli

    2016-05-12

    The low-molecular-weight fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (LFCS) was prepared from native fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FCS), which was extracted and isolated from sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa, and the anti-cancer mechanism of LFCS on mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) was investigated. The results showed that LFCS remarkably inhibited LLC growth and metastasis in a dose-dependent manner. LFCS induced cell cycle arrest by increasing p53/p21 expression and apoptosis through activation of caspase-3 activity in LLC cells. Meanwhile, LFCS suppressed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), increased the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and downregulated the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) level. Furthermore, LFCS significantly suppressed the activation of ERK1/2/p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway, which played a prime role in expression of MMPs. All of these data indicate LFCS may be used as anti-cancer drug candidates and deserve further study.

  1. Synthesis, crystal structure, superoxide scavenging activity, anticancer and docking studies of novel adamantyl nitroxide derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Xiao-he; Sun, Jin; Wang, Shan; Bu, Wei; Yao, Min-na; Gao, Kai; Song, Ying; Zhao, Jin-yi; Lu, Cheng-tao; Zhang, En-hu; Yang, Zhi-fu; Wen, Ai-dong

    2016-03-01

    A novel adamantyl nitroxide derivatives has been synthesized and characterized by IR, ESI-MS and elemental analysis. Quantum chemical calculations have also been performed to calculate the molecular geometry using density functional theory (B3LYP) with the 6-31G (d,p) basis set. The calculated results showed that the optimized geometry can well reproduce the crystal structure. The antioxidant and antiproliferative activity were evaluated by superoxide (NBT) and MTT assay. The adamantyl nitroxide derivatives exhibited stronger scavenging ability towards O2· - radicals when compared to Vitamin C, and demonstrated a remarked anticancer activity against all the tested cell lines, especially Bel-7404 cells with IC50 of 43.3 μM, compared to the positive control Sorafenib (IC50 = 92.0 μM). The results of molecular docking within EGFR using AutoDock confirmed that the titled compound favorably fitted into the ATP binding site of EGFR and would be a potential anticancer agent.

  2. Anticancer activity of drug conjugates in head and neck cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Majumdar, Debatosh; Rahman, Mohammad Aminur; Chen, Zhuo Georgia; Shin, Dong M

    2016-06-01

    Sexually transmitted oral cancer/head and neck cancer is increasing rapidly. Human papilloma virus (HPV) is playing a role in the pathogenesis of a subset of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Paclitaxel is a widely used anticancer drug for breast, ovarian, testicular, cervical, non-small cell lung, head and neck cancer. However, it is water insoluble and orally inactive. We report the synthesis of water soluble nanosize conjugates of paclitaxel, branched PEG, and EGFR-targeting peptide by employing native chemical ligation. We performed a native chemical ligation between the N-hydroxy succinimide (NHS) ester of paclitaxel succinate and cysteine at pH 6.5 to give the cysteine-conjugated paclitaxel derivative. The thiol functionality of cysteine was activated and subsequently conjugated to multiarm thiol-PEG to obtain the paclitaxel branched PEG conjugate. Finally, we conjugated an EGFR-targeting peptide to obtain conjugates of paclitaxel, branched PEG, and EGFR-targeting peptide. These conjugates show anticancer activity against squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck cells (SCCHN, Tu212).

  3. Enhancing Cell Nucleus Accumulation and DNA Cleavage Activity of Anti-Cancer Drug via Graphene Quantum Dots

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Chong; Wu, Congyu; Zhou, Xuejiao; Han, Ting; Xin, Xiaozhen; Wu, Jiaying; Zhang, Jingyan; Guo, Shouwu

    2013-10-01

    Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) maintain the intrinsic layered structural motif of graphene but with smaller lateral size and abundant periphery carboxylic groups, and are more compatible with biological system, thus are promising nanomaterials for therapeutic applications. Here we show that GQDs have a superb ability in drug delivery and anti-cancer activity boost without any pre-modification due to their unique structural properties. They could efficiently deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to the nucleus through DOX/GQD conjugates, because the conjugates assume different cellular and nuclear internalization pathways comparing to free DOX. Also, the conjugates could enhance DNA cleavage activity of DOX markedly. This enhancement combining with efficient nuclear delivery improved cytotoxicity of DOX dramatically. Furthermore, the DOX/GQD conjugates could also increase the nuclear uptake and cytotoxicity of DOX to drug-resistant cancer cells indicating that the conjugates may be capable to increase chemotherapy efficacy of anti-cancer drugs that are suboptimal due to the drug resistance.

  4. Opioid receptor activation triggering downregulation of cAMP improves effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs in treatment of glioblastoma

    PubMed Central

    Friesen, Claudia; Hormann, Inis; Roscher, Mareike; Fichtner, Iduna; Alt, Andreas; Hilger, Ralf; Debatin, Klaus-Michael; Miltner, Erich

    2014-01-01

    Glioblastoma are the most frequent and malignant human brain tumors, having a very poor prognosis. The enhanced radio- and chemoresistance of glioblastoma and the glioblastoma stem cells might be the main reason why conventional therapies fail. The second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) controls cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Downregulation of cAMP sensitizes tumor cells for anti-cancer treatment. Opioid receptor agonists triggering opioid receptors can activate inhibitory Gi proteins, which, in turn, block adenylyl cyclase activity reducing cAMP. In this study, we show that downregulation of cAMP by opioid receptor activation improves the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs in treatment of glioblastoma. The µ-opioid receptor agonist D,L-methadone sensitizes glioblastoma as well as the untreatable glioblastoma stem cells for doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and activation of apoptosis pathways by reversing deficient caspase activation and deficient downregulation of XIAP and Bcl-xL, playing critical roles in glioblastomas’ resistance. Blocking opioid receptors using the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone or increasing intracellular cAMP by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) strongly reduced opioid receptor agonist-induced sensitization for doxorubicin. In addition, the opioid receptor agonist D,L-methadone increased doxorubicin uptake and decreased doxorubicin efflux, whereas doxorubicin increased opioid receptor expression in glioblastomas. Furthermore, opioid receptor activation using D,L-methadone inhibited tumor growth significantly in vivo. Our findings suggest that opioid receptor activation triggering downregulation of cAMP is a promising strategy to inhibit tumor growth and to improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs in treatment of glioblastoma and in killing glioblastoma stem cells. PMID:24626197

  5. Anticancer activity of flavonoids isolated from Achyrocline satureioides in gliomas cell lines.

    PubMed

    Souza, Priscila Oliveira de; Bianchi, Sara Elis; Figueiró, Fabrício; Heimfarth, Luana; Moresco, Karla Suzana; Gonçalves, Rosângela Mayer; Hoppe, Juliana Bender; Klein, Caroline Peres; Salbego, Christianne Gazzana; Gelain, Daniel Pens; Bassani, Valquíria Linck; Zanotto Filho, Alfeu; Moreira, José Claudio Fonseca

    2018-05-04

    Achyrocline satureioides, popularly known as "marcela", is a medicinal plant found in South America. This plant is rich in flavonoids, which have been reported to exert numerous biological activities. The aim of this study was to purify, identify and evaluate the mechanisms underlining anticancer activity of A. satureioides flavonoids in glioma cell lines (U87, U251 and C6) as well as their comparative toxicity in normal brain cells (primary astrocytes, neurons and organotypic hippocampal cultures). The main flavonoids present in A. satureioides are luteolin, quercetin, 3-O-methyl-quercetin and achyrobichalcone, the later a very unique metabolite present in this plant. Isolated flavonoids as well as A. satureioides extracts reduced proliferation and clonogenic survival, and induced apoptosis of glioma cell lines. In addition, A. satureioides flavonoids potentiated the cytotoxic effect and apoptosis induction by the glioma chemotherapeutic temozolomide (TMZ). Importantly, A. satureioides flavonoids were less cytotoxic to astrocytes, neuron:astrocytes co-cultures and hippocampal cultures if compared to gliomas. Investigation of 10 cancer-related pathways showed a reduced activation of MYC and the Map kinases ERK and JNK by A. satureioides flavonoid-enriched extract, an effect not observed when individual flavonoids were evaluated. Altogether, the herein presented results show that A. satureioides extract possesses a combination of flavonoids, some unique for this plant, which have synergistic anticancer activity and potential for further studies in vivo. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A Self-Assembled Coumarin-Anchored Dendrimer for Efficient Gene Delivery and Light-Responsive Drug Delivery.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hui; Miao, Wujun; Wang, Fei; Cheng, Yiyun

    2018-06-11

    The assembly of low molecular weight polymers into highly efficient and nontoxic nanostructures has broad applicability in gene delivery. In this study, we reported the assembly of coumarin-anchored low generation dendrimers in aqueous solution via hydrophobic interactions. The synthesized material showed significantly improved DNA binding and gene delivery, and minimal toxicity on the transfected cells. Moreover, the coumarin moieties in the assembled nanostructures endow the materials with light-responsive drug delivery behaviors. The coumarin substitutes in the assembled nanostructures were cross-linked with each other upon irradiation at 365 nm, and the cross-linked assemblies were degraded upon further irradiation at 254 nm. As a result, the drug-loaded nanoparticle showed a light-responsive drug release behavior and light-enhanced anticancer activity. The assembled nanoparticle also exhibited a complementary anticancer activity through the codelivery of 5-fluorouracil and a therapeutic gene encoding tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). This study provided a facile strategy to develop light-responsive polymers for the codelivery of therapeutic genes and anticancer drugs.

  7. Studies of the in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of selected Yemeni medicinal plants from the island Soqotra

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background Recent years have witnessed that there is a revival of interest in drug discovery from medicinal plants for the maintenance of health in all parts of the world. The aim of this work was to investigate 26 plants belonging to 17 families collected from a unique place in Yemen (Soqotra Island) for their in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Methods The 26 plants were extracted with methanol and hot water to yield 52 extracts. Evaluation for in vitro anticancer activity was done against three human cancer cell lines (A-427, 5637 and MCF-7) by using an established microtiter plate assay based on cellular staining with crystal violet. Antimicrobial activity was tested against three Gram-positive bacteria, two Gram-negative bacteria, one yeast species and three multiresistant Staphylococcus strains by using an agar diffusion method and the determination of MIC against three Gram-positive bacteria with the broth micro-dilution assay. Antioxidant activity was investigated by measuring the scavenging activity of the DPPH radical. Moreover, a phytochemical screening of the methanolic extracts was done. Results Notable cancer cell growth inhibition was observed for extracts from Ballochia atro-virgata, Eureiandra balfourii and Hypoestes pubescens, with IC50 values ranging between 0.8 and 8.2 μg/ml. The methanol extracts of Acanthospermum hispidum, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia socotrana, Commiphora ornifolia and Euphorbia socotrana also showed noticeable antiproliferative potency with IC50 values < 50 μg/ml. The greatest antimicrobial activity was exhibited by extracts from Acacia pennivenia, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia socotrana, Commiphora ornifolia, Euclea divinorum, Euphorbia socotrana, Leucas samhaensis, Leucas virgata, Rhus thyrsiflora, and Teucrium sokotranum with inhibition zones > 15 mm and MIC values ≤ 250 μg/ml. In addition, the methanolic extracts of Acacia pennivenia, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia socotrana and Commiphora ornifolia showed good antioxidant potential at low concentrations (more than 80% at 50 μg/ml). Conclusion Our results show once again that medicinal plants can be promising sources of natural products with potential anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity. The results will guide the selection of some plant species for further pharmacological and phytochemical investigations. PMID:19320966

  8. Synthesis and Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity of Some Pyrroles and Fused Pyrroles.

    PubMed

    Fatahala, Samar S; Mohamed, Mosaad S; Youns, Mahmoud; Abd-El Hameed, Rania H

    2017-01-01

    Pyrrole derivatives represent a very interesting class as biologically active compounds. The objective of our study was to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects and antioxidant activity of the newly synthesized pyrrole derivatives. A series of novel pyrroles and fused pyrroles (tetrahydroindoles, pyrrolopyrimidines, pyrrolopyridines and pyrrolotriazines) were synthesized and characterized using IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and elemental analysis techniques. The antiproliferative activity of our synthesized compounds and their modulatory effect apoptotic pathway were investigated. The effect on cellular proliferation and viability was monitored by resazurin assay. Apoptotic effect was evaluated by caspase glo 3/7 assay. Synthesized compounds are then tested for their anticancer activities against three different cell lines representing three different tumor types, namely; the HepG-2 (Human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line), the human MCF-7 cell line (breast cancer) and the pancreatic resistant Panc-1 cells. Compounds Ia-e, IIe, and IXc, d showed a promising anti-cancer activity on all tested cell lines. Antioxidant and wound healing invasion assays were examined for promising anticancer candidate compounds. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  9. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of the medicinal halophyte Reaumuria vermiculata

    PubMed Central

    Karker, Manel; Falleh, Hanen; Msaada, Kamel; Smaoui, Abderrazak; Abdelly, Chedly; Legault, Jean; Ksouri, Riadh

    2016-01-01

    Reaumuria vermiculata is a xero-halophytic specie widely distributed in the south of Tunisia. In the current study, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of Reaumuria vermiculata shoot extracts as well as its phenolic compounds were investigated in different solvent extracts (hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water). Results showed a strong antioxidant activity, using the ORAC method and a cell based-assay, in methanol extract as well as an important phenolic composition (117.12 mg GAE/g). Hexane and dichloromethane proved an interesting anticancer activity against A-549 lung carcinoma cells, with IC50 values of 17 and 23 µg/ml, respectively. Besides, dichloromethane extract displayed the utmost anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting NO release over 100 % at 80 µg/ml in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7. Taken together, these finding suggest that R. vermiculata exhibited an interesting biological activities which may be related to the phenolic composition of this plant. Moreover, the identification of phenolic compounds in R. vermiculata dichloromethane extract using RP-HPLC revealed that myricetin was the major molecule. These results allow us to propose R. vermiculata as a valuable source for bioactive and natural compounds exhibiting interesting biological capacities. PMID:27298615

  10. A nanocomplex of Cu(II) with theophylline drug; synthesis, characterization, and anticancer activity against K562 cell line

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahlabadi, Maryam; Daryanavard, Marzieh; Hadadzadeh, Hassan; Amirghofran, Zahra

    2018-03-01

    A new mononuclear of copper (II), [Cu(theophylline)2(H2O)3]·2H2O, has been synthesized by reaction of theophylline (1,3-dimethyl-7H-purine-2,6-dione) with copper (II) nitrate in water. Further, its nanocomplex has been prepared through the three different methods including sonication, grinding, and a combination thereof, sonication-grinding. The prepared nanocomplex was characterized using different techniques including FT-IR, UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Moreover, the anticancer activity of the precursor complex, nanocomplex, free theophylline ligand, and the starting copper salt (Cu(NO3)2·3H2O) was investigated against the K562 cell line. The results show that the nanocomplex is an effective nano metal-based anticancer agent with IC50 = 11.7 μM.

  11. The efficacy assessments of alkylating drugs induced by nano-Fe3O4/CA for curing breast and hepatic cancer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Kui; Ma, Ying; Yang, Bin; Liang, Caishuang; Chen, Xiaoming; Cai, Changqun

    2017-02-01

    A new method to evaluate the anticancer activity at the molecular level has been developed. In our assay, the interaction between alkylating anticancer drugs-Fe3O4/CA with DNA has been investigated for the Resonance Light Scattering (RLS) signal enhancement. Water-based nano-Fe3O4, as a probe, has the ability of good solubility, biodegradability and low bulk resistivity etc. The experimental results show that, the activity order of three kinds of drugs is Nimustine (ACNU) > Semustine (Me-CCNU) > Chlormethine (HN2), which is satisfied with the results of the cell apoptosis experiment and the IC50 by MTT method. This assay is simple, sensitive and high efficient. And the theoretical basics for the development of new anticancer drugs as well as the assessments of their efficacy to cure breast and hepatic cancer have been provided.

  12. The main anticancer bullets of the Chinese medicinal herb, thunder god vine.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zi; Ma, Liang; Zhou, Guang-Biao

    2011-06-23

    The thunder god vine or Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. is a representative Chinese medicinal herb which has been used widely and successfully for centuries in treating inflammatory diseases. More than 100 components have been isolated from this plant, and most of them have potent therapeutic efficacy for a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. In the past four decades, the anticancer activities of the extracts from this medicinal herb have attracted intensive attention by researchers worldwide. The diterpenoid epoxide triptolide and the quinone triterpene celastrol are two important bioactive ingredients that show a divergent therapeutic profile and can perturb multiple signal pathways. Both compounds promise to turn traditional medicines into modern drugs. In this review, we will mainly address the anticancer activities and mechanisms of action of these two agents and briefly describe some other antitumor components of the thunder god vine.

  13. Polysaccharide-based Noncovalent Assembly for Targeted Delivery of Taxol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Yang; Zhang, Ying-Ming; Chen, Yong; Chen, Jia-Tong; Liu, Yu

    2016-01-01

    The construction of synthetic straightforward, biocompatible and biodegradable targeted drug delivery system with fluorescent tracking abilities, high anticancer activities and low side effects is still a challenge in the field of biochemistry and material chemistry. In this work, we constructed targeted paclitaxel (Taxol) delivery nanoparticles composed of permethyl-β-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid (HApCD) and porphyrin modified paclitaxel prodrug (PorTaxol), through host-guest and amphiphilic interactions. The obtained nanoparticles (HATXP) were biocompatible and enzymatic biodegradable due to their hydrophilic hyaluronic acid (HA) shell and hydrophobic Taxol core, and exhibited specific targeting internalization into cancer cells via HA receptor mediated endocytosis effects. The cytotoxicity experiments showed that the HATXP exhibited similar anticancer activities to, but much lower side effects than commercial anticancer drug Taxol. The present work would provide a platform for targeted paclitaxel drug delivery and a general protocol for the design of advanced multifunctional nanoscale biomaterials for targeted drug/gene delivery.

  14. Analysis and evaluation of the antimicrobial and anticancer activities of the essential oil isolated from Foeniculum vulgare from Hamedan, Iran.

    PubMed

    Akhbari, Maryam; Kord, Reza; Jafari Nodooshan, Saeedeh; Hamedi, Sepideh

    2018-01-07

    In this study, biological properties of the essential oil isolated from seeds of Foeniculum vulgare (F. vulgare) were evaluated. GC-MS analysis revealed Trans-Anethole (80.63%), L-Fenchone (11.57%), Estragole (3.67%) and Limonene (2.68%) were the major compounds of the essential oil. Antibacterial activity of the essential oil against nine Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains was studied using disc diffusion and micro-well dilution assays. Essential oil exhibited the antibacterial activity against three Gram-negative strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Shigella dysenteriae. The preliminary study on toxicity of seed oil was performed using Brine Shrimp lethality test (BSLT). Results indicated the high toxicity effect of essential oil (LC50 = 10 μg/mL). In vitro anticancer activity of seed oil was investigated against human breast cancer (MDA-Mb) and cervical epithelioid carcinoma (Hela) cell lines by MTT assay. Results showed the seed oil behave as a very potent anticancer agent with IC50 of lower than 10 μg/mL in both cases.

  15. In silico identification of anti-cancer compounds and plants from traditional Chinese medicine database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dai, Shao-Xing; Li, Wen-Xing; Han, Fei-Fei; Guo, Yi-Cheng; Zheng, Jun-Juan; Liu, Jia-Qian; Wang, Qian; Gao, Yue-Dong; Li, Gong-Hua; Huang, Jing-Fei

    2016-05-01

    There is a constant demand to develop new, effective, and affordable anti-cancer drugs. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a valuable and alternative resource for identifying novel anti-cancer agents. In this study, we aim to identify the anti-cancer compounds and plants from the TCM database by using cheminformatics. We first predicted 5278 anti-cancer compounds from TCM database. The top 346 compounds were highly potent active in the 60 cell lines test. Similarity analysis revealed that 75% of the 5278 compounds are highly similar to the approved anti-cancer drugs. Based on the predicted anti-cancer compounds, we identified 57 anti-cancer plants by activity enrichment. The identified plants are widely distributed in 46 genera and 28 families, which broadens the scope of the anti-cancer drug screening. Finally, we constructed a network of predicted anti-cancer plants and approved drugs based on the above results. The network highlighted the supportive role of the predicted plant in the development of anti-cancer drug and suggested different molecular anti-cancer mechanisms of the plants. Our study suggests that the predicted compounds and plants from TCM database offer an attractive starting point and a broader scope to mine for potential anti-cancer agents.

  16. In silico identification of anti-cancer compounds and plants from traditional Chinese medicine database.

    PubMed

    Dai, Shao-Xing; Li, Wen-Xing; Han, Fei-Fei; Guo, Yi-Cheng; Zheng, Jun-Juan; Liu, Jia-Qian; Wang, Qian; Gao, Yue-Dong; Li, Gong-Hua; Huang, Jing-Fei

    2016-05-05

    There is a constant demand to develop new, effective, and affordable anti-cancer drugs. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a valuable and alternative resource for identifying novel anti-cancer agents. In this study, we aim to identify the anti-cancer compounds and plants from the TCM database by using cheminformatics. We first predicted 5278 anti-cancer compounds from TCM database. The top 346 compounds were highly potent active in the 60 cell lines test. Similarity analysis revealed that 75% of the 5278 compounds are highly similar to the approved anti-cancer drugs. Based on the predicted anti-cancer compounds, we identified 57 anti-cancer plants by activity enrichment. The identified plants are widely distributed in 46 genera and 28 families, which broadens the scope of the anti-cancer drug screening. Finally, we constructed a network of predicted anti-cancer plants and approved drugs based on the above results. The network highlighted the supportive role of the predicted plant in the development of anti-cancer drug and suggested different molecular anti-cancer mechanisms of the plants. Our study suggests that the predicted compounds and plants from TCM database offer an attractive starting point and a broader scope to mine for potential anti-cancer agents.

  17. In silico identification of anti-cancer compounds and plants from traditional Chinese medicine database

    PubMed Central

    Dai, Shao-Xing; Li, Wen-Xing; Han, Fei-Fei; Guo, Yi-Cheng; Zheng, Jun-Juan; Liu, Jia-Qian; Wang, Qian; Gao, Yue-Dong; Li, Gong-Hua; Huang, Jing-Fei

    2016-01-01

    There is a constant demand to develop new, effective, and affordable anti-cancer drugs. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a valuable and alternative resource for identifying novel anti-cancer agents. In this study, we aim to identify the anti-cancer compounds and plants from the TCM database by using cheminformatics. We first predicted 5278 anti-cancer compounds from TCM database. The top 346 compounds were highly potent active in the 60 cell lines test. Similarity analysis revealed that 75% of the 5278 compounds are highly similar to the approved anti-cancer drugs. Based on the predicted anti-cancer compounds, we identified 57 anti-cancer plants by activity enrichment. The identified plants are widely distributed in 46 genera and 28 families, which broadens the scope of the anti-cancer drug screening. Finally, we constructed a network of predicted anti-cancer plants and approved drugs based on the above results. The network highlighted the supportive role of the predicted plant in the development of anti-cancer drug and suggested different molecular anti-cancer mechanisms of the plants. Our study suggests that the predicted compounds and plants from TCM database offer an attractive starting point and a broader scope to mine for potential anti-cancer agents. PMID:27145869

  18. Nanovesicular carrier-based formulation for skin cancer targeting: evaluation of cytotoxicity, intracellular uptake, and preclinical anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Jain, Subheet Kumar; Puri, Richa; Mahajan, Mohit; Yadav, Subodh; Pathak, C M; Ganesh, N

    2015-04-01

    Skin cancer has turned into global epidemic leading to higher incidences among cancer stricken population. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the anticancer potential and intracellular uptake of a novel nanovesicular formulation of 5-FU. Detailed intracellular uptake study in conjunction with estimation of intracellular reactive oxygen species was done using skin melanoma cell lines (A375) along with cytotoxicity studies. To further obtain the mechanistic insights into inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, cell-cycle arrest studies were conducted. The preclinical anticancer activity was carried out employing in vivo DMBA-croton oil-induced skin cancer model in mice. Significant reduction in the number of papillomas was observed in skin cancer-bearing mice on treatment with nanovesicular formulation (51.4 ± 3.2%) in comparison with marketed formulation (21.3 ± 2.1%) of 5-FU. Tumor volume was found to be reduced to 46.3 ± 3.5% with prepared formulation, whereas the marketed formulation-treated group showed the reduction of 18.6 ± 1.8% in comparison with the control (untreated) group. The results of present study demonstrated that nanovesicular formulation of 5-FU possessed the enhanced anticancer activity which could be attributed to better intracellular uptake, cellular retention, and sustained release of drug.

  19. Optical imaging of tumor cells in hollow fibers: evaluation of the antitumor activities of anticancer drugs and target validation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Guo-Jun; Chen, Tsing-Bau; Bednar, Bohumil; Connolly, Brett M; Hargreaves, Richard; Sur, Cyrille; Williams, David L

    2007-08-01

    The in vivo hollow fiber assay, in which semipermeable hollow fibers filled with tumor cells, are implanted into animals, was originally developed to screen for anticancer compounds before assessment in more complex tumor models. To enhance screening and evaluation of anticancer drugs, we have applied optical imaging technology to this assay. To demonstrate that tumor cells inside hollow fibers can communicate with the host mice, we have used fluorescence imaging in vivo and CD31 immunostaining ex vivo to show that angiogenesis occurs around cell-filled hollow fibers by 2 weeks after subcutaneous implantation. Bioluminescence imaging has been used to follow the number of luciferase-expressing tumor cells within implanted hollow fibers; proliferation of those cells was found to be significantly inhibited by docetaxel or irinotecan. We also used bioluminescence imaging of hollow fibers to monitor the nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) pathway in vivo; NFkappaB activation by lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha was evaluated in tumor cell lines genetically engineered to express luciferase controlled by an NFkappaB-responsive element. These results demonstrate that optical imaging of hollow fibers containing reporter tumor cells can be used for the rapid and accurate evaluation of antitumor activities of anticancer drugs and for measurement of molecular pathways.

  20. The syntheses and characterizations of vanadium complexes with 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone and the structure-effect relationship in their in vitro anticancer activities.

    PubMed

    Du, Shizhen; Feng, Jun; Lu, Xiaoming; Wang, Guo

    2013-07-14

    [V(V)O2(O2C14H6O2)(C5N2H12)](C5N2H13)(CH3OH) (1) and {Na[V(V)O(O2C14H6O2)2][(CH3)2NCHO]}n (2) have been synthesized by the reaction of V2O5 and NaVO3 with aromatic 1,2-diol (1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone), and their molecular and crystal structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction. MTT assay tests of the V(V)O2L(A)L(B) and V(V)OL2 complexes against cancer cells have revealed that, when L is catechol, VOL2 showed broad-spectrum, high anticancer activities which were proportional to their concentration; however when L is naphthol or alizarin, VOL2 displayed little effect towards the cancer cells; moreover, complex 1 in the coordination model of V(V)O2L(A)L(B) showed specifically higher inhibition (88.65%) against HCT-8 than the clinical anticancer drug Fu-5 (69.97%). The results revealed that both the V(V) and the ligands cannot influence the inhibition against cancer cells individually. The mechanism of the broad-spectrum anticancer activities of VOL2 when L is catechol ligand might originate from the redox activities of V(V)/V(IV) which regulate the concentration of ROS (reactive oxygen species). N-Methylpiperazine formed as a by-product in complex 1 was confirmed by (1)H NMR and its formation mechanism catalyzed by V2O5 has been deduced.

  1. Novel pyrrolopyrimidines and triazolopyrrolopyrimidines carrying a biologically active sulfonamide moieties as anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Ghorab, Mostafa M; Alsaisd, Mansour S; Nissan, Yassin M

    2015-01-01

    A new series of pyrroles 5, 6, pyrrolopyrimidines 8, 11-14, 16-29, triazolo-pyrrolopyrimidines 9, 10 and 15 carrying a biologically active sulfonamide moities were synthesized using 2-amino-3-cyano-4-(4-bromophenyl)pyrrole 5 as a strategic starting material. The structures of the prepared compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses, IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR data. All of the synthesized compounds showed promising anticancer activity against breast cancer cell line (MCF7) compared to doxorubicin as reference drug, especially compounds 5-17, 21-24 and 28 with better IC50 than that of doxorubicin. In order to suggest the mechanism of action of their cytotoxic activities, molecular docking on the active site of c-Src was done and good results were obtained.

  2. Dandelion root extract affects colorectal cancer proliferation and survival through the activation of multiple death signalling pathways

    PubMed Central

    Ovadje, Pamela; Ammar, Saleem; Guerrero, Jose-Antonio; Arnason, John Thor; Pandey, Siyaram

    2016-01-01

    Dandelion extracts have been studied extensively in recent years for its anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory activity. Recent work from our lab, with in-vitro systems, shows the anti-cancer potential of an aqueous dandelion root extract (DRE) in several cancer cell models, with no toxicity to non-cancer cells. In this study, we examined the cancer cell-killing effectiveness of an aqueous DRE in colon cancer cell models. Aqueous DRE induced programmed cell death (PCD) selectively in > 95% of colon cancer cells, irrespective of their p53 status, by 48 hours of treatment. The anti-cancer efficacy of this extract was confirmed in in-vivo studies, as the oral administration of DRE retarded the growth of human colon xenograft models by more than 90%. We found the activation of multiple death pathways in cancer cells by DRE treatment, as revealed by gene expression analyses showing the expression of genes implicated in programmed cell death. Phytochemical analyses of the extract showed complex multi-component composition of the DRE, including some known bioactive phytochemicals such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol and taraxasterol. This suggested that this natural extract could engage and effectively target multiple vulnerabilities of cancer cells. Therefore, DRE could be a non-toxic and effective anti-cancer alternative, instrumental for reducing the occurrence of cancer cells drug-resistance. PMID:27564258

  3. Process optimization and photostability of silymarin nanostructured lipid carriers: effect on UV-irradiated rat skin and SK-MEL 2 cell line.

    PubMed

    Singh, Pooja; Singh, Mahendra; Kanoujia, Jovita; Arya, Malti; Saraf, Shailendra K; Saraf, Shubhini A

    2016-10-01

    The objective of the present work was to formulate a novel stable delivery system which would not only overcome the solubility issue of silymarin, but also help to increase the therapeutic value by better permeation, anticancer action and reduced toxicity. This was envisaged through the recent developments in nanotechnology, combined with the activity of the phytoconstituent silymarin. A 2(3) full factorial design based on three independent variables was used for process optimization of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). Developed formulations were evaluated on the basis of particle size, morphology, in vitro drug release, photostability and cell line studies. Optimized silymarin-NLC was incorporated into carbopol gel and further assessed for rheological parameters. Stable behaviour in presence of light was proven by photostability testing of formulation. Permeability parameters were significantly higher in NLC as compared to marketed phytosome formulation. The NLC based gel described in this study showed faster onset, and prolonged activity up to 24 h and better action against edema as compared to marketed formulation. In case of anticancer activity of silymarin-NLC against SK-MEL 2 cell lines, silymarin-NLC proved to possess anticancer activity in a dose-dependent manner (10-80 μM) and induced apoptosis at 80 μM in SK-MEL 2 cancer cells. This work documents for the first time that silymarin can be formulated into nanostructured lipoidal carrier system for enhanced permeation, greater stability as well as anticancer activity for skin.

  4. The anti-cancer activity of a cationic anti-microbial peptide derived from monomers of polyhydroxyalkanoate.

    PubMed

    O'Connor, Stephen; Szwej, Emilia; Nikodinovic-Runic, Jasmina; O'Connor, Aisling; Byrne, Annette T; Devocelle, Marc; O'Donovan, Norma; Gallagher, William M; Babu, Ramesh; Kenny, Shane T; Zinn, Manfred; Zulian, Qun Ren; O'Connor, Kevin E

    2013-04-01

    The biodegradable polymer medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mclPHA), produced by Pseudomonas putida CA-3, was depolymerised and the predominant monomer (R)-3-hydroxydecanoic acid (R10) purified. R10 was conjugated to a d-peptide DP18 and its derivatives. All peptides conjugated with R10 exhibited greater anti-cancer activity compared to the unconjugated peptides. Unconjugated and conjugated peptides were cytocidal for cancer cells. Conjugation of R10 to peptides was essential for enhanced anti-proliferation activity, as unconjugated mixes did not result in enhancement of anti-cancer activity. The conjugation of R10 resulted in more rapid uptake of peptides into HeLa and MiaPaCa cells compared to unconjugated peptide. Both unconjugated and R10 conjugated peptides localized to the mitochondria of HeLa and MiaPaCa cells and induced apoptosis. Peptide conjugated with a terminally hydroxylated decanoic acid (ω-hydroxydecanoic acid) exhibited 3.3 and 6.3 fold higher IC(50) values compared to R10 conjugated peptide indicating a role for the position of the hydroxyl moiety in enhancement of anti-cancer activity. Conjugation of decanoic acid (C10) to peptides resulted in similar or higher IC(50) values compared to R10 conjugates but C10 conjugates did not exhibit any cancer selectivity. Combination studies showed that R10DP18L exhibited synergy with cisplatin, gemcitabine, and taxotere with IC(50) values in the nanomolar range. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Y-shaped Folic Acid-Conjugated PEG-PCL Copolymeric Micelles for Delivery of Curcumin.

    PubMed

    Feng, Runliang; Zhu, Wenxia; Chu, Wei; Teng, Fangfang; Meng, Ning; Deng, Peizong; Song, Zhimei

    2017-01-01

    Curcumin is a natural hydrophobic product showing anticancer activity. Many studies show its potential use in the field of cancer treatment due to its safety and efficiency. However, its application is limited due to its low water-solubility and poor selective delivery to cancer. A Y-shaped folic acid-modified poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (ε-caprolactone)2 copolymer was prepared to improve curcumin solubility and realize its selective delivery to cancer. The copolymer was synthesized through selective acylation reaction of folic acid with α- monoamino poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone)2. Curcumin was encapsulated into the copolymeric micelles with 93.71% of encapsulation efficiency and 11.94 % of loading capacity. The results from confocal microscopy and cellular uptake tests showed that folic acid-modified copolymeric micelles could improve cellular uptake of curcumin in Hela and HepG2 cells compared with folic acid-unmodified micelles. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed that folic acid-modified micelles improved anticancer activity against Hela and HepG2 cells in comparison to folic acidunmodified micelles. Meanwhile, both drug-loaded micelles demonstrated higher activity against Hela cell lines than HepG2. The research results suggested that the folic acid-modified Y-shaped copolymeric micelles should be used to enhance hydrophobic anticancer drugs' solubility and their specific delivery to folic acid receptors-overexpressed cancer. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  6. Novel ciprofloxacin hybrids using biology oriented drug synthesis (BIODS) approach: Anticancer activity, effects on cell cycle profile, caspase-3 mediated apoptosis, topoisomerase II inhibition, and antibacterial activity.

    PubMed

    Kassab, Asmaa E; Gedawy, Ehab M

    2018-04-25

    As we are interested in synthetizing biologically active leads with dual anticancer and antibacterial activity, we adopted biology oriented drug synthesis (BIODS) strategy to synthesize a series of novel ciprofloxacin (CP) hybrids. The National Cancer Institute (USA) selected seventeen newly synthesized compounds for anticancer evaluation against 59 different human tumor cell lines. Five compounds 3e, 3f, 3h, 3o and 3p were further studied through determination of IC 50 values against the most sensitive cancer cell lines. In vitro results showed that the five compounds exhibited potent anticancer activity against test cell lines in nanomolar to micromolar range, with IC 50 values between 0.72 and 4.92 μM, which was 9 to1.5 folds more potent than doxorubicin. In this study, two promising potent anticancer CP hybrids, 3f and 3o, were identified. The anti-proliferative activity of these compounds appears to correlate well with their ability to inhibit Topo II (IC 50  = 0.58 and 0.86 μM). It is worth mentioning that compound 3f was 6 folds more potent than doxorubicin, 5 folds more potent than amsacrine and 1.5 folds more potent than etoposide. At the same time, compound 3o showed 4 folds more inhibitory activity against Topo II than doxorubicin, 3 folds more potent than amsacrine and almost equipotent activity to etoposide. Activation of damage response pathway of the DNA leads to cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, accumulation of cells in pre-G1 phase and annexin-V and propidium iodide staining, indicating that cell death proceeds through an apoptotic mechanism. Moreover, compounds 3f and 3o showed potent pro-apoptotic effect through induction of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. This mechanistic pathway was confirmed by a significant increase in the level of active caspase-3 compared to control. This observation may indicate that both CP hybrids can chelate with zinc, a powerful inhibitor of procaspase-3 enzymatic activity, so procaspase-3 may process itself to the active form. The synthesized CP derivatives were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The results proved that all of the test compounds have shown good to excellent antibacterial activity, as compared to its parent molecule ciprofloxacin. Compounds 2, 3b, 3k, 3l, 3m, 3p, 5a, 5b, 5d and 5e exhibited equipotent or comparable activity to ciprofloxacin against the test strains. Compounds 3p and 5a were more potent than ciprofloxacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common organism causing infections in granulocytopenic cancer patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  7. Graphene Oxide-Gallic Acid Nanodelivery System for Cancer Therapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dorniani, Dena; Saifullah, Bullo; Barahuie, Farahnaz; Arulselvan, Palanisamy; Hussein, Mohd Zobir Bin; Fakurazi, Sharida; Twyman, Lance J.

    2016-11-01

    Despite the technological advancement in the biomedical science, cancer remains a life-threatening disease. In this study, we designed an anticancer nanodelivery system using graphene oxide (GO) as nanocarrier for an active anticancer agent gallic acid (GA). The successful formation nanocomposite (GOGA) was characterized using XRD, FTIR, HRTEM, Raman, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The release study shows that the release of GA from the designed anticancer nanocomposite (GOGA) occurs in a sustained manner in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at pH 7.4. In in vitro biological studies, normal fibroblast (3T3) and liver cancer cells (HepG2) were treated with different concentrations of GO, GOGA, and GA for 72 h. The GOGA nanocomposite showed the inhibitory effect to cancer cell growth without affecting normal cell growth. The results of this research are highly encouraging to go further for in vivo studies.

  8. Pharmacological importance of sulphated polysaccharide carrageenan from red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii in comparison with commercial carrageenan.

    PubMed

    Suganya, Arumugampillai Manimehalai; Sanjivkumar, Muthusamy; Chandran, Manohar Navin; Palavesam, Arunachalam; Immanuel, Grasian

    2016-12-01

    Pharmacological properties of native carrageenan (κ) extracted from Kappaphycus alvarezii and commercial carrageenan (Sigma-Aldrich) were evaluated using in vitro antioxidant, anticancer and antidiabetic studies. Phytochemical analysis of native and commercial carrageenans showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, steroids, gums & mucilages and carbohydrate. Both native and commercial carrageenans exhibited better antioxidant activities such as total antioxidant capacity (87±0.47 and 82.6±0.47μg A.A/g), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (61.4±0.27 and 58.66±0.31μg/ml), nitric oxide radical scavenging activity (80.42±0.22 and 73.66±0.22μg/ml), DPPH radical scavenging activity (56.26±0.20 and 53.67±0.082μg/ml) and reducing power assay (46.57±0.32 and 42.54±0.27μg/ml) at the maximum concentration of 100μg/ml carrageenans. These results indicated that native carrageenan from K. alvarezii possessed better antioxidant potential in comparison with commercial carrageenan. Anticancer activities of both carrageenans showed excellent inhibition on the growth of breast, colon, liver and osteosarcoma cell lines at the maximum concentration of 150μg/ml. Native carrageenan exhibited an excellent anticancer activity on colon carcinoma cell lines (67.66±0.168%) with the IC 50 value of 73.87μg/ml and commercial carrageenan possessed a potent inhibition on the growth of breast cancer cell lines (67.33±0.077%) with the IC 50 value of 123.8μg/ml. These results clearly indicated the beneficial effect of native and commercial carrageenans as anticancer agents being a free radical scavenger. Anti-diabetic property of both carrageenans showed inhibition effect on α- glucosidase enzyme. The inhibitory effect depends on concentration of carrageenans and it was recorded that maximum (74.49±1.05 and 67.42±0.63) inhibitory effect of α- glucosidase enzyme at 500μg/ml concentration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Efficacy, Safety and Anticancer Activity of Protein Nanoparticle-Based Delivery of Doxorubicin through Intravenous Administration in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Golla, Kishore; Cherukuvada, Bhaskar; Ahmed, Farhan; Kondapi, Anand K.

    2012-01-01

    Background and Aims Doxorubicin is a potent anticancer drug and a major limiting factor that hinders therapeutic use as its high levels of systemic circulation often associated with various off-target effects, particularly cardiotoxicity. The present study focuses on evaluation of the efficacy of doxorubicin when it is loaded into the protein nanoparticles and delivered intravenously in rats bearing Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The proteins selected as carrier were Apotransferrin and Lactoferrin, since the receptors for these two proteins are known to be over expressed on cancer cells due to their iron transport capacity. Methods Doxorubicin loaded apotransferrin (Apodoxonano) and lactoferrin nanoparticles (Lactodoxonano) were prepared by sol-oil chemistry. HCC in the rats was induced by 100 mg/l of diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in drinking water for 8 weeks. Rats received 5 doses of 2 mg/kg drug equivalent nanoparticles through intravenous administration. Pharmacokinetics and toxicity of nanoformulations was evaluated in healthy rats and anticancer activity was studied in DENA treated rats. The anticancer activity was evaluated through counting of the liver nodules, H & E analysis and by estimating the expression levels of angiogenic and antitumor markers. Results In rats treated with nanoformulations, the numbers of liver nodules were found to be significantly reduced. They showed highest drug accumulation in liver (22.4 and 19.5 µg/g). Both nanoformulations showed higher localization compared to doxorubicin (Doxo) when delivered in the absence of a carrier. Higher amounts of Doxo (195 µg/g) were removed through kidney, while Apodoxonano and Lactodoxonano showed only a minimal amount of removal (<40 µg/g), suggesting the extended bioavailability of Doxo when delivered through nanoformulation. Safety analysis shows minimal cardiotoxicity due to lower drug accumulation in heart in the case of nanoformulation. Conclusion Drug delivery through nanoformulations not only minimizes the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin but also enhances the efficacy and bioavailability of the drug in a target-specific manner. PMID:23284832

  10. Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent against Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines.

    PubMed

    Al-Asmari, Abdulrahman Khazim; Albalawi, Sulaiman Mansour; Athar, Md Tanwir; Khan, Abdul Quaiyoom; Al-Shahrani, Hamoud; Islam, Mozaffarul

    2015-01-01

    In this study we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Moringa oleifera leaves, bark and seed extracts. When tested against MDA-MB-231 and HCT-8 cancer cell lines, the extracts of leaves and bark showed remarkable anti-cancer properties while surprisingly, seed extracts exhibited hardly any such properties. Cell survival was significantly low in both cells lines when treated with leaves and bark extracts. Furthermore, a striking reduction (about 70-90%) in colony formation as well as cell motility was observed upon treatment with leaves and bark. Additionally, apoptosis assay performed on these treated breast and colorectal cancer lines showed a remarkable increase in the number of apoptotic cells; with a 7 fold increase in MD-MB-231 to an increase of several fold in colorectal cancer cell lines. However, no significant apoptotic cells were detected upon seeds extract treatment. Moreover, the cell cycle distribution showed a G2/M enrichment (about 2-3 fold) indicating that these extracts effectively arrest the cell progression at the G2/M phase. The GC-MS analyses of these extracts revealed numerous known anti-cancer compounds, namely eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester, all of which possess long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring. This suggests that the anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the extracts from this plant. This is a novel study because no report has yet been cited on the effectiveness of Moringa extracts obtained in the locally grown environment as an anti-cancer agent against breast and colorectal cancers. Our study is the first of its kind to evaluate the anti-malignant properties of Moringa not only in leaves but also in bark. These findings suggest that both the leaf and bark extracts of Moringa collected from the Saudi Arabian region possess anti-cancer activity that can be used to develop new drugs for treatment of breast and colorectal cancers.

  11. Investigating the effect of gallium curcumin and gallium diacetylcurcumin complexes on the structure, function and oxidative stability of the peroxidase enzyme and their anticancer and antibacterial activities.

    PubMed

    Jahangoshaei, Parisa; Hassani, Leila; Mohammadi, Fakhrossadat; Hamidi, Akram; Mohammadi, Khosro

    2015-10-01

    Curcumin has a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Complexation of curcumin with metals has gained attention in recent years for improvement of its stability. In this study, the effect of gallium curcumin and gallium diacetylcurcumin on the structure, function and oxidative stability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme were evaluated by spectroscopic techniques. In addition to the enzymatic investigation, the cytotoxic effect of the complexes was assessed on bladder, MCF-7 breast cancer and LNCaP prostate carcinoma cell lines by MTT assay. Furthermore, antibacterial activity of the complexes against S. aureus and E. coli was explored by dilution test method. The results showed that the complexes improve activity of HRP and also increase its tolerance against the oxidative condition. After addition of the complexes, affinity of HRP for hydrogen peroxide substrate decreases, while the affinity increases for phenol substrate. Circular dichroism, intrinsic and synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that the enzyme structure around the catalytic heme group becomes less compact and also the distance between the heme group and tryptophan residues increases due to binding of the complexes to HRP. On the whole, it can be concluded that the change in the enzyme structure upon binding to the gallium curcumin and gallium diacetylcurcumin complexes results in an increase in the antioxidant efficiency and activity of the peroxidise enzyme. The result of anticancer and antibacterial activities suggested that the complexes exhibit the potential for cancer treatment, but they have no significant antibacterial activity.

  12. Novel non-trimethoxylphenyl piperlongumine derivatives selectively kill cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Youjun; Ma, Hao; Wu, Yuelin; Wu, Zhongli; Yao, Zhengguang; Zhang, Wannian; Zhuang, Chunlin; Miao, Zhenyuan

    2017-06-01

    Piperlongumine (PL) is a natural alkaloid with broad biological activities. Twelve analogues have been designed and synthesized with non-substituted benzyl rings or heterocycles in this work. Most of the compounds showed better anticancer activities than the parent PL without apparent toxicity in normal cells. Elevation of cellular ROS levels was one of the main anticancer mechanisms of these compounds. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest for the best compound ZM90 were evaluated and similar mechanism of action with PL was demonstrated. The SAR was also characterized, providing worthy directions for further optimization of PL compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Optimization of gefitinib analogues with potent anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Yin, Kai-Hao; Hsieh, Yi-Han; Sulake, Rohidas S; Wang, Su-Pei; Chao, Jui-I; Chen, Chinpiao

    2014-11-15

    The interactions of gefitinib (Iressa) in EGFR are hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces through quinazoline and aniline rings. However the morpholino group of gefitinib is poorly ordered due to its weak electron density. A series of novel piperazino analogues of gefitinib where morpholino group substituted with various piperazino groups were designed and synthesized. Most of them indicated significant anti-cancer activities against human cancer cell lines. In particular, compounds 52-54 showed excellent potency against cancer cells. Convergent synthetic approach has been developed for the synthesis of gefitinib intermediate which can lead to gefitinib as well as numerous analogues. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Potential anticancer properties of bioactive compounds of Gymnema sylvestre and its biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Arunachalam, Kantha Deivi; Arun, Lilly Baptista; Annamalai, Sathesh Kumar; Arunachalam, Aarrthy M

    2015-01-01

    Background Gymnema sylvestre is an ethno-pharmacologically important medicinal plant used in many polyherbal formulations for its potential health benefits. Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) were biofunctionalized using aqueous leaf extracts of G. sylvestre. The anticancer properties of the bioactive compounds and the biofunctionalized SNPs were compared using the HT29 human adenoma colon cancer cell line. Methods The preliminary phytochemical screening for bioactive compounds from aqueous extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids, steroids, and saponins. Biofunctionalized SNPs were synthesized using silver nitrate and characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction for size and shape. The characterized biofunctionalized G. sylvestre were tested for its in vitro anticancer activity against HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Results The biofunctionlized G. sylvestre SNPs showed the surface plasmon resonance band at 430 nm. The scanning electron microscopy images showed the presence of spherical nanoparticles of various sizes, which were further determined using the Scherrer equation. In vitro cytotoxic activity of the biofunctionalized green-synthesized SNPs (GSNPs) indicated that the sensitivity of HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells for cytotoxic drugs is higher than that of Vero cell line for the same cytotoxic agents and also higher than the bioactive compound of the aqueous extract. Conclusion Our results show that the anticancer properties of the bioactive compounds of G. sylvestre can be enhanced through biofunctionalizing the SNPs using the bioactive compounds present in the plant extract without compromising their medicinal properties. PMID:25565802

  15. Extract of Vernonia condensata, Inhibits Tumor Progression and Improves Survival of Tumor-allograft Bearing Mouse

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, Elizabeth; Gopalakrishnan, Vidya; Somasagara, Ranganatha R.; Choudhary, Bibha; Raghavan, Sathees C.

    2016-01-01

    Medicinal plants are considered as one of the ideal sources for cancer therapy due to their bioactive contents and low toxicity to humans. Vernonia genus is one of the common medicinal plants, which has wide spread usage in food and medicine. However, there are limited studies to explore its anticancer properties. In the current study, we have used Vernonia condensata, to explore its anticancer activity using various approaches. Here, we show that extract prepared from Vernonia condensata (VCE) exhibits cytotoxic properties against various cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Interestingly, when treated with VCE, there was no significant cytotoxicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Flow cytometry analysis revealed that although VCE induced cell death, arrest was not observed. VCE treatment led to disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in a concentration dependent manner resulting in activation of apoptosis culminating in cell death. Immunoblotting studies revealed that VCE activated intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. More importantly, VCE treatment resulted in tumor regression leading to significant enhancement in life span in treated mice, without showing any detectable side effects. Therefore, for the first time our study reveals the potential of extract from Vernonia condensata to be used as an anticancer agent. PMID:27009490

  16. Impediments to enhancement of CPT-11 anticancer activity by E. coli directed beta-glucuronidase therapy.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, Yuan-Ting; Chen, Kai-Chuan; Cheng, Chiu-Min; Cheng, Tian-Lu; Tao, Mi-Hua; Roffler, Steve R

    2015-01-01

    CPT-11 is a camptothecin analog used for the clinical treatment of colorectal adenocarcinoma. CPT-11 is converted into the therapeutic anti-cancer agent SN-38 by liver enzymes and can be further metabolized to a non-toxic glucuronide SN-38G, resulting in low SN-38 but high SN-38G concentrations in the circulation. We previously demonstrated that adenoviral expression of membrane-anchored beta-glucuronidase could promote conversion of SN-38G to SN-38 in tumors and increase the anticancer activity of CPT-11. Here, we identified impediments to effective tumor therapy with E. coli that were engineered to constitutively express highly active E. coli beta-glucuronidase intracellularly to enhance the anticancer activity of CPT-11. The engineered bacteria, E. coli (lux/βG), could hydrolyze SN-38G to SN-38, increased the sensitivity of cultured tumor cells to SN-38G by about 100 fold and selectively accumulated in tumors. However, E. coli (lux/βG) did not more effectively increase CPT-11 anticancer activity in human tumor xenografts as compared to non-engineered E. coli. SN-38G conversion to SN-38 by E. coli (lux/βG) appeared to be limited by slow uptake into bacteria as well as by segregation of E. coli in necrotic regions of tumors that may be relatively inaccessible to systemically-administered drug molecules. Studies using a fluorescent glucuronide probe showed that significantly greater glucuronide hydrolysis could be achieved in mice pretreated with E. coli (lux/βG) by direct intratumoral injection of the glucuronide probe or by intratumoral lysis of bacteria to release intracellular beta-glucuronidase. Our study suggests that the distribution of beta-glucuronidase, and possibly other therapeutic proteins, in the tumor microenvironment might be an important barrier for effective bacterial-based tumor therapy. Expression of secreted therapeutic proteins or induction of therapeutic protein release from bacteria might therefore be a promising strategy to enhance anti-tumor activity.

  17. Impediments to Enhancement of CPT-11 Anticancer Activity by E. coli Directed Beta-Glucuronidase Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Hsieh, Yuan-Ting; Chen, Kai-Chuan; Cheng, Chiu-Min; Cheng, Tian-Lu; Tao, Mi-Hua; Roffler, Steve R.

    2015-01-01

    CPT-11 is a camptothecin analog used for the clinical treatment of colorectal adenocarcinoma. CPT-11 is converted into the therapeutic anti-cancer agent SN-38 by liver enzymes and can be further metabolized to a non-toxic glucuronide SN-38G, resulting in low SN-38 but high SN-38G concentrations in the circulation. We previously demonstrated that adenoviral expression of membrane-anchored beta-glucuronidase could promote conversion of SN-38G to SN-38 in tumors and increase the anticancer activity of CPT-11. Here, we identified impediments to effective tumor therapy with E. coli that were engineered to constitutively express highly active E. coli beta-glucuronidase intracellularly to enhance the anticancer activity of CPT-11. The engineered bacteria, E. coli (lux/βG), could hydrolyze SN-38G to SN-38, increased the sensitivity of cultured tumor cells to SN-38G by about 100 fold and selectively accumulated in tumors. However, E. coli (lux/βG) did not more effectively increase CPT-11 anticancer activity in human tumor xenografts as compared to non-engineered E. coli. SN-38G conversion to SN-38 by E. coli (lux/βG) appeared to be limited by slow uptake into bacteria as well as by segregation of E. coli in necrotic regions of tumors that may be relatively inaccessible to systemically-administered drug molecules. Studies using a fluorescent glucuronide probe showed that significantly greater glucuronide hydrolysis could be achieved in mice pretreated with E. coli (lux/βG) by direct intratumoral injection of the glucuronide probe or by intratumoral lysis of bacteria to release intracellular beta-glucuronidase. Our study suggests that the distribution of beta-glucuronidase, and possibly other therapeutic proteins, in the tumor microenvironment might be an important barrier for effective bacterial-based tumor therapy. Expression of secreted therapeutic proteins or induction of therapeutic protein release from bacteria might therefore be a promising strategy to enhance anti-tumor activity. PMID:25688562

  18. Prediction of anticancer property of bowsellic acid derivatives by quantitative structure activity relationship analysis and molecular docking study.

    PubMed

    Satpathy, Raghunath; Guru, R K; Behera, R; Nayak, B

    2015-01-01

    Boswellic acid consists of a series of pentacyclic triterpene molecules that are produced by the plant Boswellia serrata. The potential applications of Bowsellic acid for treatment of cancer have been focused here. To predict the property of the bowsellic acid derivatives as anticancer compounds by various computational approaches. In this work, all total 65 derivatives of bowsellic acids from the PubChem database were considered for the study. After energy minimization of the ligands various types of molecular descriptors were computed and corresponding two-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models were obtained by taking Andrews coefficient as the dependent variable. Different types of comparative analysis were used for QSAR study are multiple linear regression, partial least squares, support vector machines and artificial neural network. From the study geometrical descriptors shows the highest correlation coefficient, which indicates the binding factor of the compound. To evaluate the anticancer property molecular docking study of six selected ligands based on Andrews affinity were performed with nuclear factor-kappa protein kinase (Protein Data Bank ID 4G3D), which is an established therapeutic target for cancers. Along with QSAR study and docking result, it was predicted that bowsellic acid can also be treated as a potential anticancer compound. Along with QSAR study and docking result, it was predicted that bowsellic acid can also be treated as a potential anticancer compound.

  19. Development of a gene expression database and related analysis programs for evaluation of anticancer compounds.

    PubMed

    Ushijima, Masaru; Mashima, Tetsuo; Tomida, Akihiro; Dan, Shingo; Saito, Sakae; Furuno, Aki; Tsukahara, Satomi; Seimiya, Hiroyuki; Yamori, Takao; Matsuura, Masaaki

    2013-03-01

    Genome-wide transcriptional expression analysis is a powerful strategy for characterizing the biological activity of anticancer compounds. It is often instructive to identify gene sets involved in the activity of a given drug compound for comparison with different compounds. Currently, however, there is no comprehensive gene expression database and related application system that is; (i) specialized in anticancer agents; (ii) easy to use; and (iii) open to the public. To develop a public gene expression database of antitumor agents, we first examined gene expression profiles in human cancer cells after exposure to 35 compounds including 25 clinically used anticancer agents. Gene signatures were extracted that were classified as upregulated or downregulated after exposure to the drug. Hierarchical clustering showed that drugs with similar mechanisms of action, such as genotoxic drugs, were clustered. Connectivity map analysis further revealed that our gene signature data reflected modes of action of the respective agents. Together with the database, we developed analysis programs that calculate scores for ranking changes in gene expression and for searching statistically significant pathways from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database in order to analyze the datasets more easily. Our database and the analysis programs are available online at our website (http://scads.jfcr.or.jp/db/cs/). Using these systems, we successfully showed that proteasome inhibitors are selectively classified as endoplasmic reticulum stress inducers and induce atypical endoplasmic reticulum stress. Thus, our public access database and related analysis programs constitute a set of efficient tools to evaluate the mode of action of novel compounds and identify promising anticancer lead compounds. © 2012 Japanese Cancer Association.

  20. Structural characterization and biomedical properties of sulfated polysaccharide from the gladius of Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Lesson, 1831).

    PubMed

    Seedevi, Palaniappan; Moovendhan, Meivelu; Vairamani, Shanmugam; Shanmugam, Annian

    2016-04-01

    Sulfated polysaccharide was extracted from the internal shell (gladius) of Sepioteuthis lessoniana. The sulfated polysaccharide contained 61.3% of carbohydrate, 0.8% of protein, 28.2% of ash and 1.33% of moisture respectively. The elemental composition was analyzed using CHNS/O analyzer. The molecular weight of sulfated polysaccharide determined through PAGE was found to be as 66 kDa. Monosaccharides analysis revealed that sulfated polysaccharide was composed of rhamnose, galactose, xylose and glucose. The structural features of sulfated polysaccharide were analyzed by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. Further the sulfated polysaccharide was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against selected human clinical pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Proteus mirabilis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Streptococcus pyogenes using agar well diffusion method. The polysaccharide has showed good antibacterial activity and MIC and MBC have also been evaluated. The anticancer activity was tested against HeLa cell line by MTT assay. The Cytotoxic Concentration (CC50) was observed as 700 μg/ml and the maximum anticancer activity of 62.89% was recorded at 200 μg/ml; whereas, the lowest of 9.87% was observed at 25 μg/ml. In conclusion, the sulfated polysaccharide is an alternate, non-toxic and cheap source of substance that showed good antibacterial and anticancer acitivity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Plant Antimicrobial Peptides as Potential Anticancer Agents

    PubMed Central

    Guzmán-Rodríguez, Jaquelina Julia; López-Gómez, Rodolfo

    2015-01-01

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are part of the innate immune defense mechanism of many organisms and are promising candidates to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria to animals and humans. AMPs also display anticancer activities because of their ability to inactivate a wide range of cancer cells. Cancer remains a cause of high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, the development of methods for its control is desirable. Attractive alternatives include plant AMP thionins, defensins, and cyclotides, which have anticancer activities. Here, we provide an overview of plant AMPs anticancer activities, with an emphasis on their mode of action, their selectivity, and their efficacy. PMID:25815333

  2. Synthesis, antitubercular and anticancer activities of substituted furyl-quinazolin-3(4H)-ones.

    PubMed

    Raghavendra, Nulgulmnalli M; Thampi, Parameshwaran; Gurubasavarajaswamy, Purvarga M; Sriram, Dharmarajan

    2007-12-01

    Some novel substituted-3-{[(1E)-(substituted-2-furyl)-methylene]amino}quinazolin-4(3H)-one (5, 6, 7) a-f were synthesized by a multi-step process. These synthesized compounds are characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their antitubercular and anticancer activities. Biological activity indicated that some of the title compounds are potent antitubercular and anticancer agents.

  3. A magnetic anti-cancer compound for magnet-guided delivery and magnetic resonance imaging

    PubMed Central

    Eguchi, Haruki; Umemura, Masanari; Kurotani, Reiko; Fukumura, Hidenobu; Sato, Itaru; Kim, Jeong-Hwan; Hoshino, Yujiro; Lee, Jin; Amemiya, Naoyuki; Sato, Motohiko; Hirata, Kunio; Singh, David J.; Masuda, Takatsugu; Yamamoto, Masahiro; Urano, Tsutomu; Yoshida, Keiichiro; Tanigaki, Katsumi; Yamamoto, Masaki; Sato, Mamoru; Inoue, Seiichi; Aoki, Ichio; Ishikawa, Yoshihiro

    2015-01-01

    Research on controlled drug delivery for cancer chemotherapy has focused mainly on ways to deliver existing anti-cancer drug compounds to specified targets, e.g., by conjugating them with magnetic particles or encapsulating them in micelles. Here, we show that an iron-salen, i.e., μ-oxo N,N'- bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine iron (Fe(Salen)), but not other metal salen derivatives, intrinsically exhibits both magnetic character and anti-cancer activity. X-Ray crystallographic analysis and first principles calculations based on the measured structure support this. It promoted apoptosis of various cancer cell lines, likely, via production of reactive oxygen species. In mouse leg tumor and tail melanoma models, Fe(Salen) delivery with magnet caused a robust decrease in tumor size, and the accumulation of Fe(Salen) was visualized by magnetic resonance imaging. Fe(Salen) is an anti-cancer compound with magnetic property, which is suitable for drug delivery and imaging. We believe such magnetic anti-cancer drugs have the potential to greatly advance cancer chemotherapy for new theranostics and drug-delivery strategies. PMID:25779357

  4. Enhanced Production of Gypenoside LXXV Using a Novel Ginsenoside-Transforming β-Glucosidase from Ginseng-Cultivating Soil Bacteria and Its Anti-Cancer Property.

    PubMed

    Cui, Chang-Hao; Kim, Da Jung; Jung, Suk-Chae; Kim, Sun-Chang; Im, Wan-Taek

    2017-05-19

    Minor ginsenosides, such as compound K, Rg₃( S ), which can be produced by deglycosylation of ginsenosides Rb₁, showed strong anti-cancer effects. However, the anticancer effects of gypenoside LXXV, which is one of the deglycosylated shapes of ginsenoside Rb₁, is still unknown due to the rarity of its content in plants. Here, we cloned and characterized a novel ginsenoside-transforming β-glucosidase (BglG167b) derived from Microbacterium sp. Gsoil 167 which can efficiently hydrolyze gypenoside XVII into gypenoside LXXV, and applied it to the production of gypenoside LXXV at the gram-scale with high specificity. In addition, the anti-cancer activity of gypenoside LXXV was investigated against three cancer cell lines (HeLa, B16, and MDA-MB231) in vitro. Gypenoside LXXV significantly reduced cell viability, displaying an enhanced anti-cancer effect compared to gypenoside XVII and Rb₁. Taken together, this enzymatic method would be useful in the preparation of gypenoside LXXV for the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.

  5. Biological Evaluation in Vitro and in Silico of Azetidin-2-one Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents.

    PubMed

    Olazaran, Fabián E; Rivera, Gildardo; Pérez-Vázquez, Alondra M; Morales-Reyes, Cynthia M; Segura-Cabrera, Aldo; Balderas-Rentería, Isaías

    2017-01-12

    Potential anticancer activity of 16 azetidin-2-one derivatives was evaluated showing that compound 6 [ N -( p -methoxy-phenyl)-2-( p -methyl-phenyl)-3-phenoxy-azetidin-2-one] presented cytotoxic activity in SiHa cells and B16F10 cells. The caspase-3 assay in B16F10 cells displayed that azetidin-2-one derivatives induce apoptosis. Microarray and molecular analysis showed that compound 6 was involved on specific gene overexpression of cytoskeleton regulation and apoptosis due to the inhibition of some cell cycle genes. From the 16 derivatives, compound 6 showed the highest selectivity to neoplastic cells, it was an inducer of apoptosis, and according to an in silico analysis of chemical interactions with colchicine binding site of human α/β-tubulin, the mechanism of action could be a molecular interaction involving the amino acids outlining such binding site.

  6. Biological Evaluation in Vitro and in Silico of Azetidin-2-one Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Potential anticancer activity of 16 azetidin-2-one derivatives was evaluated showing that compound 6 [N-(p-methoxy-phenyl)-2-(p-methyl-phenyl)-3-phenoxy-azetidin-2-one] presented cytotoxic activity in SiHa cells and B16F10 cells. The caspase-3 assay in B16F10 cells displayed that azetidin-2-one derivatives induce apoptosis. Microarray and molecular analysis showed that compound 6 was involved on specific gene overexpression of cytoskeleton regulation and apoptosis due to the inhibition of some cell cycle genes. From the 16 derivatives, compound 6 showed the highest selectivity to neoplastic cells, it was an inducer of apoptosis, and according to an in silico analysis of chemical interactions with colchicine binding site of human α/β-tubulin, the mechanism of action could be a molecular interaction involving the amino acids outlining such binding site. PMID:28105271

  7. Noscapinoids with anti-cancer activity against human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells (CEM): a three dimensional chemical space pharmacophore modeling and electronic feature analysis.

    PubMed

    Naik, Pradeep K; Santoshi, Seneha; Joshi, Harish C

    2012-01-01

    We have identified a new class of microtubule-binding compounds-noscapinoids-that alter microtubule dynamics at stoichiometric concentrations without affecting tubulin polymer mass. Noscapinoids show great promise as chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of human cancers. To investigate the structural determinants of noscapinoids responsible for anti-cancer activity, we tested 36 structurally diverse noscapinoids in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells (CEM). The IC(50) values of these noscapinoids vary from 1.2 to 56.0 μM. Pharmacophore models of anti-cancer activity were generated that identify two hydrogen bond acceptors, two aromatic rings, two hydrophobic groups, and one positively charged group as essential structural features. Additionally, an atom-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was developed that gave a statistically satisfying result (R(2) = 0.912, Q(2) = 0.908, Pearson R = 0.951) and effectively predicts the anti-cancer activity of training and test set compounds. The pharmacophore model presented here is well supported by electronic property analysis using density functional theory at B3LYP/3-21*G level. Molecular electrostatic potential, particularly localization of negative potential near oxygen atoms of the dimethoxy isobenzofuranone ring of active compounds, matched the hydrogen bond acceptor feature of the generated pharmacophore. Our results further reveal that all active compounds have smaller lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies concentrated over the dimethoxy isobenzofuranone ring, azido group, and nitro group, which is indicative of the electron acceptor capacity of the compounds. Results obtained from this study will be useful in the efficient design and development of more active noscapinoids.

  8. Smart tetrazole-based antibacterial nanoparticles as multifunctional drug carriers for cancer combination therapy.

    PubMed

    Zakerzadeh, Elham; Salehi, Roya; Mahkam, Mehrdad

    2017-12-01

    Due to multidrug resistance of cancer tissues and immune-suppression of cancerous patients during chemotherapy in one hand and the use of tetrazole derivatives in medicine because of its anticancer, antifungal, and antiviral properties, on the other, we were encouraged to design novel smart antibacterial nanocomposites-based polymer of tetrazole as dual anticancer drug delivery systems. The structures of nanocomposites characterized by FTIR, 1 H NMR, FESEM-EDX, and TGA analyzes and antibacterial activity of smart carriers were evaluated by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against some bacteria and fungi. Then, the pH-responsive manner of both nanocomposites was proved by checking their release profiles at pH of the physiological environment (pH 7.4) and pH of tumor tissues (mildly acidic). Finally, the potential antitumoral activity of these nanocomposite systems against MCF7 cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay and cell cycle studies. The results demonstrated that the novel developed nanocomposites not only meet our expectations about simultaneous release of two anticancer drugs according to the predicted profile but also showed antibacterial and anticancer properties in vitro experimental. Moreover, it was proved that these carriers have tremendous potential in multifunctional drug delivery in cancer therapy.

  9. Synthesis and evaluation of triazole linked glycosylated 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives as anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Parida, Pravat Kumar; Sau, Abhijit; Ghosh, Tamashree; Jana, Kuladip; Biswas, Kaushik; Raha, Sanghamitra; Misra, Anup Kumar

    2014-08-15

    A series of glycosyl triazol linked 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) derivatives have been synthesized using 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of per-O-acetylated glycosyl azide derivatives (4a-h) with propargyl ester of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) (2 and 3) following the concept of 'Click chemistry'. The synthesized triazole derivatives were de-O-acetylated to furnish compounds (7a-h and 8a-c) with free hydroxyl groups in the carbohydrate moieties, which were evaluated for their anticancer potential against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and normal kidney epithelial (NKE) cells. GA (1), compound 7d, compound 7g and compound 8c showed promising anticancer activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Synthesis and Larvicidal and Adult Topical Activity of Some Hydrazide-Hydrazone Derivatives Against Aedes aegypti

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-01-01

    anticancer, antifungal, antiviral, antitumoral, antibacterial and antimalarial activities [11-13]. Recently, our group has been investigating the...ABSTRACT A series of novel hydrazide-hydrazone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their larvicidal and adult topical activity against...4b) showed noteworthy larvacidal activity against Aedes aegypti. Dose-response data of compound 4b showed LC50 and LC90 values of 30.5 (15.4 – 22.7

  11. Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells Through Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways by Balanites aegyptiaca Furostanol Saponins and Saponin-Coated SilverNanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Yassin, Abdelrahman M; El-Deeb, Nehal M; Metwaly, Ahmed M; El Fawal, Gomaa F; Radwan, Mohamed M; Hafez, Elsayed E

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this investigation is to examine the anticancer activities of Balanites aegyptiaca fruit extract with its biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against colon and liver cancer cells. B. aegyptiaca aqueous extract was fractionated according to polarity and by biosynthesized AgNP. The cytotoxicity of the extract, semi-purified fractions, and the AgNPs was examined on noncancerous cell lines. The safer fraction was subjected to ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS to identify the major active constituents. The anticancer activities of the nontoxic doses of all the used treatments were tested against HepG2 and CaCo2 cells. The nontoxic dose of the B. aegyptiaca (0.63 mg/ml) extract showed high anti-proliferative activities against HepG2 and CaCo2 with a percentage of 81 and 77%, respectively. The butanol fraction was safer than the other two fractions with 46.3 and 90.35% anti-proliferative activity against Caco2 and HepG2 cells, respectively. The nontoxic dose of AgNPs (0.63 mg/ml) inhibits both HepG2 and Caco2 cells with a percentage of 84.5 and 83.4%, respectively. In addition, AgNPs regulate the expression of certain genes with folding higher than that of crude extract. Saponin-coated AgNPs showed great abilities to select the most anticancer ingredient(s) from the B. aegyptiaca extract with a more safety pattern than the polarity gradient fractionation.

  12. Natural products from Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. with antiproliferation activities in HCT116 colorectal cell lines.

    PubMed

    Riaz, Muhammad; Bilal, Aishah; Ali, Muhammad Shaiq; Fatima, Itrat; Faisal, Amir; Sherkheli, Muhammad Azhar; Asghar, Adnan

    2017-03-01

    Parasitic Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. possesses many medicinal properties and is a rich source of a variety of biologically relevant natural products. Natural products are the prime source of leads, drugs, and drug templates, and many of the anticancer and antiviral drugs are either based on natural product or derived from them. Cancer is a devastating disease and one of the leading causes of death worldwide despite improvements in patient survival during the past 50 years; new and improved treatments for cancer are therefore actively sought. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer worldwide and is responsible for nearly 9% of all cancer deaths. Our search for anticancer natural products from C. reflexa has yielded four natural products: Scoparone (1), p-coumaric acid (2), stigmasta-3,5-diene (3) and 1-O-p-hydroxycinnamoylglucose (4) and among them 1-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyldlucose (4) showed promising antiproliferative activities in HCT116 colorectal cell lines, whereas compounds 1-3 showed moderate activities.

  13. 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD) analogues chemosensitize multidrug-resistant cancer cells to clinical anticancer drugs.

    PubMed

    Liu, Junhua; Wang, Xu; Liu, Peng; Deng, Rongxin; Lei, Min; Chen, Wantao; Hu, Lihong

    2013-07-15

    Novel 20(S)-protopanoxadiol (PPD) analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the chemosensitizing activity against a multidrug resistant (MDR) cell line (KBvcr) overexpressing P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Structure-activity relationship analysis showed that aromatic substituted aliphatic amine at the 24-positions (groups V) effectively and significantly sensitized P-gp overexpressing multidrug resistant (MDR) cells to anticancer drugs, such as docetaxel (DOC), vincristine (VCR), and adriamycin (ADM). PPD derivatives 12 and 18 showed 1.3-2.6 times more effective reversal ability than verapamil (VER) for DOC and VCR. Importantly, no cytotoxicity was observed by the active PPD analogues (5μM) against both non-MDR and MDR cells, suggesting that PPD analogues serve as novel lead compounds toward a potent and safe resistance modulator. Moreover, a preliminary mechanism study demonstrated that the chemosensitizing activity of PPD analogues results from inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressed in MDR cancer cells. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  14. Anticancer, antibacterial and antifungal activity of new ni (ii) and cu (ii) complexes of imidazole-phenanthroline derivatives.

    PubMed

    Moghadam, Mahboube Eslami; Divsalar, Adeleh; Zare, Marziye Shahraki; Gholizadeh, Roghayeh; Mahalleh, Doran; Saghatforosh, Lotfali; Sanati, Soheila

    2017-11-02

    Two new nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 2-(Furan-2-yl)-1H-Imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]Phenanthroline (FIP) and 2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (TIP), imidazophen derivatives were synthesized. The structures of the compounds were determined by UV-visible and FT-IR spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. The biological activities of Ni and Cu complexes, as anticancer agents, were tested against chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line, K562, at micromolar concentration. The MTT studies showed Cc 50 values are 21 and 160 µM for Cu and Ni(II) complexes, respectively; suggesting that Ni (II) complex has Cc 50 almost seven times of that obtained for cisplatin. Biological activity of the Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes were also assayed against selective microorganisms by disc diffusion method. These results showed that the Cu(II) complex is antifungal agent but Ni(II) complex has antibacterial activity.

  15. The Influence of Different Oregano Species on the Antioxidant Activity Determined Using HPLC Postcolumn DPPH Method and Anticancer Activity of Carvacrol and Rosmarinic Acid

    PubMed Central

    Kubiliene, Asta; Marksa, Mindaugas; Petrikaite, Vilma; Vitkevičius, Konradas; Baranauskas, Algirdas

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate concentration-dependent antioxidant and anticancer activities of CA and RA in ethanol extracts of three different Oregano species (Origanum onites L., Origanum vulgare L., and Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum). The study revealed the highest RA antioxidant activity in O. vulgare ssp. hirtum (9550 ± 95 mmol/g) and the lowest in O. vulgare L. (2605 ± 52 mmol/g) (p < 0.05). The highest CA amount was present in O. onites L., which was 1.8 and 4.7 times higher (p < 0.05) than in O. vulgare ssp. hirtum and O. vulgare L., respectively. The anticancer activity was evaluated on human glioblastoma (U87) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB231) cell lines in vitro. RA anticancer activity was negligible. CA and the extracts were about 1.5–2 times more active against MDA-MB231 cell line (p < 0.05) compared to U87 cell line. The anticancer activities of three tested extracts were similar against U87 cell line (p > 0.05) but they had different activities against MDA-MB231 cell line. PMID:29181386

  16. Synthesis, characterization and anticancer activity of new Schiff bases bearing neocryptolepine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Emam, Sanaa M.; El Sayed, Ibrahim E. T.; Ayad, Mohamed I.; Hathout, Heba M. R.

    2017-10-01

    The synthesis of new Shiff base ligands denoted L1, HL2 and HL3 starting from the appropriate aminoneocryptolepine and salicaldehyde were described. The chelation abilities of L1, HL2 and HL3 ligands towards Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Pd(II) salts have been studied. A series of square planar complexes containing Cu(II) salts, PdCl2 and octahedral chelates containing NiCl2, CoCl2 salts (2 and 7) have been isolated. Also, the pentacoordinated Co(II) complex [Co(L1)2Cl]·Cl.0.5H2O·1.25EtOH (1) has been prepared. The mode of bonding and geometrical structure of complexes has been confirmed by elemental analyses and different spectroscopic methods together with thermal, magnetic moment studies, molecular modeling and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the synthesized ligands, in comparison to some of their metal complexes were screened for their anticancer activity against colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cells. The results showed that Co(II) complexes (1 and 7) exhibited higher anticancer activity when compared to the corresponding ligands.

  17. Decursin prevents cisplatin-induced apoptosis via the enhancement of antioxidant enzymes in human renal epithelial cells.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jeong Hwan; Jeong, Soo-Jin; Kwon, Hee-Young; Park, Sang Yoon; Lee, Hyo-Jung; Lee, Hyo-Jeong; Lieske, John Charles; Kim, Sung-Hoon

    2010-01-01

    Adverse effects, nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity, of anticancer drugs such as cisplatin have limited the usage for cancer therapy. Therefore, development or identification of supplement agents in anticancer drugs is attractive to reduce side effects and enhance antitumor activity. Here, we found that decursin isolated from Angelica gigas showed protective effects of cisplatin-induced damage in normal human primary renal epithelial cells (HRCs). We found that decursin significantly blocked cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity by 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay in HRCs. Further, we found that decursin inhibited sub-G1 and cell death by suppression of cleavage of caspase-3, -9 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) induced by cisplatin treatment in HRCs. Importantly, decursin effectively restored the activities of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase in cisplatin-treated HRCs. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that decurcin prevents cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis through the activation of antioxidant enzymes in HRCs and suggest further that combination of decursin might suppressed adverse effects of anticancer drugs in cancer patients.

  18. Covalent Ligand Discovery against Druggable Hotspots Targeted by Anti-cancer Natural Products.

    PubMed

    Grossman, Elizabeth A; Ward, Carl C; Spradlin, Jessica N; Bateman, Leslie A; Huffman, Tucker R; Miyamoto, David K; Kleinman, Jordan I; Nomura, Daniel K

    2017-11-16

    Many natural products that show therapeutic activities are often difficult to synthesize or isolate and have unknown targets, hindering their development as drugs. Identifying druggable hotspots targeted by covalently acting anti-cancer natural products can enable pharmacological interrogation of these sites with more synthetically tractable compounds. Here, we used chemoproteomic platforms to discover that the anti-cancer natural product withaferin A targets C377 on the regulatory subunit PPP2R1A of the tumor-suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) complex leading to activation of PP2A activity, inactivation of AKT, and impaired breast cancer cell proliferation. We developed a more synthetically tractable cysteine-reactive covalent ligand, JNS 1-40, that selectively targets C377 of PPP2R1A to impair breast cancer signaling, proliferation, and in vivo tumor growth. Our study highlights the utility of using chemoproteomics to map druggable hotspots targeted by complex natural products and subsequently interrogating these sites with more synthetically tractable covalent ligands for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Neutral Porphyrin Derivative Exerts Anticancer Activity by Targeting Cellular Topoisomerase I (Top1) and Promotes Apoptotic Cell Death without Stabilizing Top1-DNA Cleavage Complexes

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Camptothecin (CPT) selectively traps topoisomerase 1-DNA cleavable complexes (Top1cc) to promote anticancer activity. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a new class of neutral porphyrin derivative 5,10-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-15, 20-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)porphyrin (compound 8) as a potent catalytic inhibitor of human Top1. In contrast to CPT, compound 8 reversibly binds with the free enzyme and inhibits the formation of Top1cc and promotes reversal of the preformed Top1cc with CPT. Compound 8 induced inhibition of Top1cc formation in live cells was substantiated by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) assays. We established that MCF7 cells treated with compound 8 trigger proteasome-mediated Top1 degradation, accumulate higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), PARP1 cleavage, oxidative DNA fragmentation, and stimulate apoptotic cell death without stabilizing apoptotic Top1-DNA cleavage complexes. Finally, compound 8 shows anticancer activity by targeting cellular Top1 and preventing the enzyme from directly participating in the apoptotic process. PMID:29290109

  20. Arctigenin suppresses unfolded protein response and sensitizes glucose deprivation-mediated cytotoxicity of cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Sun, Shengrong; Wang, Xiong; Wang, Changhua; Nawaz, Ahmed; Wei, Wen; Li, Juanjuan; Wang, Lijun; Yu, De-Hua

    2011-01-01

    The involvement of unfolded protein response (UPR) activation in tumor survival and resistance to chemotherapies suggests a new anticancer strategy targeting UPR pathway. Arctigenin, a natural product, has been recently identified for its antitumor activity with selective toxicity against cancer cells under glucose starvation with unknown mechanism. Here we found that arctigenin specifically blocks the transcriptional induction of two potential anticancer targets, namely glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) and its analog GRP94, under glucose deprivation, but not by tunicamycin. The activation of other UPR pathways, e.g., XBP-1 and ATF4, by glucose deprivation was also suppressed by arctigenin. A further transgene experiment showed that ectopic expression of GRP78 at least partially rescued arctigenin/glucose starvation-mediated cell growth inhibition, suggesting the causal role of UPR suppression in arctigenin-mediated cytotoxicity under glucose starvation. These observations bring a new insight into the mechanism of action of arctigenin and may lead to the design of new anticancer therapeutics. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Jellyfish extract induces apoptotic cell death through the p38 pathway and cell cycle arrest in chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells

    PubMed Central

    Kwak, Choong-Hwan; Abekura, Fukushi; Park, Jun-Young; Park, Nam Gyu; Chang, Young-Chae; Lee, Young-Choon; Chung, Tae-Wook; Ha, Ki-Tae; Son, Jong-Keun

    2017-01-01

    Jellyfish species are widely distributed in the world’s oceans, and their population is rapidly increasing. Jellyfish extracts have several biological functions, such as cytotoxic, anti-microbial, and antioxidant activities in cells and organisms. However, the anti-cancer effect of Jellyfish extract has not yet been examined. We used chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells to evaluate the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity of hexane extracts from Nomura’s jellyfish in vitro. In this study, jellyfish are subjected to hexane extraction, and the extract is shown to have an anticancer effect on chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells. Interestingly, the present results show that jellyfish hexane extract (Jellyfish-HE) induces apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. To identify the mechanism(s) underlying Jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis in K562 cells, we examined the effects of Jellyfish-HE on activation of caspase and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which are responsible for cell cycle progression. Induction of apoptosis by Jellyfish-HE occurred through the activation of caspases-3,-8 and -9 and phosphorylation of p38. Jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis was blocked by a caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD. Moreover, during apoptosis in K562 cells, p38 MAPK was inhibited by pretreatment with SB203580, an inhibitor of p38. SB203580 blocked jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis. Additionally, Jellyfish-HE markedly arrests the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Therefore, taken together, the results imply that the anti-cancer activity of Jellyfish-HE may be mediated apoptosis by induction of caspases and activation of MAPK, especially phosphorylation of p38, and cell cycle arrest at the Go/G1 phase in K562 cells. PMID:28133573

  2. Ruthenium complexes with phenylterpyridine derivatives target cell membrane and trigger death receptors-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Deng, Zhiqin; Gao, Pan; Yu, Lianling; Ma, Bin; You, Yuanyuan; Chan, Leung; Mei, Chaoming; Chen, Tianfeng

    2017-06-01

    Elucidation of the communication between metal complexes and cell membrane may provide useful information for rational design of metal-based anticancer drugs. Herein we synthesized a novel class of ruthenium (Ru) complexes containing phtpy derivatives (phtpy = phenylterpyridine), analyzed their structure-activity relationship and revealed their action mechanisms. The result showed that, the increase in the planarity of hydrophobic Ru complexes significantly enhanced their lipophilicity and cellular uptake. Meanwhile, the introduction of nitro group effectively improved their anticancer efficacy. Further mechanism studies revealed that, complex (2c), firstly accumulated on cell membrane and interacted with death receptors to activate extrinsic apoptosis signaling pathway. The complex was then transported into cell cytoplasm through transferrin receptor-mediated endocytosis. Most of the intracellular 2c accumulated in cell plasma, decreasing the level of cellular ROS, inducing the activation of caspase-9 and thus intensifying the apoptosis. At the same time, the residual 2c can translocate into cell nucleus to interact with DNA, induce DNA damage, activate p53 pathway and enhance apoptosis. Comparing with cisplatin, 2c possesses prolonged circulation time in blood, comparable antitumor ability and importantly, much lower toxicity in vivo. Taken together, this study uncovers the role of membrane receptors in the anticancer actions of Ru complexes, and provides fundamental information for rational design of membrane receptor targeting anticancer drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A novel antibody-drug conjugate anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM in the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma xenografts with enhanced anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Linlin; Yang, Ming; Zhang, Xiaoyun; Bao, Shiqi; Ma, Li; Fan, Dongmei; Zhou, Yuan; Xiong, Dongsheng; Zhen, Yongsu

    2016-01-01

    Rituximab is widely used in clinical setting for the treatment of B malignant lymphoma and has achieved remarkable success. However, in most patients, the disease ultimately relapses and become resistant to rituximab. To overcome the limitation, there is still a need to find novel strategy for improving therapeutic efficacy. To construct genetically engineered antibody anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM, and verify the anticancer activity targeted toward B-lymphoma. The anticancer activity of anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM in vitro and in vivo was examined. In vitro, the binding activity and internalization of anti-CD19(Fab)-LDP were measured. Using comet assay and apoptosis, the cytotoxicity of energized fusion proteins was observed. From in vivo experiments, targeting of therapeutic effect and anticancer efficacy bythe fusion protein was verified. Data showed that anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM does not only binding the cell surface but is also internalized into the cell. The energized fusion proteins anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM can induce DNA damage. Furthermore, significant in vivo therapeutic efficacy was observed. The present study demonstrated that the genetically engineered antibody anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity compared to LDM alone. One of the most powerful advantages of anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM, however, is that it can be internalized within the cells and carry out cytotoxic effects. Therefore, anti-CD19(Fab)-LDM may be as a useful targeted therapy for B-cell lymphoma.

  4. NF-κB p65 repression by the sesquiterpene lactone, Helenalin, contributes to the induction of autophagy cell death

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Numerous studies have demonstrated that autophagy plays a vital role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Interestingly, several anticancer agents were found to exert their anticancer effects by triggering autophagy. Emerging data suggest that autophagy represents a novel mechanism that can be exploited for therapeutic benefit. Pharmacologically active natural compounds such as those from marine, terrestrial plants and animals represent a promising resource for novel anticancer drugs. There are several prominent examples from the past proving the success of natural products and derivatives exhibiting anticancer activity. Helenalin, a sesquiterpene lactone has been demonstrated to have potent anti-inflammatory and antitumor activity. Albeit previous studies demonstrating helenalin’s multi modal action on cellular proliferative and apoptosis, the mechanisms underlying its action are largely unexplained. Methods To deduce the mechanistic action of helenalin, cancer cells were treated with the drug at various concentrations and time intervals. Using western blot, FACS analysis, overexpression and knockdown studies, cellular signaling pathways were interrogated focusing on apoptosis and autophagy markers. Results We show here that helenalin induces sub-G1 arrest, apoptosis, caspase cleavage and increases the levels of the autophagic markers. Suppression of caspase cleavage by the pan caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk, suppressed induction of LC3-B and Atg12 and reduced autophagic cell death, indicating caspase activity was essential for autophagic cell death induced by helenalin. Additionally, helenalin suppressed NF-κB p65 expression in a dose and time dependent manner. Exogenous overexpression of p65 was accompanied by reduced levels of cell death whereas siRNA mediated suppression led to augmented levels of caspase cleavage, autophagic cell death markers and increased cell death. Conclusions Taken together, these results show that helenalin mediated autophagic cell death entails inhibition of NF-κB p65, thus providing a promising approach for the treatment of cancers with aberrant activation of the NF-κB pathway. PMID:22784363

  5. Antitumor Agents 293. Non-toxic Dimethyl-4,4′-dimethoxy-5,6,5′,6′-dimethylenedioxybiphenyl-2,2′-dicarboxylate (DDB) Analogs Chemosensitize Multidrug Resistant Cancer Cells to Clinical Anticancer Drugs

    PubMed Central

    Hung, Hsin-Yi; Ohkoshi, Emika; Goto, Masuo; Bastow, Kenneth F.; Nakagawa-Goto, Kyoko; Lee, Kuo-Hsiung

    2012-01-01

    Novel dimethyl-4,4′-dimethoxy-5,6,5′,6′-dimethylenedioxybiphenyl-2,2′-dicarboxylate (DDB) analogs were designed and synthesized to improve their chemosensitizing action on KBvin (vincristine resistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma) cells, a multi-drug resistant cell line over-expressing P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Structure-activity relationship analysis showed that aromatic and bulky aliphatic side chains at the 2,2′-positions effectively and significantly sensitized P-gp overexpressing multidrug resistant (MDR) cells to anticancer drugs, such as paclitaxel (TAX), vincristine (VCR), and doxorubicin (DOX). DDB derivatives 16 and 23 showed 5–10 times more effective reversal ability than verapamil (VRP) for TAX and VCR. Analog 6 also exhibited five times greater chemosensitizing effect against DOX than VRP. Importantly, no cytotoxicity was observed by the active DDB analogs against both non-MDR and MDR cells, suggesting that DDB analogs serve as the novel lead compounds for the development of chemosensitizers to overcome MDR phenotype. The mechanism of action studies demonstrated that effective inhibition of P-glycoprotein by DDB analogs dramatically elevated cellular concentration of anticancer drugs. PMID:22612652

  6. Synthesis and biological evaluation of matrine derivatives containing benzo-α-pyrone structure as potent anti-lung cancer agents

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Lichuan; Wang, Guizhen; Liu, Shuaibing; Wei, Jinrui; Zhang, Sen; Li, Ming; Zhou, Guangbiao; Wang, Lisheng

    2016-01-01

    Matrine, an active component of root extracts from Sophora flavescens Ait, is the main chemical ingredient of Fufang Kushen injection which was approved by Chinese FDA (CFDA) in 1995 as an anticancer drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer and liver cancer in combination with other anticancer drugs. Owning to its druggable potential, matrine is considered as an ideal lead compound for modification. We delineate herein the synthesis and anticancer effects of 17 matrine derivatives bearing benzo-α-pyrone structures. The results of cell viability assays indicated that most of the target compounds showed improved anticancer effects. Further studies showed that compound 5i could potently inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo with no obvious side effects. Moreover, compound 5i could induce G1 cell cycle arrest and autophagy in lung cancer cells through up-regulating P27, down-regulating CDK4 and cyclinD1 and attenuating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Suppression of autophagy attenuated 5i induced proliferation inhibition. Collectively, our results infer that matrine derivative 5i bears therapeutic potentials for lung cancer. PMID:27786281

  7. Design, synthesis, and anticancer evaluation of long-chain alkoxylated mono-carbonyl analogues of curcumin.

    PubMed

    Weng, Qiaoyou; Fu, Lili; Chen, Gaozhi; Hui, Junguo; Song, Jingjing; Feng, Jianpeng; Shi, Dengjian; Cai, Yuepiao; Ji, Jiansong; Liang, Guang

    2015-10-20

    Curcumin is a nontoxic phenolic compound that modulates the activity of several cellular targets that have been linked with cancers and other chronic diseases. However, the efficacy of curcumin in the clinic has been limited by its poor bioavailability and rapid metabolism in vivo. We have previously reported the design and discovery of series of 5-carbon linker-containing mono-carbonyl analogues of curcumin (MACs) as anti-cancer agents. In continuation of our ongoing research, we designed and synthesized 37 novel long-chain alkoxylated MACs for anti-cancer evaluation here. The MTS assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of compounds in gastrointestinal cancer cells. Compounds 5, 28, and 29 showed strongest inhibition against gastric cancer cell proliferation and were subjected to further analysis. The effects of 5, 28, and 29 on cell apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. Expression levels of Bcl-2, cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), and pro-caspase-3 were detected by western blotting. Compounds 5, 28, and 29 induced apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma cells, increased PARP cleavage, and decreased expression of Bcl-2 and pro-caspase-3 protein. We then showed that compound 28, which possessed the strongest activity among the test compounds in vitro, exhibited significant tumor inhibition in SGC7901-driven xenograft mouse model. Taken together, the novel compound 28 could be further explored as an effective anticancer agent for the treatment of human gastric cancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. Synthesis and topoisomerase II inhibitory and cytotoxic activity of oxiranylmethoxy- and thiiranylmethoxy-chalcone derivatives.

    PubMed

    Na, Younghwa; Nam, Jung-Min

    2011-01-01

    In order to find potential anticancer drug candidate targeting topoisomerases enzyme, we have designed and synthesized oxiranylmethoxy- and thiiranylmethoxy-retrochalcone derivatives and evaluated their pharmacological activity including topoisomerases inhibitory and cytotoxic activity. Of the compounds prepared compound 25 showed comparable or better cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines tested. Compound 25 inhibited MCF7 (IC(50): 0.49 ± 0.21 μM) and HCT15 (IC(50): 0.23 ± 0.02 μM) carcinoma cell growth more efficiently than references. In the topoisomerases inhibition test, all the compounds were inactive to topoisomerase I but moderate inhibitors to topoisomerase II enzyme. Especially, compound 25 inhibited topoisomerase II activity with comparable extent to etoposide at 100 μM concentrations. Correlation between cytotoxicity and topoisomerase II inhibitory activity implies that compound 25 can be a possible lead compound for anticancer drug impeding the topoisomerase II function. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Hair Growth Promoting and Anticancer Effects of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) Inhibitors Isolated from Different Parts of Alpinia zerumbet.

    PubMed

    Taira, Nozomi; Nguyen, Binh Cao Quan; Tawata, Shinkichi

    2017-01-14

    PAK1 (p21-activated kinase 1) is an emerging target for the treatment of hair loss (alopecia) and cancer; therefore, the search for PAK1 blockers to treat these PAK1-dependent disorders has received much attention. In this study, we evaluated the anti-alopecia and anticancer effects of PAK1 inhibitors isolated from Alpinia zerumbet (alpinia) in cell culture. The bioactive compounds isolated from alpinia were found to markedly promote hair cell growth. Kaempferol-3- O -β-d-glucuronide (KOG) and labdadiene, two of the isolated compounds, increased the proliferation of human follicle dermal papilla cells by approximately 117%-180% and 132%-226%, respectively, at 10-100 μM. MTD (2,5-bis(1 E ,3 E ,5 E )-6-methoxyhexa-1,3,5-trien-1-yl)-2,5-dihydrofuran) and TMOQ (( E )-2,2,3,3-tetramethyl-8-methylene-7-(oct-6-en-1-yl)octahydro-1 H -quinolizine) showed growth-promoting activity around 164% and 139% at 10 μM, respectively. The hair cell proliferation induced by these compounds was significantly higher than that of minoxidil, a commercially available treatment for hair loss. Furthermore, the isolated compounds from alpinia exhibited anticancer activity against A549 lung cancer cells with IC 50 in the range of 67-99 μM. Regarding the mechanism underlying their action, we hypothesized that the anti-alopecia and anticancer activities of these compounds could be attributed to the inhibition of the oncogenic/aging kinase PAK1.

  10. Oxidative phosphorylation-dependent regulation of cancer cell apoptosis in response to anticancer agents

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yadav, N.; Kumar, S.; Marlowe, T.

    Cancer cells tend to develop resistance to various types of anticancer agents, whether they adopt similar or distinct mechanisms to evade cell death in response to a broad spectrum of cancer therapeutics is not fully defined. Current study concludes that DNA-damaging agents (etoposide and doxorubicin), ER stressor (thapsigargin), and histone deacetylase inhibitor (apicidin) target oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for apoptosis induction, whereas other anticancer agents including staurosporine, taxol, and sorafenib induce apoptosis in an OXPHOS-independent manner. DNA-damaging agents promoted mitochondrial biogenesis accompanied by increased accumulation of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial protein-folding machinery, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Induction of mitochondrialmore » biogenesis occurred in a caspase activation-independent mechanism but was reduced by autophagy inhibition and p53-deficiency. Abrogation of complex-I blocked DNA-damage-induced caspase activation and apoptosis, whereas inhibition of complex-II or a combined deficiency of OXPHOS complexes I, III, IV, and V due to impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis did not modulate caspase activity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that inhibition of caspase activation in response to anticancer agents associates with decreased release of mitochondrial cytochrome c in complex-I-deficient cells compared with wild type (WT) cells. Gross OXPHOS deficiencies promoted increased release of apoptosis-inducing factor from mitochondria compared with WT or complex-I-deficient cells, suggesting that cells harboring defective OXPHOS trigger caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent apoptosis in response to anticancer agents. Interestingly, DNA-damaging agent doxorubicin showed strong binding to mitochondria, which was disrupted by complex-I-deficiency but not by complex-II-deficiency. Thapsigargin-induced caspase activation was reduced upon abrogation of complex-I or gross OXPHOS deficiency whereas a reverse trend was observed with apicidin. Together, these finding provide a new strategy for differential mitochondrial targeting in cancer therapy.« less

  11. Oxidative phosphorylation-dependent regulation of cancer cell apoptosis in response to anticancer agents

    DOE PAGES

    Yadav, N.; Kumar, S.; Marlowe, T.; ...

    2015-11-05

    Cancer cells tend to develop resistance to various types of anticancer agents, whether they adopt similar or distinct mechanisms to evade cell death in response to a broad spectrum of cancer therapeutics is not fully defined. Current study concludes that DNA-damaging agents (etoposide and doxorubicin), ER stressor (thapsigargin), and histone deacetylase inhibitor (apicidin) target oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for apoptosis induction, whereas other anticancer agents including staurosporine, taxol, and sorafenib induce apoptosis in an OXPHOS-independent manner. DNA-damaging agents promoted mitochondrial biogenesis accompanied by increased accumulation of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial protein-folding machinery, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Induction of mitochondrialmore » biogenesis occurred in a caspase activation-independent mechanism but was reduced by autophagy inhibition and p53-deficiency. Abrogation of complex-I blocked DNA-damage-induced caspase activation and apoptosis, whereas inhibition of complex-II or a combined deficiency of OXPHOS complexes I, III, IV, and V due to impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis did not modulate caspase activity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that inhibition of caspase activation in response to anticancer agents associates with decreased release of mitochondrial cytochrome c in complex-I-deficient cells compared with wild type (WT) cells. Gross OXPHOS deficiencies promoted increased release of apoptosis-inducing factor from mitochondria compared with WT or complex-I-deficient cells, suggesting that cells harboring defective OXPHOS trigger caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent apoptosis in response to anticancer agents. Interestingly, DNA-damaging agent doxorubicin showed strong binding to mitochondria, which was disrupted by complex-I-deficiency but not by complex-II-deficiency. Thapsigargin-induced caspase activation was reduced upon abrogation of complex-I or gross OXPHOS deficiency whereas a reverse trend was observed with apicidin. Together, these finding provide a new strategy for differential mitochondrial targeting in cancer therapy.« less

  12. Synthesis and characterization of 2-substituted benzimidazoles and their evaluation as anticancer agent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azam, Mohammad; Khan, Azmat Ali; Al-Resayes, Saud I.; Islam, Mohammad Shahidul; Saxena, Ajit Kumar; Dwivedi, Sourabh; Musarrat, Javed; Trzesowska-Kruszynska, Agata; Kruszynski, Rafal

    2015-05-01

    In this work, we report a series of benzimidazole derivatives synthesized from benzene-1,2-diamine and aryl-aldehydes at room temperature. The synthesized compounds have been characterized on the basis of elemental analysis and various spectroscopic studies viz., IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR, ESI-MS as well by X-ray single X-ray crystallographic study. Interaction of these compounds with CT-DNA has been examined with fluorescence experiments and showed significant binding ability. All the synthesized compounds have been screened for their antitumor activities against various human cancer cell lines viz., Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7), Human leukemia cell line (THP-1), Human prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3) and adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell lines (A-549). Interestingly, all the compounds showed significant anticancer activity.

  13. Resveratrol stabilized gold nanoparticles enable surface loading of doxorubicin and anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Mohanty, Ranjeet Kumar; Thennarasu, Sathiah; Mandal, Asit Baran

    2014-02-01

    The green synthesis of gold nanoparticles was achieved by exploiting the antioxidant property of resveratrol (R). The formation of resveratrol stabilized gold nanoparticles (R-GNPs) was confirmed by the observation of the surface plasmon resonance band at 537 nm. The average size of R-GNPs produced in resveratrol medium was ~35nm. The geometrical shape and zeta potential of the gold nanoparticles were spherical and -21.2 mV, respectively. R-GNPs showed excellent stability in saline and other buffers mimicking the physiological pH. The MTT assay using fibroblast cells from explants tissue revealed the biocompatibility of R-GNPs. The cytotoxic activity of doxorubicin loaded R-GNPs against glioma carcinoma cell line (LN 229), showed the suitability of R-GNPs as a carrier for anticancer drugs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Curcumin-treated cancer cells show mitotic disturbances leading to growth arrest and induction of senescence phenotype.

    PubMed

    Mosieniak, Grażyna; Sliwinska, Małgorzata A; Przybylska, Dorota; Grabowska, Wioleta; Sunderland, Piotr; Bielak-Zmijewska, Anna; Sikora, Ewa

    2016-05-01

    Cellular senescence is recognized as a potent anticancer mechanism that inhibits carcinogenesis. Cancer cells can also undergo senescence upon chemo- or radiotherapy. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, shows anticancer properties both in vitro and in vivo. Previously, we have shown that treatment with curcumin leads to senescence of human cancer cells. Now we identified the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon. We observed a time-dependent accumulation of mitotic cells upon curcumin treatment. The time-lapse analysis proved that those cells progressed through mitosis for a significantly longer period of time. A fraction of cells managed to divide or undergo mitotic slippage and then enter the next phase of the cell cycle. Cells arrested in mitosis had an improperly formed mitotic spindle and were positive for γH2AX, which shows that they acquired DNA damage during prolonged mitosis. Moreover, the DNA damage response pathway was activated upon curcumin treatment and the components of this pathway remained upregulated while cells were undergoing senescence. Inhibition of the DNA damage response decreased the number of senescent cells. Thus, our studies revealed that the induction of cell senescence upon curcumin treatment resulted from aberrant progression through the cell cycle. Moreover, the DNA damage acquired by cancer cells, due to mitotic disturbances, activates an important molecular mechanism that determines the potential anticancer activity of curcumin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The Reverse Transcription Inhibitor Abacavir Shows Anticancer Activity in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

    PubMed Central

    Molinari, Agnese; Parisi, Chiara; Bozzuto, Giuseppina; Toccacieli, Laura; Formisano, Giuseppe; De Orsi, Daniela; Paradisi, Silvia; Grober, OlÌ Maria Victoria; Ravo, Maria; Weisz, Alessandro; Arcieri, Romano; Vella, Stefano; Gaudi, Simona

    2010-01-01

    Background Transposable Elements (TEs) comprise nearly 45% of the entire genome and are part of sophisticated regulatory network systems that control developmental processes in normal and pathological conditions. The retroviral/retrotransposon gene machinery consists mainly of Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs-1) and Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) that code for their own endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT). Interestingly, RT is typically expressed at high levels in cancer cells. Recent studies report that RT inhibition by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) induces growth arrest and cell differentiation in vitro and antagonizes growth of human tumors in animal model. In the present study we analyze the anticancer activity of Abacavir (ABC), a nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor (NRTI), on PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Principal Findings ABC significantly reduces cell growth, migration and invasion processes, considerably slows S phase progression, induces senescence and cell death in prostate cancer cells. Consistent with these observations, microarray analysis on PC3 cells shows that ABC induces specific and dose-dependent changes in gene expression, involving multiple cellular pathways. Notably, by quantitative Real-Time PCR we found that LINE-1 ORF1 and ORF2 mRNA levels were significantly up-regulated by ABC treatment. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the potential of ABC as anticancer agent able to induce antiproliferative activity and trigger senescence in prostate cancer cells. Noteworthy, we show that ABC elicits up-regulation of LINE-1 expression, suggesting the involvement of these elements in the observed cellular modifications. PMID:21151977

  16. The cysteine-rich core domain of REIC/Dkk-3 is critical for its effect on monocyte differentiation and tumor regression.

    PubMed

    Kinoshita, Rie; Watanabe, Masami; Huang, Peng; Li, Shun-Ai; Sakaguchi, Masakiyo; Kumon, Hiromi; Futami, Junichiro

    2015-06-01

    Reduced expression in immortalized cells (REIC)/Dickkopf (Dkk)-3 is a tumor-suppressor gene and has been studied as a promising therapeutic gene for cancer gene therapy. Intratumoral injection of an adenovirus vector carrying the human REIC/Dkk-3 gene (Ad-REIC) elicits cancer cell-specific apoptosis and anticancer immune responses. The cytokine-like effect of secretory REIC/Dkk-3 on the induction of dendritic cell (DC)-like cell differentiation from monocytes plays a role in systemic anticancer immunity. In the present study, we generated recombinant full-length and N-terminally truncated REIC/Dkk-3 to characterize the biological activity of the protein. During the purification procedure, we identified a 17 kDa cysteine-rich stable product (C17-REIC) showing limited degradation. Further analysis showed that the C17-REIC domain was sufficient for the induction of DC-like cell differentiation from monocytes. Concomitant with the differentiation of DCs, the REIC/Dkk-3 protein induced the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) at a level comparable to that of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In a mouse model of subcutaneous renal adenocarcinoma, intraperitoneal injection of full-length and C17-REIC proteins exerted anticancer effects in parallel with the activation of immunocompetent cells such as DCs and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Taken together, our results indicate that the stable cysteine-rich core region of REIC/Dkk-3 is responsible for the induction of anticancer immune responses. Because REIC/Dkk-3 is a naturally circulating serum protein, the upregulation REIC/Dkk-3 protein expression could be a promising option for cancer therapy.

  17. Anticancer activities of Nigella sativa (black cumin).

    PubMed

    Khan, Md Asaduzzaman; Chen, Han-chun; Tania, Mousumi; Zhang, Dian-zheng

    2011-01-01

    Nigella sativa has been used as traditional medicine for centuries. The crude oil and thymoquinone (TQ) extracted from its seeds and oil are effective against many diseases like cancer, cardiovascular complications, diabetes, asthma, kidney disease etc. It is effective against cancer in blood system, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, breast, cervix, skin with much safety. The molecular mechanisms behind its anticancer role is still not clearly understood, however, some studies showed that TQ has antioxidant role and improves body's defense system, induces apoptosis and controls Akt pathway. Although the anti-cancer activity of N. sativa components was recognized thousands of years ago but proper scientific research with this important traditional medicine is a history of last 2∼3 decades. There are not so many research works done with this important traditional medicine and very few reports exist in the scientific database. In this article, we have summarized the actions of TQ and crude oil of N. sativa against different cancers with their molecular mechanisms.

  18. Anticancer efficacy of a supramolecular complex of a 2-diethylaminoethyl-dextran-MMA graft copolymer and paclitaxel used as an artificial enzyme.

    PubMed

    Onishi, Yasuhiko; Eshita, Yuki; Ji, Rui-Cheng; Onishi, Masayasu; Kobayashi, Takashi; Mizuno, Masaaki; Yoshida, Jun; Kubota, Naoji

    2014-01-01

    The anticancer efficacy of a supramolecular complex that was used as an artificial enzyme against multi-drug-resistant cancer cells was confirmed. A complex of diethylaminoethyl-dextran-methacrylic acid methylester copolymer (DDMC)/paclitaxel (PTX), obtained with PTX as the guest and DDMC as the host, formed a nanoparticle 50-300 nm in size. This complex is considered to be useful as a drug delivery system (DDS) for anticancer compounds since it formed a stable polymeric micelle in water. The resistance of B16F10 melanoma cells to PTX was shown clearly through a maximum survival curve. Conversely, the DDMC/PTX complex showed a superior anticancer efficacy and cell killing rate, as determined through a Michaelis-Menten-type equation, which may promote an allosteric supramolecular reaction to tubulin, in the same manner as an enzymatic reaction. The DDMC/PTX complex showed significantly higher anticancer activity compared to PTX alone in mouse skin in vivo. The median survival times of the saline, PTX, DDMC/PTX4 (particle size 50 nm), and DDMC/PTX5 (particle size 290 nm) groups were 120 h (treatment (T)/control (C), 1.0), 176 h (T/C, 1.46), 328 h (T/C, 2.73), and 280 h (T/C, 2.33), respectively. The supramolecular DDMC/PTX complex showed twice the effectiveness of PTX alone (p < 0.036). Above all, the DDMC/PTX complex is not degraded in cells and acts as an intact supramolecular assembly, which adds a new species to the range of DDS.

  19. Isolation and characterization of Cepa2, a natural alliospiroside A, from shallot (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum group) with anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Abdelrahman, Mostafa; Mahmoud, Hassan Y A H; El-Sayed, Magdi; Tanaka, Shuhei; Tran, L S

    2017-07-01

    Exploration of new and promising anticancer compounds continues to be one of the main tasks of cancer research because of the drug resistance, high cytotoxicity and limitations of tumor selectivity. Natural products represent a better choice for cancer treatment in comparison with synthetic compounds because of their pharmacokinetic properties and lower side effects. In the current study, we isolated a steroidal saponin, named Cepa2, from the dry roots of shallot (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum group), and determined its structure by using two-dimensional nuclear manganic resonance (2D NMR). The 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR data revealed that the newly isolated Cepa2 compound is identical to alliospiroside A (C 38 H 60 O 12 ) [(25S)-3β-hydroxyspirost-5-en-1β-yl-2-O-(6-deoxy-α-L-mannopyranosyl)-α-L-arabinopyranoside], whose anticancer activity remains elusive. Our in vitro examination of the cytotoxic activity of the identified Cepa2 against P3U1 myeloma cancer cell line showed its high efficiency as an anticancer with 91.13% reduction in P3U1 cell viability 12 h post-treatment. The reduction of cell viability was correlated with the increase in reactive oxygen species levels in Cepa2-treated P3U1 cells, as compared with untreated cells. Moreover, scanning electron microscope results demonstrated apoptosis of the Cepa2-treated P3U1 cells in a time course-dependent manner. The results of our study provide evidence for the anticancer properties of the natural Cepa2/alliospiroside A extracted from shallot plants, and a strong foundation for in-depth investigations to build theoretical bases for cell apoptosis and development of novel anticancer drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  20. Secondary metabolites constituents and antioxidant, anticancer and antibacterial activities of Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M.Sm grown in different locations of Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Ghasemzadeh, Ali; Jaafar, Hawa Z E; Rahmat, Asmah; Ashkani, Sadegh

    2015-09-23

    Etlingera elatior is a well-known herb in Malaysia with various pharmaceutical properties. E. elatior flowers grown in three different locations of Malaysia (Kelantan, Pahang and Johor), were investigated for differences in their content of secondary metabolites (total phenolics [TPC], total flavonoids [TFC], and total tannin content [TTC]) as well as for their antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial properties. Phenolic acids and flavonoids were isolated and identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant activities. The anticancer activity of extracts was evaluated using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. When extracted with various solvents (aqueous and ethanolic), samples from the different locations yielded significantly different results for TPC, TFC, and TTC as well as antioxidant activity. Aqueous extracts of E. elatior flowers collected from Kelantan exhibited the highest values: TPC (618.9 mg/100 g DM), TFC (354.2 mg/100 g DM), TTC (129.5 mg/100 g DM), DPPH (76.4 %), and FRAP (6.88 mM of Fe (II)/g) activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 34.5 μg/mL compared with extracts of flowers collected from the other two locations. The most important phenolic compounds isolated in this study, based on concentration, were: gallic acid > caffeic acid > tannic acid > chlorogenic acid; and the most important flavonoids were: quercetin > apigenin > kaempferol > luteolin > myricetin. Extracts of flowers from Kelantan exhibited potent anticancer activity with a IC50of 173.1 and 196.2 μg/mL against the tumor cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 respectively, compared with extracts from Pahang (IC50 = 204.5 and 246.2 μg/mL) and Johor samples (IC50 = 277.1 and 296.7 μg/mL). Extracts of E. elatior flowers also showed antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 30 to >100 μg/mL. In general, therefore, based on the potent antioxidant and anticancer activity of flower extracts, it appears that E. elatior grown in the North-east of Malaysia (Kelantan) is a potential source of therapeutic compounds with anti-cancer activity.

  1. Anticancer properties of polysaccharides isolated from fungi of the Basidiomycetes class.

    PubMed

    Lemieszek, Marta; Rzeski, Wojciech

    2012-01-01

    Basidiomycete mushrooms represent a valuable source of biologically active compounds with anticancer properties. This feature is primarily attributed to polysaccharides and their derivatives. The anticancer potential of polysaccharides is linked to their origin, composition and chemical structure, solubility and method of isolation. Moreover, their activity can be significantly increased by chemical modifications. Anticancer effects of polysaccharides can be expressed indirectly (immunostimulation) or directly (cell proliferation inhibition and/or apoptosis induction). Among the wide range of polysaccharides with documented anticancer properties, lentinan, polysaccharide-K (PSK) and schizophyllan deserve special attention. These polysaccharides for many years have been successfully applied in cancer treatment and their mechanism of action is the best known.

  2. Silibinin inhibits translation initiation: implications for anticancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chen-Ju; Sukarieh, Rami; Pelletier, Jerry

    2009-06-01

    Silibinin is a nontoxic flavonoid reported to have anticancer properties. In this study, we show that silibinin exhibits antiproliferative activity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Exposure to silibinin leads to a concentration-dependent decrease in global protein synthesis associated with reduced levels of eukaryotic initiation factor 4F complex. Moreover, polysome profile analysis of silibinin-treated cells shows a decrease in polysome content and translation of cyclin D1 mRNA. Silibinin exerts its effects on translation initiation by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway by acting upstream of TSC2. Our results show that silibinin blocks mammalian target of rapamycin signaling with a concomitant reduction in translation initiation, thus providing a possible molecular mechanism of how silibinin can inhibit growth of transformed cells.

  3. Mangiferin exerts antitumor activity in breast cancer cells by regulating matrix metalloproteinases, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and β-catenin signaling pathway

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Hongzhong; Huang, Jing; Yang, Bing

    Although mangiferin which is a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone has exhibited promising anticancer activities, the detailed molecular mechanism of mangiferin on cancers still remains enigmatic. In this study, the anticancer activity of mangiferin was evaluated in breast cancer cell line-based in vitro and in vivo models. We showed that mangiferin treatment resulted in decreased cell viability and suppression of metastatic potential in breast cancer cells. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that mangiferin induced decreased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 and -9, and reversal of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, it was demonstrated that mangiferin significantly inhibited the activation of β-catenin pathway. Subsequent experiments showed thatmore » inhibiting β-catenin pathway might play a central role in mangiferin-induced anticancer activity through modulation of MMP-7 and -9, and EMT. Consistent with these findings in vitro, the antitumor potential was also verified in mangiferin-treated MDA-MB-231 xenograft mice where significantly decreased tumor volume, weight and proliferation, and increased apoptosis were obtained, with lower expression of MMP-7 and -9, vimentin and active β-catenin, and higher expression of E-cadherin. Taken together, our study suggests that mangiferin might be used as an effective chemopreventive agent against breast cancer. - Highlights: • Mangiferin inhibits growth and metastatic potential in breast cancer cells. • Mangiferin down-regulates MMP-7 and -9 in breast cancer cells. • Mangiferin induces the reversal of EMT in metastatic breast cancer cells. • Mangiferin inhibits the activation of β-catenin pathway in breast cancer cells. • Inhibiting β-catenin is responsible for the antitumor activity of mangiferin.« less

  4. Oral nano-delivery of anticancer ginsenoside 25-OCH3-PPD, a natural inhibitor of the MDM2 oncogene: Nanoparticle preparation, characterization, in vitro and in vivo anti-prostate cancer activity, and mechanisms of action.

    PubMed

    Voruganti, Sukesh; Qin, Jiang-Jiang; Sarkar, Sushanta; Nag, Subhasree; Walbi, Ismail A; Wang, Shu; Zhao, Yuqing; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Ruiwen

    2015-08-28

    The Mouse Double Minute 2 (MDM2) oncogene plays a critical role in cancer development and progression through p53-dependent and p53-independent mechanisms. Both natural and synthetic MDM2 inhibitors have been shown anticancer activity against several human cancers. We have recently identified a novel ginsenoside, 25-OCH3-PPD (GS25), one of the most active anticancer ginsenosides discovered thus far, and have demonstrated its MDM2 inhibition and anticancer activity in various human cancer models, including prostate cancer. However, the oral bioavailability of GS25 is limited, which hampers its further development as an oral anticancer agent. The present study was designed to develop a novel nanoparticle formulation for oral delivery of GS25. After GS25 was successfully encapsulated into PEG-PLGA nanoparticles (GS25NP) and its physicochemical properties were characterized, the efficiency of MDM2 targeting, anticancer efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and safety were evaluated in in vitro and in vivo models of human prostate cancer. Our results indicated that, compared with the unencapsulated GS25, GS25NP demonstrated better MDM2 inhibition, improved oral bioavailability and enhanced in vitro and in vivo activities. In conclusion, the validated nano-formulation for GS25 oral delivery improves its molecular targeting, oral bioavailability and anticancer efficacy, providing a basis for further development of GS25 as a novel agent for cancer therapy and prevention.

  5. Green synthesis of α-aminophosphonate derivatives on a solid supported TiO2 -SiO2 catalyst and their anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Chinthaparthi, Radha Rani; Bhatnagar, Ira; Gangireddy, Chandra Sekhar Reddy; Syama, Sundar Chereddy; Cirandur, Suresh Reddy

    2013-09-01

    Syntheses of a new series of biologically potent α-aminophosphonates were accomplished by one-pot Kabachnik-Fields reaction using TiO2-SiO2 as solid supported catalyst under microwave irradiation conditions. The chemical structures of all the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by analytical and spectral (IR, 1H, 13C, 31P NMR, and mass) data. Their anticancer nature was evaluated by screening the in vitro activity on two human cancer cell lines, HeLa and SK-BR-3. Compounds 4i and 4o showed the best activity on these cancer cells even though the majority of the compounds, and particularly 4l and 4p, have good cytotoxic activity against them. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Antimicrobial and anticancer activity of some novel fluorinated thiourea derivatives carrying sulfonamide moieties: synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking.

    PubMed

    Ghorab, Mostafa M; Alsaid, Mansour S; El-Gaby, Mohamed S A; Elaasser, Mahmoud M; Nissan, Yassin M

    2017-04-07

    Various thiourea derivatives have been used as starting materials for compounds with better biological activities. Molecular modeling tools are used to explore their mechanism of action. A new series of thioureas were synthesized. Fluorinated pyridine derivative 4a showed the highest antimicrobial activity (with MIC values ranged from 1.95 to 15.63 µg/mL). Interestingly, thiadiazole derivative 4c and coumarin derivative 4d exhibited selective antibacterial activities against Gram positive bacteria. Fluorinated pyridine derivative 4a was the most active against HepG2 with IC50 value of 4.8 μg/mL. Molecular docking was performed on the active site of MK-2 with good results. Novel compounds were obtained with good anticancer and antibacterial activity especially fluorinated pyridine derivative 4a and molecular docking study suggest good activity as mitogen activated protein kinase-2 inhibitor. Graphical abstract Compound 4a in the active site of MK-2.

  7. Dual-Functional Nanographene Oxide as Cancer-Targeted Drug-Delivery System to Selectively Induce Cancer-Cell Apoptosis.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Binwei; Huang, Yanyu; Yang, Fang; Zheng, Wenjie; Chen, Tianfeng

    2016-04-05

    Construction of bioresponsive drug-delivery nanosystems could enhance the anticancer efficacy of anticancer agents and reduce their toxic side effects. Herein, by using transferrin (Tf) as a surface decorator, we constructed a cancer-targeted nanographene oxide (NGO) nanosystem for use in drug delivery. This nanosystem (Tf-NGO@HPIP) drastically enhanced the cellular uptake, retention, and anticancer efficacy of loaded drugs but showed much lower toxicity to normal cells. The nanosystem was internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis and triggered pH-dependent drug release in acidic environments and in the presence of cellular enzymes. Moreover, Tf-NGO@HPIP effectively induced cancer-cell apoptosis through activation of superoxide-mediated p53 and MAPK pathways along with inactivation of ERK and AKT. Taken together, this study demonstrates a good strategy for the construction of bioresponsive NGO drug-delivery nanosystems and their use as efficient anticancer drug carriers. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Gene signature critical to cancer phenotype as a paradigm for anti-cancer drug discovery

    PubMed Central

    Sampson, Erik R.; McMurray, Helene R.; Hassane, Duane C.; Newman, Laurel; Salzman, Peter; Jordan, Craig T.; Land, Hartmut

    2013-01-01

    Malignant cell transformation commonly results in the deregulation of thousands of cellular genes, an observation that suggests a complex biological process and an inherently challenging scenario for the development of effective cancer interventions. To better define the genes/pathways essential to regulating the malignant phenotype, we recently described a novel strategy based on the cooperative nature of carcinogenesis that focuses on genes synergistically deregulated in response to cooperating oncogenic mutations. These so-called “cooperation response genes” (CRGs) are highly enriched for genes critical for the cancer phenotype, thereby suggesting their causal role in the malignant state. Here we show that CRGs play an essential role in drug-mediated anti-cancer activity and that anti-cancer agents can be identified through their ability to antagonize the CRG expression profile. These findings provide proof-of-concept for the use of the CRG signature as a novel means of drug discovery with relevance to underlying anti-cancer drug mechanisms. PMID:22964631

  9. Autophagy inhibition enhances anticancer efficacy of artepillin C, a cinnamic acid derivative in Brazilian green propolis.

    PubMed

    Endo, Satoshi; Hoshi, Manami; Matsunaga, Toshiyuki; Inoue, Takahiro; Ichihara, Kenji; Ikari, Akira

    2018-02-26

    Propolis, a resinous substance produced by honeybees, possesses various biological actions including anticancer activity towards tumor cells. Recently, the ethanol extract of Brazilian green propolis has been shown to induce autophagy, which is known to be induced in treatment of cancer cells with anticancer drugs, leading to cancer cell survival and decreased sensitivity to anticancer agents. In this study, we aimed to identify autophagy-inducing components of the propolis and elucidated the reciprocal relationship between anticancer cytotoxicity and protective autophagy in prostate cancer CWR22Rv1 cells. Among eight cinnamic acid derivatives [chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-caffeoylquinic acid, artepillin C (ArtC), baccharin, drupanin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester] in propolis, only ArtC showed high autophagy-inducing activity accompanying LC3-II upregulation. ArtC was also induced apoptosis as revealed by DNA fragmentation and increases in cleaved caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase. The apoptosis induced by ArtC was exacerbated by cotreatment with autophagy inhibitors (chloroquine, wortmannin and U0126). The cotreatment further induced necroptosis accompanying increased expression of receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinases 1 and 3. These data indicate that cytotoxicity of ArtC to the prostate cancer cells is dampened by induced autophagy, but is markedly augmented by inhibition of autophagy. Therefore, the combination of ArtC and autophagy inhibitors may be a novel complementary-alternative treatment for prostate cancer. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. In vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of ethyl acetate soluble proanthocyanidins of the inflorescence of Cocos nucifera L.

    PubMed

    Padumadasa, Chayanika; Dharmadana, Durga; Abeysekera, Ajit; Thammitiyagodage, Mayuri

    2016-09-05

    Proanthocyanidins belong to a class of polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids and have been reported to exhibit important biological activities. The immature inflorescence of Cocos nucifera L. is used by Ayurvedic and traditional medical practitioners for the treatment of menorrhagia in Sri Lanka. Our studies have shown that the inflorescence of Cocos nucifera L. predominantly contains proanthocyanidins. To determine the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of ethyl acetate soluble proanthocyanidins (EASPA) of immature inflorescence of Cocos nucifera L. EASPA fraction of an acetone/water (7:3) extract of Cocos nucifera L. inflorescence was purified on Sephadex LH-20 and was used for the study. Antioxidant activity of EASPA was determined using DPPH and SOR scavenging assays. Anti-inflammatory activity of EASPA was determined by oxidative burst assay using chemiluminescence technique. MTT colorimetric assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of EASPA to both PC3 and HeLa cells. EASPA showed radical scavenging activity against both DPPH and superoxide radicals with IC50 values of 11.02 ± 0.60 μg/mL and 26.11 ± 0.72 μg/mL. In both assays, EASPA showed less antioxidant activity than the standards used. It exhibited similar anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 10.31 ± 1.11 μg/mL) to ibuprofen (IC50 = 11.20 ± 1.90 μg/mL) (P ≥ 0.05). EASPA also showed stronger cytotoxic activity towards Hela cells (IC50 = 18.78 ± 0.90 μg/mL) than tamoxifen (IC50 = 28.80 ± 1.94 μg/mL) (P ≤ 0.05), while low cytotoxicity was observed against PC3 cells (IC50 = 44.21 ± 0.73 μg/mL) compared to doxorubicin (IC50 = 1.38 ± 0.16 μg/mL). EASPA showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities.

  11. Chemopreventive activity of ellagitannins and their derivatives from black raspberry seeds on HT-29 colon cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Cho, Hyunnho; Jung, Hana; Lee, Heejae; Yi, Hae Chang; Kwak, Ho-kyung; Hwang, Keum Taek

    2015-05-01

    Black raspberry (BRB) seeds are a major waste product after fruit processing. The seeds are abundant in ellagitannins (ET), a class of hydrolysable tannins, which are hydrolyzed to ellagic acid (EA) and further metabolized to urolithin A (UA) and urolithin B (UB), known to be bioavailable in the colon and the prostate. In this study, the anti-cancer activities of these compounds were evaluated on HT-29 colon cancer cells. ET, EA, UA and UB inhibited the proliferation of the cancer cells. EA caused a slight, but significant cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and urolithins caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and upregulated p21 expression. Apoptotic cells were detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI assay when treated with the compounds. Disruption in mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases 8 and 9 suggest that both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways may be involved. Activation of caspase 3 and cleavage of PARP further confirmed the induction of the apoptosis. ET, EA, UA and UB showed anti-cancer activity by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis on HT-29 human colon cancer cells. This study suggests that the BRB seeds could be a potential source of anti-cancer ET.

  12. Antitumor activity and mechanism of action of the cyclopenta[b]benzofuran, silvestrol.

    PubMed

    Cencic, Regina; Carrier, Marilyn; Galicia-Vázquez, Gabriela; Bordeleau, Marie-Eve; Sukarieh, Rami; Bourdeau, Annie; Brem, Brigitte; Teodoro, Jose G; Greger, Harald; Tremblay, Michel L; Porco, John A; Pelletier, Jerry

    2009-01-01

    Flavaglines are a family of natural products from the genus Aglaia that exhibit anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo and inhibit translation initiation. They have been shown to modulate the activity of eIF4A, the DEAD-box RNA helicase subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex, a complex that stimulates ribosome recruitment during translation initiation. One flavagline, silvestrol, is capable of modulating chemosensitivity in a mechanism-based mouse model. Among a number of flavagline family members tested herein, we find that silvestrol is the more potent translation inhibitor among these. We find that silvestrol impairs the ribosome recruitment step of translation initiation by affecting the composition of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex. We show that silvestrol exhibits significant anticancer activity in human breast and prostate cancer xenograft models, and that this is associated with increased apoptosis, decreased proliferation, and inhibition of angiogenesis. We demonstrate that targeting translation by silvestrol results in preferential inhibition of weakly initiating mRNAs. Our results indicate that silvestrol is a potent anti-cancer compound in vivo that exerts its activity by affecting survival pathways as well as angiogenesis. We propose that silvestrol mediates its effects by preferentially inhibiting translation of malignancy-related mRNAs. Silvestrol appears to be well tolerated in animals.

  13. A novel red pigment from marine Arthrobacter sp. G20 with specific anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Afra, S; Makhdoumi, A; Matin, M M; Feizy, J

    2017-11-01

    Bacterial pigments are promising compounds in the prevention and treatment of various cancers. In the current study, the antioxidant, cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects of a red pigment obtained from a marine bacterial strain were investigated. Optimization of the pigment production by the marine strain was conducted using the one-factor-at-a-time approach. Chemical identification of the pigment was achieved by UV-visible, FTIR and HPLC analyses. The biological activities of the pigment were evaluated by DPPH, MTT and microbroth dilution assays. The strain was identified as Arthrobacter, and its pigment was related to carotenoids. The EC 50 antioxidant activity of the pigment was evaluated as 4·5 mg ml -1 . It showed moderate anticancer effects on an oesophageal cancer cell line, KYSE30, while no inhibition was observed on normal HDF (human dermal fibroblasts) cells. The pigment had no antibacterial effects on the four tested strains. The antitumour activity of a carotenoid-related pigment from Arthrobacter sp. was reported for the first time. Marine environments are interesting sources for the identification of novel bioproducts. The identification of carotenoid pigments from marine bacteria with remarkable antioxidant and anticancer activities would result in better insights into the potential pharmaceutical applications of carotenoids and marine environments. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  14. Anticancer drugs cause release of exosomes with heat shock proteins from human hepatocellular carcinoma cells that elicit effective natural killer cell antitumor responses in vitro.

    PubMed

    Lv, Li-Hong; Wan, Yun-Le; Lin, Yan; Zhang, Wei; Yang, Mei; Li, Guo-Lin; Lin, Hao-Ming; Shang, Chang-Zhen; Chen, Ya-Jin; Min, Jun

    2012-05-04

    Failure of immune surveillance related to inadequate host antitumor immune responses has been suggested as a possible cause of the high incidence of recurrence and poor overall survival outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma. The stress-induced heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known to act as endogenous "danger signals" that can improve tumor immunogenicity and induce natural killer (NK) cell responses. Exosome is a novel secretory pathway for HSPs. In our experiments, the immune regulatory effect of the HSP-bearing exosomes secreted by human hepatocellular carcinoma cells under stress conditions on NK cells was studied. ELISA results showed that the production of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 was up-regulated in both cell lines in a stress-specific manner. After exposure to hepatocellular carcinoma cell-resistant or sensitive anticancer drugs (hereafter referred to as "resistant" or "sensitive" anticancer drug), the membrane microvesicles were actively released by hepatocellular carcinoma cells, differing in their ability to present HSPs on the cell surface, which were characterized as exosomes. Acting as a decoy, the HSP-bearing exosomes efficiently stimulated NK cell cytotoxicity and granzyme B production, up-regulated the expression of inhibitory receptor CD94, and down-regulated the expression of activating receptors CD69, NKG2D, and NKp44. Notably, resistant anticancer drugs enhanced exosome release and generated more exosome-carried HSPs, which augmented the activation of the cytotoxic response. In summary, our findings demonstrated that exosomes derived from resistant anticancer drug-treated HepG2 cells conferred superior immunogenicity in inducing HSP-specific NK cell responses, which provided a clue for finding an efficient vaccine for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy.

  15. Discovery of new anticancer agents from higher plants

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Li; Chai, Hee-Byung; Kinghorn, A. Douglas

    2012-01-01

    1. ABSTRACT Small organic molecules derived from higher plants have been one of the mainstays of cancer chemotherapy for approximately the past half a century. In the present review, selected single chemical entity natural products of plant origin and their semi-synthetic derivatives currently in clinical trials are featured as examples of new cancer chemotherapeutic drug candidates. Several more recently isolated compounds obtained from plants showing promising in vivo biological activity are also discussed in terms of their potential as anticancer agents, with many of these obtained from species that grow in tropical regions. Since extracts of only a relatively small proportion of the ca. 300,000 higher plants on earth have been screened biologically to date, bioactive compounds from plants should play an important role in future anticancer drug discovery efforts. PMID:22202049

  16. Anticancer Pyrroloquinazoline LBL1 Targets Nuclear Lamins.

    PubMed

    Li, Bingbing X; Chen, Jingjin; Chao, Bo; David, Larry L; Xiao, Xiangshu

    2018-05-18

    Target identification of bioactive compounds is critical for understanding their mechanism of action. We previously discovered a novel pyrroloquinazoline compound LBL1 with significant anticancer activity. However, its molecular targets remain to be established. Herein, we developed a clickable photoaffinity probe based on LBL1. Using extensive chemical, biochemical, and cellular studies with this probe and LBL1, we found that LBL1 targets nuclear lamins, which are type V intermediate filament (IF) proteins. Further studies showed that LBL1 binds to the coiled-coil domain of lamin A. These results revealed that IF proteins can also be targeted with appropriate small molecules besides two other cytoskeletal proteins actin filaments and microtubules, providing a novel avenue to investigate lamin biology and a novel strategy to develop distinct anticancer therapies.

  17. Diverse amide analogs of sulindac for cancer treatment and prevention.

    PubMed

    Mathew, Bini; Hobrath, Judith V; Connelly, Michele C; Kiplin Guy, R; Reynolds, Robert C

    2017-10-15

    Sulindac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has shown significant anticancer activity. Sulindac sulfide amide (1) possessing greatly reduced COX-related inhibition relative to sulindac displayed in vivo antitumor activity that was comparable to sulindac in a human colon tumor xenograft model. Inspired by these observations, a panel of diverse sulindac amide derivatives have been synthesized and their activity probed against three cancer cell lines (prostate, colon and breast). A neutral analog, compound 79 was identified with comparable potency relative to lead 1 and activity against a panel of lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. Several new series also show good activity relative to the parent (1), including five analogs that also possess nanomolar inhibitory potencies against acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Several new analogs identified may serve as anticancer lead candidates for further development. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. Methanol extract from Vietnamese Caesalpinia sappan induces apoptosis in HeLa cells.

    PubMed

    Hung, Tran Manh; Dang, Nguyen Hai; Dat, Nguyen Tien

    2014-05-27

    This study evaluated the cytotoxic activity of extracts from Caesalpinia sappan heartwood against multiple cancer cell lines using an MTT cell viability assay. The cell death though induction of apoptosis was as indicated by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. A methanol extract from C. sappan (MECS) showed cytotoxic activity against several of the cancer cell lines. The most potent activity exhibited by the MECS was against HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 26.5 ± 3.2 μg/mL. Treatment of HeLa cells with various MECS concentrations resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis, as indicated by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzyme activation. This study is the first report of the anticancer properties of the heartwood of C. sappan native to Vietnam. Our findings demonstrate that C. sappan heartwood may have beneficial applications in the field of anticancer drug discovery.

  19. Redox-Responsive Biomimetic Polymeric Micelle for Simultaneous Anticancer Drug Delivery and Aggregation-Induced Emission Active Imaging.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jun; Zhuang, Weihua; Ma, Boxuan; Su, Xin; Yu, Tao; Li, Gaocan; Hu, Yanfei; Wang, Yunbing

    2018-05-10

    Intelligent polymeric micelles have been developed as potential nanoplatforms for efficient drug delivery and diagnosis. Herein, we successfully prepared redox-sensitive polymeric micelles combined aggregation-induced emission (AIE) imaging as an outstanding anticancer drug carrier system for simultaneous chemotherapy and bioimaging. The amphiphilic copolymer TPE-SS-PLAsp- b-PMPC could self-assemble into spherical micelles, and these biomimetic micelles exhibited great biocompatibility and remarkable ability in antiprotein adsorption, showing great potential for biomedical application. Anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) could be encapsulated during the self-assembly process, and these drug-loaded micelles showed intelligent drug release and improved antitumor efficacy due to the quick disassembly in response to high levels of glutathione (GSH) in the environment. Moreover, the intracellular DOX release could be traced through the fluorescent imaging of these AIE micelles. As expected, the in vivo antitumor study exhibited that these DOX-carried micelles showed better antitumor efficacy and less adverse effects than that of free DOX. These results strongly indicated that this smart biomimetic micelle system would be a prominent candidate for chemotherapy and bioimaging.

  20. A Systematic Review of Iran's Medicinal Plants With Anticancer Effects.

    PubMed

    Asadi-Samani, Majid; Kooti, Wesam; Aslani, Elahe; Shirzad, Hedayatollah

    2016-04-01

    Increase in cases of various cancers has encouraged the researchers to discover novel, more effective drugs from plant sources. This study is a review of medicinal plants in Iran with already investigated anticancer effects on various cell lines. Thirty-six medicinal plants alongside their products with anticancer effects as well as the most important plant compounds responsible for the plants' anticancer effect were introduced. Phenolic and alkaloid compounds were demonstrated to have anticancer effects on various cancers in most studies. The plants and their active compounds exerted anticancer effects by removing free radicals and antioxidant effects, cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of angiogenesis. The investigated plants in Iran contain the compounds that are able to contribute effectively to fighting cancer cells. Therefore, the extract and active compounds of the medicinal plants introduced in this review article could open a way to conduct clinical trials on cancer and greatly help researchers and pharmacists develop new anticancer drugs. © The Author(s) 2015.

  1. Synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationship studies of isoflavene based Mannich bases with potent anti-cancer activity.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yilin; Cass, Shelley L; Kutty, Samuel K; Yee, Eugene M H; Chan, Daniel S H; Gardner, Christopher R; Vittorio, Orazio; Pasquier, Eddy; Black, David StC; Kumar, Naresh

    2015-11-15

    Phenoxodiol, an analogue of the isoflavone natural product daidzein, is a potent anti-cancer agent that has been investigated for the treatment of hormone dependent cancers. This molecular scaffold was reacted with different primary amines and secondary amines under different Mannich conditions to yield either benzoxazine or aminomethyl substituted analogues. These processes enabled the generation of a diverse range of analogues that were required for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. The resulting Mannich bases exhibited prominent anti-proliferative effects against SHEP neuroblastoma and MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma cell lines. Further cytotoxicity studies against MRC-5 normal lung fibroblast cells showed that the isoflavene analogues were selective towards cancer cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Antiplatelet and anticancer isothiocyanates in Japanese domestic horseradish, wasabi.

    PubMed

    Morimitsu, Y; Hayashi, K; Nakagawa, Y; Horio, F; Uchida, K; Osawa, T

    2000-01-01

    6-Methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate (MS-ITC) was isolated from wasabi (Wasabia japonica, Japanese domestic horseradish) as a potential inhibitor of human platelet aggregation in vitro through our extensive screening of vegetables and fruits. In the course of another screening for the induction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in RL34 cells. MS-ITC was inadvertently isolated from wasabi as a potential inducer of GST. MS-ITC administered to rats or mice also showed both activities in vivo. As a result from elucidation of the platelet aggregation inhibition and the GST induction mechanisms of MS-ITC, the isothiocyanate moiety of MS-ITC plays an important role for antiplatelet and anticancer activities because of its highly reactivity with sulfhydryl (-SH) groups in biomolecules (GSH, cysteine residue in a certain protein, etc.).

  3. Antiplatelet and anticancer isothiocyanates in Japanese domestic horseradish, Wasabi.

    PubMed

    Morimitsu, Y; Hayashi, K; Nakagawa, Y; Fujii, H; Horio, F; Uchida, K; Osawa, T

    2000-07-31

    6-Methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate (MS-ITC) was isolated from wasabi (Wasabia japonica, Japanese domestic horseradish) as a potential inhibitor of human platelet aggregation in vitro through our extensive screening of vegetables and fruits. In the course of an another screening for the induction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in RL34 cells, MS-ITC was inadvertently isolated from wasabi as a potential inducer of GST. MS-ITC administered to rats or mice also showed both activities in vivo. As a result from elucidation of the platelet aggregation inhibition and the GST induction mechanisms of MS-ITC, the isothiocyanate moiety of MS-ITC plays an important role for antiplatelet and anticancer activities because of its high reactivity with sulfhydryl (RSH) groups in biomolecules (GSH, cysteine residue in a certain protein, etc.).

  4. Anacardic acid enhances the anticancer activity of liposomal mitoxantrone towards melanoma cell lines – in vitro studies

    PubMed Central

    Legut, Mateusz; Lipka, Dominik; Filipczak, Nina; Piwoni, Adriana; Kozubek, Arkadiusz; Gubernator, Jerzy

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes a novel formulation of antineoplastic drug: mitoxantrone loaded into liposomal carriers enriched with encapsulated anacardic acid in the liposomal bilayer using a vitamin C gradient. Anacardic acid is a potent epigenetic agent with anticancer activity. This is the first liposomal formulation to combine an actively encapsulated drug and anacardic acid. The liposomes were characterized in terms of basic parameters, such as size, zeta potential, optimal drug-to-lipid ratio, loading time and temperature, and stability at 4°C and in human plasma in vitro. The formulation was found to be stable, and the loading process was rapid and efficient (drug-to-lipid ratio of up to 0.3 with over 90% efficiency in 5 minutes). The cytotoxicity of these formulations was assessed using the human melanoma cell lines A375 and Hs294T and the normal human dermal fibroblast line. The results showed that anacardic acid and to a smaller extent vitamin C significantly increased the cytotoxicity of the drug towards melanoma compared to ammonium sulfate liposomes. On the other hand, vitamin C and anacardic acid both protected normal cells from damage caused by the drug. The formulation combining anacardic acid, vitamin C, and mitoxantrone showed promising results in terms of cytotoxicity and cytoprotection. Therefore, it has potential for anticancer treatment. PMID:24489469

  5. Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components - a review

    PubMed Central

    Bayala, Bagora; Bassole, Imaël HN; Scifo, Riccardo; Gnoula, Charlemagne; Morel, Laurent; Lobaccaro, Jean-Marc A; Simpore, Jacques

    2014-01-01

    Essential oils are widely used in pharmaceutical, sanitary, cosmetic, agriculture and food industries for their bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitical and insecticidal properties. Their anticancer activity is well documented. Over a hundred essential oils from more than twenty plant families have been tested on more than twenty types of cancers in last past ten years. This review is focused on the activity of essential oils and their components on various types of cancers. For some of them the mechanisms involved in their anticancer activities have been carried out. PMID:25520854

  6. Ceramic core with polymer corona hybrid nanocarrier for the treatment of osteosarcoma with co-delivery of protein and anti-cancer drug

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ram Prasad, S.; Sampath Kumar, T. S.; Jayakrishnan, A.

    2018-01-01

    For the treatment of metastatic bone cancer, local delivery of therapeutic agents is preferred compared to systemic administration. Delivery of an anti-cancer drug and a protein that helps in bone regeneration simultaneously is a challenging approach. In this study, a nanoparticulate carrier which delivers a protein and an anti-cancer drug is reported. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein was loaded into hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles (NPs) and methotrexate (MTX) conjugated to poly(vinyl alcohol) was coated onto BSA-loaded HA NPs. Coating efficiency was in the range of 10-17 wt%. In vitro drug release showed that there was a steady increase in the release of both BSA and MTX with 76% of BSA and 88% of MTX being released in 13 days. Cytotoxicity studies of the NPs performed using human osteosarcoma (OMG-63) cell line showed the NPs were highly biocompatible and exhibited anti-proliferative activity in a concentration-dependent manner.

  7. Facile synthesis and biological evaluation of novel symmetrical biphenyls as antitumor agents.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Yanmin; Pan, Xiaoyan; Wang, Chen; Hu, Zhigang; Wang, Sicen; He, Langchong

    2012-03-01

    As a continuation to our previous work in developing anticancer agents, eighteen symmetrical biphenyl derivatives structurally related to taspine were synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. All the compounds were prepared with varied substitutions in the phenyl ring of aniline moiety. The cytotoxicity and anticancer activity of biphenyls was evaluated against various human tumor and normal cell line. Antiproliferative assays indicated that some of them exhibited potent anticancer activity. The potent antiproliferative activity of these compounds against ECV304 suggested that these biphenyls could be served as antiangiogenic agents. The highly active compound (2) also exhibited potent growth inhibition against cancer cell lines in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that these symmetrical biphenyl derivatives would be a promising candidate as novel anticancer agents.

  8. Ternary metal complexes of guaifenesin drug: Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and in vitro anticancer activity of the metal complexes.

    PubMed

    Mahmoud, W H; Mahmoud, N F; Mohamed, G G; El-Sonbati, A Z; El-Bindary, A A

    2015-01-01

    The coordination behavior of a series of transition metal ions named Cr(III), Fe(III), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) with a mono negative tridentate guaifenesin ligand (GFS) (OOO donation sites) and 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) is reported. The metal complexes are characterized based on elemental analyses, IR, (1)H NMR, solid reflectance, magnetic moment, molar conductance, UV-vis spectral studies, mass spectroscopy, ESR, XRD and thermal analysis (TG and DTG). The ternary metal complexes were found to have the formulae of [M(GFS)(Phen)Cl]Cl·nH2O (M=Cr(III) (n=1) and Fe(III) (n=0)), [M(GFS)(Phen)Cl]·nH2O (M=Mn(II) (n=0), Zn(II) (n=0) and Cu(II) (n=3)) and [M(GFS)(Phen)(H2O)]Cl·nH2O (M=Co(II) (n=0), Ni(II) (n=0) and Cd(II) (n=4)). All the chelates are found to have octahedral geometrical structures. The ligand and its ternary chelates are subjected to thermal analyses (TG and DTG). The GFS ligand, in comparison to its ternary metal complexes also was screened for their antibacterial activity on gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Neisseria gonorrhoeae) and for in vitro antifungal activity against (Candida albicans). The activity data show that the metal complexes have antibacterial and antifungal activity more than the parent GFS ligand. The complexes were also screened for its in vitro anticancer activity against the Breast cell line (MFC7) and the results obtained show that they exhibit a considerable anticancer activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Discovery of diethyl 2,5-diaminothiophene-3,4-dicarboxylate derivatives as potent anticancer and antimicrobial agents and screening of anti-diabetic activity: synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation. Part 1.

    PubMed

    Bozorov, Khurshed; Ma, Hai-Rong; Zhao, Jiang-Yu; Zhao, Hai-Qing; Chen, Hua; Bobakulov, Khayrulla; Xin, Xue-Lei; Elmuradov, Burkhon; Shakhidoyatov, Khusnutdin; Aisa, Haji A

    2014-09-12

    Series of diethyl 2,5-diaminothiophene-3,4-dicarboxylate (DDTD) derivatives: azomethines of DDTD (2a-l) have been synthesized and screened for their anticancer, antimicrobial and anti-diabetic activities. The novel synthesized compounds were characterized by (1)H, (13)C NMR, MS and FT-IR analyses. All compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against three types of cancer cell line such as T47D and MCF-7 (human breast cancer), Hela (human cervical cancer) and Ishikawa (human endometrial cancer) lines. The results showed that most compounds exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cells. The majority of azomethines DDTD influenced strongly against breast cancer cells T47D and MCF-7, among them compounds 2b (2.3 μM), 2c (12.1 μM), 2e (13.2 μM), 2i (14.9 μM), 2j (16.0 μM), 2k (7.1 μM), 2l (8.6 μM) manifest potent anticancer activity against cancer cell T47D than Doxorubicin (DOX, 15.5 μM). Compound 2j has shown potent activity on all three types of cancer cells concurrently and IC50 values were considerably low in comparison with positive control DOX. In addition, all compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (Gram positive bacteria), Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 (Gram negative bacteria) and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (Fungi) strains and 2j which contains in the ring nitrofurfural fragment, showed the highest effect on the three species of microbial pathogens simultaneously. Some compounds induced enzymatic inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner on PTP-1B inhibitor. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  10. Anti-cancer Effects of Polyphenolic Compounds in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-resistant Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Jeong, Hyungmin; Phan, Ai N. H.; Choi, Jong-Whan

    2017-01-01

    Background: Polyphenolic phytochemicals are natural compounds, easily found in fruits and vegetables. Importantly, polyphenols have been intensively studied as excellent antioxidant activity which contributes to anticancer function of the natural compounds. Lung cancer has been reported to mainly account for cancer-related deaths in the world. Moreover, epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance is one of the biggest issues in cancer treatment, especially in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Even though several studies both in preclinical and clinical trials have showed promising therapeutic effects of polyphenolic compounds in anticancer therapy, the function of the natural compounds in TKI-resistant (TKIR) lung cancer remains poorly studied. Objective: The aim of this study is to screen polyphenolic compounds as potential anticancer adjuvants which suppress TKIR lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Colony formation and thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue assay were performed in the pair-matched TKI-sensitive (TKIS) versus TKIR tumor cell lines to investigate the therapeutic effect of polyphenolic compounds in TKIR NSCLC. Results: Our data show that equol, kaempferol, resveratrol, and ellagic acid exhibit strong anticancer effect in HCC827 panel. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of most of tested polyphenolic compounds was highly selective for TKIR lung cancer cell line H1993 while sparing the TKIS one H2073. Conclusion: This study provides an important screening of potential polyphenolic compounds for drug development to overcome TKI resistance in advanced lung cancer. SUMMARY The study provides an important screening of potential polyphenolic compounds for drug development to overcome tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance in advance lung cancerEquol, kaempferol, resveratrol, and ellagic acid show strong anticancer effect in HCC827 panel, including TKI-sensitive (TKIS) and TKI-resistant clonesThe inhibitory effect of polyphenolic compounds such as equol, kaempferol, resveratrol, ellagic acid, gallic acid, p-Coumaric, and hesperidin is highly selective for TKI-resistant lung cancer cell line H1993 while sparing the TKIS one H2073. Abbreviations used: EGFR: Epidermal growth factor receptor, EMT: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, GTP: Green tea polyphenols, IGF1R: Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, MET: Met proto-oncogene, MTT: Thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue, NSCLC: Non-small cell lung cancer, ROS: Reactive oxygen species, RTK: Receptor tyrosine kinase, STAT3: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, TKIR: TKI-resistant, TKIs: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, TKIS: TKI-sensitive. PMID:29200719

  11. Redesigned Spider Peptide with Improved Antimicrobial and Anticancer Properties.

    PubMed

    Troeira Henriques, Sónia; Lawrence, Nicole; Chaousis, Stephanie; Ravipati, Anjaneya S; Cheneval, Olivier; Benfield, Aurélie H; Elliott, Alysha G; Kavanagh, Angela Maria; Cooper, Matthew A; Chan, Lai Yue; Huang, Yen-Hua; Craik, David J

    2017-09-15

    Gomesin, a disulfide-rich antimicrobial peptide produced by the Brazilian spider Acanthoscurria gomesiana, has been shown to be potent against Gram-negative bacteria and to possess selective anticancer properties against melanoma cells. In a recent study, a backbone cyclized analogue of gomesin was shown to be as active but more stable than its native form. In the current study, we were interested in improving the antimicrobial properties of the cyclic gomesin, understanding its selectivity toward melanoma cells and elucidating its antimicrobial and anticancer mode of action. Rationally designed analogues of cyclic gomesin were examined for their antimicrobial potency, selectivity toward cancer cells, membrane-binding affinity, and ability to disrupt cell and model membranes. We improved the activity of cyclic gomesin by ∼10-fold against tested Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria without increasing toxicity to human red blood cells. In addition, we showed that gomesin and its analogues are more toxic toward melanoma and leukemia cells than toward red blood cells and act by selectively targeting and disrupting cancer cell membranes. Preference toward some cancer types is likely dependent on their different cell membrane properties. Our findings highlight the potential of peptides as antimicrobial and anticancer leads and the importance of selectively targeting cancer cell membranes for drug development.

  12. Synthesis and anti-cancer activity of chiral tetrahydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-fused steroids.

    PubMed

    Lopes, Susana M M; Sousa, Emanuel P; Barreira, Luísa; Marques, Cátia; Rodrigues, Maria João; Pinho E Melo, Teresa M V D

    2017-06-01

    Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of novel chiral 4,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-fused steroids via [8π+2π] cycloaddition of diazafulvenium methides with steroidal scaffolds is reported. The biological evaluation of the new family of hexacyclic steroids as anti-cancer agents was also carried out. Hexacyclic steroids bearing a benzyl group at C-22, derived from 16-dehydropregnenolone and 16-dehydroprogesterone, show considerable cytotoxicity against EL4 (murine T-lymphoma) in contrast with the corresponding C-22-unsubstituted derivatives showing low cytotoxicity. Thus, results indicate that the presence of the benzyl group is important to ensure cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Anticancer substances of mushroom origin.

    PubMed

    Ivanova, T S; Krupodorova, T A; Barshteyn, V Y; Artamonova, A B; Shlyakhovenko, V A

    2014-06-01

    The present status of investigations about the anticancer activity which is inherent to medicinal mushrooms, as well as their biomedical potential and future prospects are discussed. Mushroom products and extracts possess promising immunomodulating and anticancer effects, so the main biologically active substances of mushrooms responsible for immunomodulation and direct cytoto-xicity toward cancer cell lines (including rarely mentioned groups of anticancer mushroom proteins), and the mechanisms of their antitumor action were analyzed. The existing to date clinical trials of mushroom substances are mentioned. Mushroom anticancer extracts, obtained by the different solvents, are outlined. Modern approaches of cancer treatment with implication of mushroom products, including DNA vaccinotherapy with mushroom immunomodulatory adjuvants, creation of prodrugs with mushroom lectins that can recognize glycoconjugates on the cancer cell surface, development of nanovectors etc. are discussed. The future prospects of mushroom anticancer substances application, including chemical modification of polysaccharides and terpenoids, gene engineering of proteins, and implementation of vaccines are reviewed.

  14. Role of isothiocyanate conjugate of pterostilbene on the inhibition of MCF-7 cell proliferation and tumor growth in Ehrlich ascitic cell induced tumor bearing mice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nikhil, Kumar; Sharan, Shruti; Chakraborty, Ajanta

    2014-01-15

    Naturally occurring pterostilbene (PTER) and isothiocyanate (ITC) attract great attention due to their wide range of biological properties, including anti-cancer, anti-leukemic, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. A novel class of hybrid compound synthesized by introducing an ITC moiety on PTER backbone was evaluated for its anti-cancer efficacy in hormone-dependent breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) in vitro and Ehrlich ascitic tumor bearing mice model in vivo. The novel hybrid molecule showed significant in vitro anti-cancer activity (IC{sub 50}=25±0.38) when compared to reference compound PTER (IC{sub 50}=65±0.42). The conjugate molecule induced both S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest as indicated by flowmore » cytometry analysis. In addition, the conjugate induced cell death was characterized by changes in cell morphology, DNA fragmentation, activation of caspase-9, release of cytochrome-c into cytosol and increased Bax: Bcl-2 ratio. The conjugate also suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK. The conjugate induced cell death was significantly increased in presence of A6730 (a potent Akt1/2 kinase inhibitor) and PD98059 (a specific ERK inhibitor). Moreover, the conjugated PTER inhibited tumor growth in Ehrlich ascitic cell induced tumor bearing mice as observed by reduction in tumor volume compared to untreated animals. Collectively, the pro-apoptotic effect of conjugate is mediated through the activation of caspases, and is correlated with the blockade of the Akt and ERK signaling pathways in MCF-7 cells. - Highlights: • Conjugate was prepared by appending isothiocyanate moiety on pterostilbene backbone. • Conjugate showed anticancer effects at comparatively lower dose than pterostilbene. • Conjugate caused blockage of the Akt and ERK signaling pathways in MCF-7 cells. • Conjugate significantly reduced solid tumor volume as compared to pterostilbene.« less

  15. Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent against Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

    PubMed Central

    Al-Asmari, Abdulrahman Khazim; Albalawi, Sulaiman Mansour; Athar, Md Tanwir; Khan, Abdul Quaiyoom; Al-Shahrani, Hamoud; Islam, Mozaffarul

    2015-01-01

    In this study we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Moringa oleifera leaves, bark and seed extracts. When tested against MDA-MB-231 and HCT-8 cancer cell lines, the extracts of leaves and bark showed remarkable anti-cancer properties while surprisingly, seed extracts exhibited hardly any such properties. Cell survival was significantly low in both cells lines when treated with leaves and bark extracts. Furthermore, a striking reduction (about 70–90%) in colony formation as well as cell motility was observed upon treatment with leaves and bark. Additionally, apoptosis assay performed on these treated breast and colorectal cancer lines showed a remarkable increase in the number of apoptotic cells; with a 7 fold increase in MD-MB-231 to an increase of several fold in colorectal cancer cell lines. However, no significant apoptotic cells were detected upon seeds extract treatment. Moreover, the cell cycle distribution showed a G2/M enrichment (about 2–3 fold) indicating that these extracts effectively arrest the cell progression at the G2/M phase. The GC-MS analyses of these extracts revealed numerous known anti-cancer compounds, namely eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester, all of which possess long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring. This suggests that the anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the extracts from this plant. This is a novel study because no report has yet been cited on the effectiveness of Moringa extracts obtained in the locally grown environment as an anti-cancer agent against breast and colorectal cancers. Our study is the first of its kind to evaluate the anti-malignant properties of Moringa not only in leaves but also in bark. These findings suggest that both the leaf and bark extracts of Moringa collected from the Saudi Arabian region possess anti-cancer activity that can be used to develop new drugs for treatment of breast and colorectal cancers. PMID:26288313

  16. Mangiferin enhances the sensitivity of human multiple myeloma cells to anticancer drugs through suppression of the nuclear factor κB pathway.

    PubMed

    Takeda, Tomoya; Tsubaki, Masanobu; Kino, Toshiki; Kawamura, Ayako; Isoyama, Shota; Itoh, Tatsuki; Imano, Motohiro; Tanabe, Genzoh; Muraoka, Osamu; Matsuda, Hideaki; Satou, Takao; Nishida, Shozo

    2016-06-01

    Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an incurable hematological malignancy with a 5-year survival rate of ~35%, despite the use of various treatment options. The nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MM. Thus, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway is a potential target for the treatment of MM. In a previous study, we showed that mangiferin suppressed the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. However, the treatment of MM involves a combination of two or three drugs. In this study, we examined the effect of the combination of mangiferin and conventional anticancer drugs in an MM cell line. We showed that the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug decreased the viability of MM cell lines in comparison with each drug used separately. The decrease in the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug induced cell viability was attributed to increase the expression of p53 and Noxa and decreases the expression of XIAP, survivin, and Bcl-xL proteins via inhibition of NF-κB pathway. In addition, the combination treatment caused the induction of apoptosis, activation of caspase-3 and the accumulation of the cells in the sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle. Our findings suggest that the combination of mangiferin and an anticancer drug could be used as a new regime for the treatment of MM.

  17. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from aqueous leaf extract of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) and their anticancer activity on human cervical cancer cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarkar, Sonia; Kotteeswaran, Venkatesan

    2018-06-01

    Plants contain different important phytochemicals that can be used as a potential treatment for various ailments including cancer. The green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from the extract of different plant parts has gained a wide range of engrossment among the researchers due to its unique optical and structural property. The aim of this study is green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from the aqueous leaf extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum) and to investigate its anticancer activity on human cervical cancer cells (HeLa). The synthesis of silver nanoparticle was depicted by the colour change from golden yellowish to dark brownish, UV-visible spectral analysis gave a characteristic surface plasmon absorption peak at . Further morphological characterization was done by Zeta potential where the size analysis was depicted to be 46.1 nm and zeta potential as . Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) inferred 3 intense sharp peaks at , , , confirmed the presence of flavonoids and polyphenols. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis with energy diffraction spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of silver nanoparticles with size ranged from to . X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystallographic nature of silver. The cell proliferation activity of nanoparticles was tested by 3, ‑4, 5 dimethylthiazol-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay where the inhibitory concentration () was found at inhibiting of HeLa cell line. The anticancer activity of nanoparticles was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay where showed of cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the anticancer property of nanoparticles was confirmed by the DNA fragmentation assay.

  18. [Missile-Type Tumor-Targeting Polymer Drug, P-THP, Seeks Tumors via Three Different Steps Based on the EPR Effect].

    PubMed

    Maeda, Hiroshi; Fang, Jun; Ulbrich, Karel; Etrych, Tomáš; Nakamura, Hideaki

    2016-05-01

    The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, a tumor-targeting principle of nanomedicine, serves as a standard for tumor-targeted anticancer drug design. There are 3 key issues in ideal EPR-based antitumor drug design: i) stability in blood circulation; ii) tumor-selective accumulation (EPR effect) and efficient release of the active anticancer moiety in tumor tissues; and iii) the active uptake of the active drug into tumor cells. Using these principles, we developed N-(2- hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer-conjugated pirarubicin (P-THP), which uses hydrazone bond linkage; it was shown to exhibit prolonged circulation time, thereby resulting in good tumor-selective accumulation. More importantly, the hydrazone bond ensured selective and rapid release of the active drug, pirarubicin (THP), in acidic tumor environments. Further, compared to other anthracycline anticancer drugs (eg, doxorubicin), THP demonstrated more rapid intracellular uptake. Consequently, P-THP showed remarkable antitumor effect with minimal side effects. In a clinical pilot study of a stage IV prostate cancer patient with multiple metastases in the lung and bone, P-THP (50-75 mg administered once every 2-3 weeks) was shown to clear the metastatic nodules in the lung almost completely after 3 treatments where 50-70 mg THP equivalent each was administerd per 70 kg body wt, and bone metastasis disappeared after 6 months. There was no recurrence after 2 years. The patient also retained an excellent quality of life during the treatment without any apparent side effects. Thus, we propose the clinical development of P-THP as an EPR-based tumor-targeted anticancer drug.

  19. Cytotoxic potential of few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on HepG2 cells.

    PubMed

    Garg, Munish; Lata, Kusum; Satija, Saurabh

    2016-01-01

    To investigate in vitro anticancer activity of a few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against HepG2 cells. Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared of five fruit peels, i.e., banana, lemon, guava, orange, and papaya by maceration and thereafter subjected for MTT assay to evaluate anticancer potential on HepG2 cells. Plant extract showed best activity was further fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate successively and screened again. Phytochemical analysis was then carried out to find out responsible components for the observed activity. Out of the 40 samples from five fruit peel extracts with rich folklore usage, papaya extract showed maximum activity with least inhibitory concentration50 (IC50) value of 18.5 μg/ml. Further analysis after fractionation of the papaya peel extract, aqueous fraction showed the maximum inhibitory activity with least IC50 value of 17.3 μg/ml. Phytochemical analysis of the aqueous fraction of papaya peel extract revealed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides. Total flavonoid content found to be 72.25 mg/g. Papaya fruit extract demonstrated the best activity against MTT assay which may be due to the presence of flavonoids.

  20. Synthesis and characterization of 2-substituted benzimidazoles and their evaluation as anticancer agent.

    PubMed

    Azam, Mohammad; Khan, Azmat Ali; Al-Resayes, Saud I; Islam, Mohammad Shahidul; Saxena, Ajit Kumar; Dwivedi, Sourabh; Musarrat, Javed; Trzesowska-Kruszynska, Agata; Kruszynski, Rafal

    2015-05-05

    In this work, we report a series of benzimidazole derivatives synthesized from benzene-1,2-diamine and aryl-aldehydes at room temperature. The synthesized compounds have been characterized on the basis of elemental analysis and various spectroscopic studies viz., IR, (1)H- and (13)C-NMR, ESI-MS as well by X-ray single X-ray crystallographic study. Interaction of these compounds with CT-DNA has been examined with fluorescence experiments and showed significant binding ability. All the synthesized compounds have been screened for their antitumor activities against various human cancer cell lines viz., Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7), Human leukemia cell line (THP-1), Human prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3) and adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell lines (A-549). Interestingly, all the compounds showed significant anticancer activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Purification, characterization, antioxidant and anticancer activities of novel polysaccharides extracted from Bachu mushroom.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Di; Zhu, Siming

    2018-02-01

    Two novel polysaccharide fractions (HLP1-1 and HLP2-1) were purified from crude polysaccharides of Helvella leucopus by using DEAE-52 column (2.6cm×20cm) and Sephadex G-150 column (1.6×60cm). The characterization, antioxidant and anticancer activities of HLP1-1 and HLP2-1 were investigated. The GPC results showed that HLP1-1 and HLP2-1 had similar molecular weight (21,382Da and 23,063Da, respectively). Tertiary structure analyses indicated that HLP2-1 had triple-helical conformation, but HLP1-1 not. The monosaccharide compositions of HLP1-1 included rhamnose, glucosamine and mannose at a molar ratio of 11.8:1:78.6, and HLP2-1 included of rhamnose, glucosamine, glucose and mannose at a molar ratio of 4.2:1:18.1:27.3. Both HLP1-1 and HLP2-1 showed a certain antioxidant activity, and HLP2-1 showed stronger antioxidant activities than HLP1-1. Both HLP1-1 and HLP2-1 exhibited a relatively inhibition on HepG2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Anticancer activity of cow, sheep, goat, mare, donkey and camel milks and their caseins and whey proteins and in silico comparison of the caseins.

    PubMed

    Shariatikia, Malihe; Behbahani, Mandana; Mohabatkar, Hassan

    2017-06-01

    The present investigation was carried out to evaluate anticancer activity of cow, goat, sheep, mare, donkey and camel milks and their casein and whey proteins against MCF7 cell line. The structure-based properties of the casein proteins were also investigated, using bioinformatics tools to find explanation for their antitumor activities. The effect of different milks and their casein and whey proteins on MCF7 proliferation was measured using MTT assay at different concentrations (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/ml). The results showed that mare, donkey, cow and camel milks and their casein and whey proteins have potent cytotoxic activity against MCF7 cells in a dose dependent manner while sheep and goat milks and their proteins did not reveal any cytotoxic activity. The in silico results demonstrated that mare, donkey and camel caseins had highest positive and negative charges. The secondary structure prediction indicated that mare and donkey caseins had the maximum percentage of α helix and camel casein had the highest percentage of extended strand. This study suggests that there is a striking correlation between anti-cancer activity of milk caseins and their physicochemical properties such as alpha helix structure and positive and negative charges. In conclusion, the results indicated that mare, camel and donkey milks might be good candidates against breast cancer cells.

  3. Biodegradable Janus nanoparticles for local pulmonary delivery of hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules to the lungs.

    PubMed

    Garbuzenko, Olga B; Winkler, Jennifer; Tomassone, M Silvina; Minko, Tamara

    2014-11-04

    The aim of the present work is to synthesize, characterize, and test self-assembled anisotropic or Janus particles designed to load anticancer drugs for lung cancer treatment by inhalation. The particles were synthesized using binary mixtures of biodegradable and biocompatible materials. The particles did not demonstrate cyto- and genotoxic effects. Janus particles were internalized by cancer cells and accumulated both in the cytoplasm and nuclei. After inhalation delivery, nanoparticles accumulated preferentially in the lungs of mice and retained there for at least 24 h. Two drugs or other biologically active components with substantially different aqueous solubility can be simultaneously loaded in two-phases (polymer-lipid) of these nanoparticles. In the present proof-of-concept investigation, the particles were loaded with two anticancer drugs: doxorubicin and curcumin as model anticancer drugs with relatively high and low aqueous solubility, respectively. However, there are no obstacles for loading any hydrophobic or hydrophilic chemical agents. Nanoparticles with dual load were used for their local inhalation delivery directly to the lungs of mice with orthotopic model of human lung cancer. In vivo experiments showed that the selected nanoparticles with two anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action prevented progression of lung tumors. It should be stressed that anticancer effects of the combined treatment with two anticancer drugs loaded in the same nanoparticle significantly exceeded the effect of either drug loaded in similar nanoparticles alone.

  4. Brine shrimp lethality assay of Bacopa monnieri.

    PubMed

    D'Souza, Prashanth; Deepak, Mundkinajeddu; Rani, Padmaja; Kadamboor, Sandhya; Mathew, Anjana; Chandrashekar, Arun P; Agarwal, Amit

    2002-03-01

    Successive petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and water extracts, a saponin rich fraction (SRF) and bacoside A isolated from Bacopa monnieri were tested for brine shrimp lethality. Successive ethanol extracts and SRF showed potent activity. Bacoside A showed the maximum activity with a LC(50) of 38.3 microg/mL. The results confirmed the previous reports of an anticancer effect of Bacopa monnieri and suggest bacoside A as the active constituent. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Enhanced anti-cancer activities of a gold(III) pyrrolidinedithiocarbamato complex incorporated in a biodegradable metal-organic framework.

    PubMed

    Sun, Raymond Wai-Yin; Zhang, Ming; Li, Dan; Li, Mian; Wong, Alice Sze-Tsai

    2016-10-01

    An anti-cancer active gold(III) pyrrolidinedithiocarbamato complex [(PDTC)Au III Cl 2 ] (1) has been synthesized and characterized by means of X-ray crystallography. Compared to the pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ligand itself, this gold(III) complex displays an up to 33-fold higher anti-cancer potency towards a panel of cancer cell lines including the cisplatin-resistant ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780cis). As demonstrated by a set of Transwell® assay-based cytotoxicity experiments, incorporating this gold(III) complex in a zinc-based biodegradable metal-organic framework (MOF) displays a significant enhancement in anti-cancer activity towards A2780cis than the gold(III) complex alone. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. [Study of rat blood serum biochemical indicators of cardiotoxic action of novel antitumor 4-thiazolidinone derivatives and doxorubicin in complexes with polyethylene glycol-containing polymeric carrier in the rat blood serum].

    PubMed

    Kobylyns'ka, L I; Havryliuk, D Ia; Riabtseva, A O; Mitina, N Ie; Zaichenko, O S; Zimenkovskyĭ, B S; Stoĭka, R S

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to measure the activity of enzymes which reflect cardiotoxic action in rats of novel synthetic 4-thiazolidone derivatives--3882, 3288 and 3833 that demonstrated antineoplastic effect in vitro towards 60 lines of human tumor cells tested in the framework of the program of screening new anticancer drugs at the National Cancer Institute (USA). Such action of these compounds was compared with the effect of well known anticancer agent doxorubicin and after conjugation of all above mentioned substances with new polyethylenglycol-containing polymeric comb-like carrier that was synthesized by the authors. Among the biochemical indicators of cardiotoxic action of anticancer agents, activity of the following enzymes in rat blood serum showed to be the most informative: creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransterase. Tenfold injection of doxorubicin in a dose of 5.5 mg/kg of weight caused rats' death, while 3882, 3288 and 3833 preparations had not such action. Application of the doxorubicin in combination with polymeric carrier prolonged the survival time to 20 days. Thus, the injection of anticancer agents in a complex with polymeric carrier provides a significant decrease in their cardiotoxicity that was confirmed by the corresponding changes in the activity of marker enzymes: creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in blood serum of treated rats.

  7. In vitro and in vivo anti-cancer effects of tillandsia recurvata (ball moss) from Jamaica.

    PubMed

    Lowe, H I C; Toyang, N J; Bryant, J

    2013-03-01

    Tillandsia recurvata, also commonly known as Ball Moss, is endemic to Jamaica and some parts of the Caribbean and South America. The plant, despite being reported to be used in folk medicine, had not previously been evaluated for its anti-cancer potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-cancer activity ofBall Moss. The anti-proliferation activity of the crude methanolic extract of the T recurvata was evaluated in vitro in five different histogenic cancer cell lines (prostate cancer - PC-3, breast cancer Kaposi sarcoma, B-16 melanoma and a B-cell lymphoma from a transgenic mouse strain) using the trypan blue assay. The crude extract was also evaluated in vivo in tumour-bearing mice. Immunohistochemistry staining with Apoptag was used for histology and determination of apoptosis. The crude methanolic extract of T recurvata demonstrated anti-proliferation activity against all the cell lines, killing > 50% of the cells at a concentration of 2.5 microg/ml. Kaposi sarcoma xenograft tumours were inhibited by up to 75% compared to control in the in vivo study (p < 0.05). There was evidence of DNA fragmentation and a decrease in cell viability on histological studies. The methanolic extract showed no toxic effect in the mice at a dose of 200 mg/kg. Our data suggest that T recurvata has great potential as an anti-cancer agent and that one of its mechanisms of cell kill and tumour inhibition is by the induction of apoptosis.

  8. Novel 1-(7-ethoxy-1-benzofuran-2-yl) substituted chalcone derivatives: Synthesis, characterization and anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Coskun, Demet; Erkisa, Merve; Ulukaya, Engin; Coskun, Mehmet Fatih; Ari, Ferda

    2017-08-18

    Cancer treatment still requires new compounds to be discovered. Chalcone and its derivatives exhibit anticancer potential in different cancer cells. A new series of benzofuran substituted chalcone derivatives was synthesized by the base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt reaction of the 1-(7-ethoxy-1-benzofuran-2-yl) ethanone with different aromatic aldehydes to yield 1-(7-ethoxy-1-benzofuran-2-yl) substituted chalcone derivatives 3a-j. The derivatives were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR spectroscopy techniques. The anti-growth effect of chalcone compounds was tested in breast cancer (MCF-7), non-small cell lung cancer (A549) and prostate cancer (PC-3) cell lines by the SRB and ATP cell viability assays. Apoptosis was detected by mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V staining and caspase 3/7 activity. Formation of reactive oxygen species was determined by DCFDA. The results revealed that chalcone derivatives have anticancer activity with especially chalcone derivative 3a showing cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. In addition, chalcone derivative 3a induced apoptosis through caspase dependent pathways in prostate, lung and breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Dihydroartemisinin potentiates the anticancer effect of cisplatin via mTOR inhibition in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells: involvement of apoptosis and autophagy.

    PubMed

    Feng, Xue; Li, Ling; Jiang, Hong; Jiang, Keping; Jin, Ye; Zheng, Jianhua

    2014-02-14

    Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) exhibits anticancer activity in tumor cells but its mechanism of action is unclear. Cisplatin (DDP) is currently the best known chemotherapeutic available for ovarian cancer. However, tumors return de novo with acquired resistance over time. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an important kinase that regulates cell apoptosis and autophagy, and its dysregulation has been observed in chemoresistant human cancers. Here, we show that compared with control ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3), mTOR phosphorylation was abnormally activated in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3/DDP) following cisplatin monotherapy. Treatment with cisplatin combined with DHA could enhance cisplatin-induced proliferation inhibition in SKOV3/DDP cells. This mechanism is at least partially due to DHA deactivation of mTOR kinase and promotion of apoptosis. Although autophagy was also induced by DHA, the reduced cell death was not found by suppressing autophagic flux by Bafilomycin A1 (BAF). Taken together, we conclude that inhibition of cisplatin-induced mTOR activation is one of the main mechanisms by which DHA dramatically promotes its anticancer effect in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Dual function of tributyrin emulsion: solubilization and enhancement of anticancer effect of celecoxib.

    PubMed

    Kang, Sung Nam; Hong, Soon-Seok; Lee, Mi-Kyung; Lim, Soo-Jeong

    2012-05-30

    Tributyrin, a triglyceride analogue of butyrate, can act as a prodrug of an anticancer agent butyrate after being cleaved by intracellular enzymes. We recently demonstrated that the emulsion containing tributyrin as an inner oil phase possesses a potent anticancer activity. Herein we sought to develop tributyrin emulsion as a carrier of celecoxib, a poorly-water soluble drug with anticancer activity. Combined treatment of human HCT116 colon cancer cells with free celecoxib plus tributyrin emulsion inhibited the cellular proliferation more effectively than that of each drug alone, suggesting the possibility of tributyrin emulsion as a potential celecoxib carrier. The mean droplet size of emulsions tended to increase as the tributyrin content in emulsion increases and the concentration of celecoxib loaded in emulsions was affected by tributyrin content and the initial amount of celecoxib, but not by the total amount of surfactant mixture. The concentration of celecoxib required to inhibit the growth of HCT116 and B16-F10 cancer cells by 50% was 2.6- and 3.1-fold lowered by loading celecoxib in tributyrin emulsions, compared with free celecoxib. These data suggest that the anticancer activity of celecoxib was enhanced by loading in tributyrin emulsions, probably due to the solubilization capacity and anticancer activity of tributyrin emulsion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Synthesis, crystal structure and biological activity of the Schiff base organotin(IV) complexes based on salicylaldehyde-o-aminophenol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Yu-Xing; Zhang, Zhi-Jian; Liu, Yang; Yu, Jiang-Xi; Zhu, Xiao-Ming; Kuang, Dai-Zhi; Jiang, Wu-Jiu

    2017-12-01

    Schiff base organotin(IV) complexes C1 ∼ C5b have been synthesized via the reaction of the substituted salicylaldehyde-o-aminophenol Schiff base ligands (L1 ∼ L3) with the dibenzyltin dichloride, n-butyltin trichloride or dibutyltin oxide, respectively. The complexes have been characterized by IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectra, elemental analysis and the crystal structures have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The anticancer activity of the Schiff base ligand and complexes C1 ∼ C5b against five species of cancer cell which are Hela, MCF7, HepG2, Colo205, NCIsbnd H460 were tested respectively, the tests showed that C1 ∼ C5b exhibited significant anticancer activity for the cancer cells in comparison with the ligand, and the activity was greater than carboplatin.

  12. Anticancer Chemodiversity of Ranunculaceae Medicinal Plants: Molecular Mechanisms and Functions.

    PubMed

    Hao, Da-Cheng; He, Chun-Nian; Shen, Jie; Xiao, Pei-Gen

    2017-02-01

    The buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, comprising more than 2,200 species in at least 62 genera, mostly herbs, has long been used in folk medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine since the beginning of human civilization. Various medicinal phytometabolites have been found in Ranunculaceae plants, many of which, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and polysaccharides, have shown anti-cancer activities in vitro and in vivo. Most concerns have been raised for two epiphany molecules, the monoterpene thymoquinone and the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine. At least 17 genera have been enriched with anti-cancer phytometabolites. Some Ranunculaceae phytometabolites induce the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of cancer cells or enhance immune activities, while others inhibit the proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis, or reverse the multi-drug resistance of cancer cells thereby regulating all known hallmarks of cancer. These phytometabolites could exert their anti-cancer activities via multiple signaling pathways. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion/toxicity properties and structure/activity relationships of some phytometabolites have been revealed assisting in the early drug discovery and development pipelines. However, a comprehensive review of the molecular mechanisms and functions of Ranunculaceae anti-cancer phytometabolites is lacking. Here, we summarize the recent progress of the anti-cancer chemo- and pharmacological diversity of Ranunculaceae medicinal plants, focusing on the emerging molecular machineries and functions of anti-cancer phytometabolites. Gene expression profiling and relevant omics platforms (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) could reveal differential effects of phytometabolites on the phenotypically heterogeneous cancer cells.

  13. Anticancer Chemodiversity of Ranunculaceae Medicinal Plants: Molecular Mechanisms and Functions

    PubMed Central

    Hao, Da-Cheng; He, Chun-Nian; Shen, Jie; Xiao, Pei-Gen

    2017-01-01

    The buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, comprising more than 2,200 species in at least 62 genera, mostly herbs, has long been used in folk medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine since the beginning of human civilization. Various medicinal phytometabolites have been found in Ranunculaceae plants, many of which, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and polysaccharides, have shown anti-cancer activities in vitro and in vivo. Most concerns have been raised for two epiphany molecules, the monoterpene thymoquinone and the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine. At least 17 genera have been enriched with anti-cancer phytometabolites. Some Ranunculaceae phytometabolites induce the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of cancer cells or enhance immune activities, while others inhibit the proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis, or reverse the multi-drug resistance of cancer cells thereby regulating all known hallmarks of cancer. These phytometabolites could exert their anti-cancer activities via multiple signaling pathways. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion/toxicity properties and structure/activity relationships of some phytometabolites have been revealed assisting in the early drug discovery and development pipelines. However, a comprehensive review of the molecular mechanisms and functions of Ranunculaceae anti-cancer phytometabolites is lacking. Here, we summarize the recent progress of the anti-cancer chemo- and pharmacological diversity of Ranunculaceae medicinal plants, focusing on the emerging molecular machineries and functions of anti-cancer phytometabolites. Gene expression profiling and relevant omics platforms (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) could reveal differential effects of phytometabolites on the phenotypically heterogeneous cancer cells. PMID:28503089

  14. Pharmacophore Hybridization To Discover Novel Topoisomerase II Poisons with Promising Antiproliferative Activity.

    PubMed

    Ortega, Jose Antonio; Riccardi, Laura; Minniti, Elirosa; Borgogno, Marco; Arencibia, Jose M; Greco, Maria L; Minarini, Anna; Sissi, Claudia; De Vivo, Marco

    2018-02-08

    We used a pharmacophore hybridization strategy to combine key structural elements of merbarone and etoposide and generated new type II topoisomerase (topoII) poisons. This first set of hybrid topoII poisons shows promising antiproliferative activity on human cancer cells, endorsing their further exploration for anticancer drug discovery.

  15. Chemopreventive effect and HPTLC fingerprinting analysis of Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait. Extract against DLA-induced lymphoma in experimental animals.

    PubMed

    Kalaiselvi, M; Narmadha, R; Ragavendran, P; Vidya, B; Gomathi, D; Raj, C Arul; Starlinraj, T; Gopalakrishnan, V K; Uma, C; Kalaivani, K

    2013-02-01

    The anticancer activity of the ethanolic extract of Jasminum sambac against Dalton's lymphoma ascites-induced lymphatic cancer in Swiss albino mice was investigated. The anticancer activity of J. sambac was studied against lymphoma using lipid profiles, biochemical parameters, and membrane-bound marker enzymes by standard procedures. A high-performance thin-layer chromatography fingerprinting analysis showed the presence of terpenoids and flavonoids. The levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol were significantly decreased in tumor-induced mice, while HDL cholesterol showed increased levels compared with those profiles. On treatment with J. sambac, the levels were brought back to near normal. The albumin, creatinine, total protein, urea, and uric acid contents were also approaching normal values. There was s significant increase in the levels of ATPase in group II. These levels were brought back to normal upon plant extract treatment of mice. DNA fragmentation occurred in the tumor-induced group of tissue, and treatment with ethanolic extract reduced the DNA damage caused by lymphoma. Expression of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes shows an increase in the levels of LDH-4 and LDH-5 in cancer-bearing animals which is brought back to near normal. Histopathological investigation showed normal sections of liver tissues in the treatment group. The results found in mice treated with ethanolic extract 100 mg kg(-1) body weight quite promising and were comparable with the standard drug 5-fluorouracil. The statistically processed results support the conclusion that the ethanolic extract of J. sambac flower (100 mg kg(-1)) possesses a dose-dependent significant anticancer activity against lymphoma.

  16. Purification and identification of a polysaccharide from medicinal mushroom Amauroderma rude with immunomodulatory activity and inhibitory effect on tumor growth.

    PubMed

    Pan, Honghui; Han, Yuanyuan; Huang, Jiguo; Yu, Xiongtao; Jiao, Chunwei; Yang, Xiaobing; Dhaliwal, Preet; Xie, Yizhen; Yang, Burton B

    2015-07-10

    Medicinal mushrooms in recent years have been the subject of many experiments searching for anticancer properties. We previously screened thirteen mushrooms for their potential in inhibiting tumor growth, and found that the water extract of Amauroderma rude exerted the highest activity. Previous studies have shown that the polysaccharides contained in the water extract were responsible for the anticancer properties. This study was designed to explore the potential effects of the polysaccharides on immune regulation and tumor growth. Using the crude Amauroderma rude extract, in vitro experiments showed that the capacities of spleen lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells were all increased. In vivo experiments showed that the extract increased macrophage metabolism, lymphocyte proliferation, and antibody production. In addition, the partially purified product stimulated the secretion of cytokines in vitro, and in vivo. Overall, the extract decreased tumor growth rates. Lastly, the active compound was purified and identified as polysaccharide F212. Most importantly, the purified polysaccharide had the highest activity in increasing lymphocyte proliferation. In summary, this molecule may serve as a lead compound for drug development.

  17. Sulfur, selenium and tellurium pseudopeptides: synthesis and biological evaluation.

    PubMed

    Shaaban, Saad; Sasse, Florenz; Burkholz, Torsten; Jacob, Claus

    2014-07-15

    A new series of sulfur, selenium and tellurium peptidomimetic compounds was prepared employing the Passerini and Ugi isocyanide based multicomponent reactions (IMCRs). These reactions were clearly superior to conventional methods traditionally used for organoselenium and organotellurium synthesis, such as classical nucleophilic substitution and coupling methods. From the biological point of view, these compounds are of considerable interest because of suspected anticancer and antimicrobial activities. While the sulfur and selenium containing compounds generally did not show either anticancer or antimicrobial activities, their tellurium based counterparts frequently exhibited antimicrobial activity and were also cytotoxic. Some of the compounds synthesized even showed selective activity against certain cancer cells in cell culture. These compounds induced a cell cycle delay in the G0/G1 phase. At closer inspection, the ER and the actin cytoskeleton appeared to be the primary cellular targets of these tellurium compounds, in line with some of our previous studies. As most of these peptidomimetic compounds also comply with Lipinski's Rule of Five, they promise good bioavailability, which needs to be studied as part of future investigations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Ultrasonic extraction, antioxidant and anticancer activities of novel polysaccharides from Chuanxiong rhizome.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jie; Jia, Xuejing; Fang, Xiaobin; Li, Peng; He, Chengwei; Chen, Meiwan

    2016-04-01

    Ultrasonic-assisted extraction technology was employed to prepare Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort polysaccharide. Single factor test and orthogonal experimental design were used to optimize the extraction conditions. The results showed that the optimal extraction conditions consisted of ultrasonic temperature of 80°C, ultrasonic time of 40 min and water to raw material ratio of 30 mL/g. Three novel polysaccharides fractions, LCX0, LCX1 and LCX2, were isolated and purified from the crude polysaccharides using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The molecular weight and monosaccharide composition of three LCX polysaccharides fractions were analyzed with gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and HPLC analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the antioxidant and in vitro anticancer activities of the polysaccharides were investigated. Compared with LCX0, LCX2 and LCX1 showed relative higher antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity to the growth of HepG2, SMMC7721, A549 and HCT-116 cells. It is suggested that the novel polysaccharides from rhizome of L. chuanxiong could be promising bioactive macromolecules for biomedical use. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. [Pharmacological researches of curcumin solid dispersions in treatment of cancer].

    PubMed

    Mei, Xue-Ting; Xu, Dong-Hui; He, Xue-Ni; Lu, Yong-Chang

    2012-10-01

    To investigate the anticancer effect of curcumin Solid Dispersions (SDs). Curcumin SDs were prepared by patent technology. The anticancer effect of curcumin SDs were investigated by vivo and vitro tests of SCG-7901, BEL-7402, S-180 and Ehrlich ascites tumor models. The results showed that Curcumin SDs had markedly anticancer effect and could improve the anticancer effect of cisplatin. Curcumin SDs could be developed into one kind of adjuvant drug for anticancer, as it has markedly anticancer effect, and could improve the anticancer effects of cisplatin.

  20. In vitro and in silico studies on the anticancer and apoptosis-inducing activities of the sterols identified from the soft coral, subergorgia reticulata

    PubMed Central

    Byju, Kuniyil; Anuradha, Vattoni; Vasundhara, Gopalakrishnapai; Nair, S. Muraleedharan; Kumar, N. Chandramohana

    2014-01-01

    Background: Gorgonians and other octocorals are known to possess a huge array of secondary metabolites in which sterols are the major group of secondary metabolites apart from sesquiterpenes and diterpenes, and the bioactive metabolites could show marked biomedical potential for future drug discovery. Objective: This study was intended for the isolation and identification of sterols from the octocoral Subergorgia reticulata and to evaluate the anticancer and apoptosis-inducing activities of the identified sterols through in vitro and in silico approach. Materials and Methods: The organism was collected from Lakshadweep Island. The isolated sterols were identified using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The structure was confirmed by using comparison of their spectra those in National Institute of Standard Technology (NIST) library. The apoptosis inducing effect of identified sterols were determined by PASS online prediction. In vitro cytotoxity studies were carried out using Dalton's lymphoma ascites cells (DLA) and the cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion method. Results: Six sterols were identified from the soft coral S. reticulata. They are Cholesta-5,22-diene-3ol (3β), Ergosta-5-22-dien-3ol (3β,22E 24S), Cholesterol, 26,26-Dimethyl-5,24(28)-ergostadien-3β-ol. β-sitosterol, and Fucosterol. In silico predictions showed that the identified sterols exhibited remarkable apoptosis agonist activity. The probability of apoptosis agonist activity were found maximum for 26,26-Dimethyl-5,24 (28)-S. reticulata sterol fractions isolated were found to be having anticancer activity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that S. reticulata contained biologically active sterol compounds that may be useful in the treatment of cancer. PMID:24914311

  1. Anticancer activity of seaweeds.

    PubMed

    Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Anllely G; Juárez-Portilla, Claudia; Olivares-Bañuelos, Tatiana; Zepeda, Rossana C

    2018-02-01

    Cancer is a major health problem worldwide and still lacks fully effective treatments. Therefore, alternative therapies, using natural products, have been proposed. Marine algae are an important component of the marine environment, with high biodiversity, and contain a huge number of functional compounds, including terpenes, polyphenols, phlorotannins, and polysaccharides, among others. These compounds have complex structures that have shown several biological activities, including anticancer activity, using in vitro and in vivo models. Moreover, seaweed-derived compounds target important molecules that regulate cancer processes. Here, we review our current understanding of the anticancer activity of seaweeds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Influence of the π-coordinated arene on the anticancer activity of ruthenium(II) carbohydrate organometallic complexes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanif, Muhammad; Meier, Samuel; Nazarov, Alexey; Risse, Julie; Legin, Anton; Casini, Angela; Jakupec, Michael; Keppler, Bernhard; Hartinger, Christian

    2013-10-01

    The synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of a series of RuII(arene) complexes with carbohydrate-derived phosphite ligands and various arene co-ligands is described. The arene ligand has a strong influence on the in vitro anticancer activity of this series of compounds, which correlates fairly well with cellular accumulation. The most lipophilic compound bearing a biphenyl moiety and a cyclohexylidene-protected carbohydrate is the most cytotoxic with unprecedented IC50 values for the compound class in three human cancer cell lines. This compound shows reactivity to the DNA model nucleobase 9-ethylguanine, but does not alter the secondary structure of plasmid DNA indicating that other biological targets are responsible for its cytotoxic effect.

  3. A high-throughput quantitative expression analysis of cancer-related genes in human HepG2 cells in response to limonene, a potential anticancer agent.

    PubMed

    Hafidh, Rand R; Hussein, Saba Z; MalAllah, Mohammed Q; Abdulamir, Ahmed S; Abu Bakar, Fatimah

    2017-11-14

    Citrus bioactive compounds, as active anticancer agent, have been under focus by several studies worldwide. However, the underlying genes responsible for the anticancer potential have not been sufficiently highlighted. The current study investigated the gene expression profile of hepatocellular carcinoma, HepG2, cells after treatment with Limonene. The concentration that killed 50% of HepG2 cells was used to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of limonene anticancer activity. The apoptotic induction was detected by flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscope. Two of pro-apoptotic events, caspase-3 activation and phosphatidylserine translocation were manifested by confocal fluorescence microscopy. High-throughput real-time PCR was used to profile 1023 cancer-related genes in 16 different gene families related to the cancer development. In comparison to untreated cells, limonene increased the percentage of apoptotic cells up to 89.61%, by flow cytometry, and 48.2% by fluorescence microscopy. There was a significant limonene-driven differential gene expression of HepG2 cells in 15 different gene families. Limonene was shown to significantly (>2log) up-regulate and down-regulate 14 and 59 genes, respectively. The affected gene families, from most to least affected, were apoptosis induction, signal transduction, cancer genes augmentation, alteration in kinases expression, inflammation, DNA damage repair, and cell cycle proteins. The current study reveals that limonene could be a promising, cheap, and effective anticancer compound. The broad spectrum of limonene anticancer activity is interesting for anticancer drug development. Further research is needed to confirm the current findings and to examine the anticancer potential of limonene along with underlying mechanisms on different cell lines. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  4. Zanthoxylum fruit extract from Japanese pepper promotes autophagic cell death in cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Nozaki, Reo; Kono, Toru; Bochimoto, Hiroki; Watanabe, Tsuyoshi; Oketani, Kaori; Sakamaki, Yuichi; Okubo, Naoto; Nakagawa, Koji; Takeda, Hiroshi

    2016-10-25

    Zanthoxylum fruit, obtained from the Japanese pepper plant (Zanthoxylum piperitum De Candolle), and its extract (Zanthoxylum fruit extract, ZFE) have multiple physiological activities (e.g., antiviral activity). However, the potential anticancer activity of ZFE has not been fully examined. In this study, we investigated the ability of ZFE to induce autophagic cell death (ACD). ZFE caused remarkable autophagy-like cytoplasmic vacuolization, inhibited cell proliferation, and ultimately induced cell death in the human cancer cell lines DLD-1, HepG2, and Caco-2, but not in A549, MCF-7, or WiDr cells. ZFE increased the level of LC3-II protein, a marker of autophagy. Knockdown of ATG5 using siRNA inhibited ZFE-induced cytoplasmic vacuolization and cell death. Moreover, in cancer cells that could be induced to undergo cell death by ZFE, the extract increased the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and the JNK inhibitor SP600125 attenuated both vacuolization and cell death. Based on morphology and expression of marker proteins, ZFE-induced cell death was neither apoptosis nor necrosis. Normal intestinal cells were not affected by ZFE. Taken together, our findings show that ZFE induces JNK-dependent ACD, which appears to be the main mechanism underlying its anticancer activity, suggesting a promising starting point for anticancer drug development.

  5. The inhibitory effect of disulfiram encapsulated PLGA NPs on tumor growth: Different administration routes.

    PubMed

    Fasehee, Hamidreza; Zarrinrad, Ghazaleh; Tavangar, Seyed Mohammad; Ghaffari, Seyed Hamidollah; Faghihi, Shahab

    2016-06-01

    The strong anticancer activity of disulfiram is hindered by its rapid degradation in blood system. A novel folate-receptor-targeted poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) nanoparticle (NP) is developed for encapsulation and delivery of disulfiram into breast cancer tumor using passive (EPR effect) and active (folate receptor) targeting. The anticancer activity of disulfiram and its effect on caspase-3 activity and cell cycle are studied. The administration of encapsulated PLGA NPs using intra-peritoneal, intravenous and intra-tumor routes is investigated using animal model. Disulfiram shows strong cytotoxicity against MCF7 cell line. The activity of caspase-3 inhibited with disulfiram via dose dependent manner while the drug causes cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 and S phase time-dependently. The encapsulated disulfiram shows higher activity in apoptosis induction as compared to free drug. In nontoxic dose of encapsulated disulfiram, the highest and lowest efficacy of NPs in tumor growth inhibition is observed for intravenous injection and intraperitoneal injection. It is suggested that administration of disulfiram by targeted PLGA nanoparticles using intravenous injection would present an alternative therapeutic approach for solid tumor treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. DNA and aptamer stabilized gold nanoparticles for targeted delivery of anticancer therapeutics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Latorre, Alfonso; Posch, Christian; Garcimartín, Yolanda; Celli, Anna; Sanlorenzo, Martina; Vujic, Igor; Ma, Jeffrey; Zekhtser, Mitchell; Rappersberger, Klemens; Ortiz-Urda, Susana; Somoza, Álvaro

    2014-06-01

    Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) can be used as carriers of a variety of therapeutics. Ideally, drugs are released in the target cells in response to cell specific intracellular triggers. In this study, GNPs are loaded with doxorubicin or AZD8055, using a self-immolative linker which facilitates the release of anticancer therapeutics in malignant cells without modifications of the active compound. An additional modification with the aptamer AS1411 further increases the selectivity of GNPs towards cancer cells. Both modifications increase targeted delivery of therapeutics with GNPs. Whereas GNPs without anticancer drugs do not affect cell viability in all cells tested, AS1411 modified GNPs loaded with doxorubicin or AZD8055 show significant and increased reduction of cell viability in breast cancer and uveal melanoma cell lines. These results highlight that modified GNPs can be functionalized to increase the efficacy of cancer therapeutics and may further reduce toxicity by increasing targeted delivery towards malignant cells.Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) can be used as carriers of a variety of therapeutics. Ideally, drugs are released in the target cells in response to cell specific intracellular triggers. In this study, GNPs are loaded with doxorubicin or AZD8055, using a self-immolative linker which facilitates the release of anticancer therapeutics in malignant cells without modifications of the active compound. An additional modification with the aptamer AS1411 further increases the selectivity of GNPs towards cancer cells. Both modifications increase targeted delivery of therapeutics with GNPs. Whereas GNPs without anticancer drugs do not affect cell viability in all cells tested, AS1411 modified GNPs loaded with doxorubicin or AZD8055 show significant and increased reduction of cell viability in breast cancer and uveal melanoma cell lines. These results highlight that modified GNPs can be functionalized to increase the efficacy of cancer therapeutics and may further reduce toxicity by increasing targeted delivery towards malignant cells. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00019f

  7. Nano-Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Increase Therapeutic Efficacy of Anticancer Drug Through True Active Tumor Targeting.

    PubMed

    Layek, Buddhadev; Sadhukha, Tanmoy; Panyam, Jayanth; Prabha, Swayam

    2018-06-01

    Tumor-targeted drug delivery has the potential to improve therapeutic efficacy and mitigate non-specific toxicity of anticancer drugs. However, current drug delivery approaches rely on inefficient passive accumulation of the drug carrier in the tumor. We have developed a unique, truly active tumor-targeting strategy that relies on engineering mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with drug-loaded nanoparticles. Our studies using the A549 orthotopic lung tumor model show that nano-engineered MSCs carrying the anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) home to tumors and create cellular drug depots that release the drug payload over several days. Despite significantly lower doses of PTX, nano-engineered MSCs resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and superior survival. Anticancer efficacy of nano-engineered MSCs was confirmed in immunocompetent C57BL/6 albino female mice bearing orthotopic Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LL/2-luc) tumors. Furthermore, at doses that resulted in equivalent therapeutic efficacy, nano-engineered MSCs had no effect on white blood cell count, whereas PTX solution and PTX nanoparticle treatments caused leukopenia. Biodistribution studies showed that nano-engineered MSCs resulted in greater than 9-fold higher AUC lung of PTX (1.5 μg.day/g) than PTX solution and nanoparticles (0.2 and 0.1 μg.day/g tissue, respectively) in the target lung tumors. Furthermore, the lung-to-liver and the lung-to-spleen ratios of PTX were several folds higher for nano-engineered MSCs relative to those for PTX solution and nanoparticle groups, suggesting that nano-engineered MSCs demonstrate significantly less off-target deposition. In summary, our results demonstrate that nano-engineered MSCs can serve as an efficient carrier for tumor-specific drug delivery and significantly improved anti-cancer efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(6); 1196-206. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

  8. Fucoidan cytotoxicity against human breast cancer T47D cell line increases with higher level of sulfate ester group

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saepudin, Endang; Alfita Qosthalani, Fildzah; Sinurat, Ellya

    2018-01-01

    The anticancer activity of different sulfate ester group content in different molecular weight was examined. The anticancer activity was achieved in vitro on human breast cancer T47D cell line. Fucoidan with lower molecular weight (5.79 kDa) tends to have lower sulfate ester group content (8.69%) and resulted in higher IC50 value (184.22 μg/mL). While fucoidan with higher molecular weight (785.12 kDa) tends to have higher sulfate level (18.63%) and achieved lower IC50 value (75.69 μg/mL). The result showed that in order to maintain fucoidan cytotoxic activity against human breast cancer T47D cell line, the sulfate content should be remain high. Keywords: fucoidan, sulfate ester group, human breast cancer

  9. Discovery of a new function of curcumin which enhances its anticancer therapeutic potency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagahama, Koji; Utsumi, Tomoya; Kumano, Takayuki; Maekawa, Saeko; Oyama, Naho; Kawakami, Junji

    2016-08-01

    Curcumin has received immense attention over the past decades because of its diverse biological activities and recognized as a promising drug candidate in a large number of diseases. However, its clinical application has been hindered due to extremely low aqueous solubility, chemical stability, and cellular uptake. In this study, we discovered quite a new function of curcumin, i.e. pH-responsive endosomal disrupting activity, derived from curcumin’s self-assembly. We selected anticancer activity as an example of biological activities of curcumin, and investigated the contribution of pH-responsive property to its anticancer activity. As a result, we demonstrated that the pH-responsive property significantly enhances the anticancer activity of curcumin. Furthermore, we demonstrated a utility of the pH-responsive property of curcumin as delivery nanocarriers for doxorubicin toward combination cancer therapy. These results clearly indicate that the smart curcumin assemblies act as promising nanoplatform for development of curcumin-based therapeutics.

  10. Hybrid imidazole (benzimidazole)/pyridine (quinoline) derivatives and evaluation of their anticancer and antimycobacterial activity.

    PubMed

    Mantu, Dorina; Antoci, Vasilichia; Moldoveanu, Costel; Zbancioc, Gheorghita; Mangalagiu, Ionel I

    2016-01-01

    The design, synthesis, structure, and in vitro anticancer and antimycobacterial activity of new hybrid imidazole (benzimidazole)/pyridine (quinoline) derivatives are described. The strategy adopted for synthesis is straight and efficient, involving a three-step setup procedure: N-acylation, N-alkylation, and quaternization of nitrogen heterocycle. The solubility in microbiological medium and anticancer and antimycobacterial activity of a selection of new synthesized compounds were evaluated. The hybrid derivatives have an excellent solubility in microbiological medium, which make them promising from the pharmacological properties point of view. One of the hybrid compounds, 9 (with a benzimidazole and 8-aminoquinoline skeleton), exhibits a very good and selective antitumor activity against Renal Cancer A498 and Breast Cancer MDA-MB-468. Moreover, the anticancer assay suggests that the hybrid Imz (Bimz)/2-AP (8-AQ) compounds present a specific affinity to Renal Cancer A498. Concerning the antimycobacterial activity, only the hybrid compound, 9, has a significant activity. SAR correlations have been performed.

  11. Alkyne-substituted diminazene as G-quadruplex binders with anticancer activities.

    PubMed

    Wang, Changhao; Carter-Cooper, Brandon; Du, Yixuan; Zhou, Jie; Saeed, Musabbir A; Liu, Jinbing; Guo, Min; Roembke, Benjamin; Mikek, Clinton; Lewis, Edwin A; Lapidus, Rena G; Sintim, Herman O

    2016-08-08

    G-quadruplex ligands have been touted as potential anticancer agents, however, none of the reported G-quadruplex-interactive small molecules have gone past phase II clinical trials. Recently it was revealed that diminazene (berenil, DMZ) actually binds to G-quadruplexes 1000 times better than DNA duplexes, with dissociation constants approaching 1 nM. DMZ however does not have strong anticancer activities. In this paper, using a panel of biophysical tools, including NMR, FRET melting assay and FRET competition assay, we discovered that monoamidine analogues of DMZ bearing alkyne substitutes selectively bind to G-quadruplexes. The lead DMZ analogues were shown to be able to target c-MYC G-quadruplex both in vitro and in vivo. Alkyne DMZ analogues display respectable anticancer activities (single digit micromolar GI50) against ovarian (OVCAR-3), prostate (PC-3) and triple negative breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines and represent interesting new leads to develop anticancer agents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  12. Marine Invertebrate Metabolites with Anticancer Activities: Solutions to the “Supply Problem”

    PubMed Central

    Gomes, Nelson G. M.; Dasari, Ramesh; Chandra, Sunena; Kiss, Robert; Kornienko, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Marine invertebrates provide a rich source of metabolites with anticancer activities and several marine-derived agents have been approved for the treatment of cancer. However, the limited supply of promising anticancer metabolites from their natural sources is a major hurdle to their preclinical and clinical development. Thus, the lack of a sustainable large-scale supply has been an important challenge facing chemists and biologists involved in marine-based drug discovery. In the current review we describe the main strategies aimed to overcome the supply problem. These include: marine invertebrate aquaculture, invertebrate and symbiont cell culture, culture-independent strategies, total chemical synthesis, semi-synthesis, and a number of hybrid strategies. We provide examples illustrating the application of these strategies for the supply of marine invertebrate-derived anticancer agents. Finally, we encourage the scientific community to develop scalable methods to obtain selected metabolites, which in the authors’ opinion should be pursued due to their most promising anticancer activities. PMID:27213412

  13. Functionalization of peptide nucleolipid bioconjugates and their structure anti-cancer activity relationship studies.

    PubMed

    Rana, Niki; Cultrara, Christopher; Phillips, Mariana; Sabatino, David

    2017-09-01

    In the search for more potent peptide-based anti-cancer conjugates the generation of new, functionally diverse nucleolipid derived D-(KLAKLAK) 2 -AK sequences has enabled a structure and anti-cancer activity relationship study. A reductive amination approach was key for the synthesis of alkylamine, diamine and polyamine derived nucleolipids as well as those incorporating heterocyclic functionality. The carboxy-derived nucleolipids were then coupled to the C-terminus of the D-(KLAKLAK) 2 -AK killer peptide sequence and produced with and without the FITC fluorophore for investigating biological activity in cancer cells. The amphiphilic, α-helical peptide-nucleolipid bioconjugates were found to exhibit variable effects on the viability of MM.1S cells, with the histamine derived nucleolipid peptide bioconjugate displaying the most significant anti-cancer effects. Thus, functionally diverse nucleolipids have been developed to fine-tune the structure and anti-cancer properties of killer peptide sequences, such as D-(KLAKLAK) 2 -AK. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Dapson in heterocyclic chemistry, part V: synthesis, molecular docking and anticancer activity of some novel sulfonylbiscompounds carrying biologically active dihydropyridine, dihydroisoquinoline, 1,3-dithiolan, 1,3-dithian, acrylamide, pyrazole, pyrazolopyrimidine and benzochromenemoieties.

    PubMed

    Ghorab, Mostafa Mohammed; Al-Said, Mansour Sulaiman; Nissan, Yassin Mohammed

    2012-01-01

    N,N'-(4,4'-Sulfonylbis(4,1-phenylene))bis(2-cyanoacetamid) 2 was utilized as a key intermediate for the synthesis of novel dihydropyridines 3, 4, 8, dihydroisoquinolines 5-7, dithiolan 10, dithian 11, acrylamide 12, benzochromenes 17 and 18 and chromenopyridones 19 and 20. Compound 2 was the starting material in the synthesis of the acrylamide derivative 14, the pyrazole derivative 15 and the pyrazolopyrimidine derivative 16. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against human breast cancer cell line (MCF7). Compound 19 showed the best cytotoxic activity with IC(50) value 19.36 µM. In addition, molecular docking study of the synthesized compounds on the active sites of farnesyltransferase and arginine methyltransferase was performed in order to give a suggestion about the mechanism of action of their cytotoxic activity.

  15. Helichrysum gymnocephalum essential oil: chemical composition and cytotoxic, antimalarial and antioxidant activities, attribution of the activity origin by correlations.

    PubMed

    Afoulous, Samia; Ferhout, Hicham; Raoelison, Emmanuel Guy; Valentin, Alexis; Moukarzel, Béatrice; Couderc, François; Bouajila, Jalloul

    2011-09-29

    Helichrysum gymnocephalum essential oil (EO) was prepared by hydrodistillation of its leaves and characterized by GC-MS and quantified by GC-FID. Twenty three compounds were identified. 1,8-Cineole (47.4%), bicyclosesquiphellandrene (5.6%), γ-curcumene (5.6%), α-amorphene (5.1%) and bicyclogermacrene (5%) were the main components. Our results confirmed the important chemical variability of H. gymnocephalum. The essential oil was tested in vitro for cytotoxic (on human breast cancer cells MCF-7), antimalarial (Plasmodium falciparum: FcB1-Columbia strain, chloroquine-resistant) and antioxidant (ABTS and DPPH assays) activities. H. gymnocephalum EO was found to be active against MCF-7 cells, with an IC(50) of 16 ± 2 mg/L. The essential oil was active against P. falciparum (IC(50) = 25 ± 1 mg/L). However, the essential oil exhibited a poor antioxidant activity in the DPPH (IC(50) value > 1,000 mg/L) and ABTS (IC(50) value = 1,487.67 ± 47.70 mg/L) assays. We have reviewed the existing results on the anticancer activity of essential oils on MCF-7 cell line and on their antiplasmodial activity against the P. falciparum. The aim was to establish correlations between the identified compounds and their biological activities (antiplasmodial and anticancer). β-Selinene (R² = 0.76), α-terpinolene (R² = 0.88) and aromadendrene (R² = 0.90) presented a higher relationship with the anti-cancer activity. However, only calamenene (R² = 0.70) showed a significant correlation for the antiplasmodial activity.

  16. Gastrodin stimulates anticancer immune response and represses transplanted H22 hepatic ascitic tumor cell growth: Involvement of NF-κB signaling activation in CD4 + T cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shu, Guangwen; Yang, Tianming; Wang, Chaoyuan

    2013-06-15

    Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata) is a famous restorative food in East Asia. It can be used as an auxiliary reagent in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. Previous studies unveiled that G. elata exhibited immunomodulatory activities. To explore the active ingredients contributing to its immunomodulatory activities, gastrodin, vanillin, and parishin B were purified from G. elata and their anti-HCC effects were assessed in vivo. Among these compounds, only gastrodin was capable of repressing transplanted H22 ascitic hepatic tumor cell growth in vivo with low toxicity. Further investigations were designed to explore the effects of gastrodin on the immune system of tumor-bearingmore » mice and potential molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Our data showed that gastrodin ameliorated tumor cell transplantation-induced activation of endogenous pro-apoptotic pathway in CD4 + T cells and abnormalities in serum cytokine profiles in host animals. These events enhanced cytotoxic activities of natural killer and CD8 + T cells against H22 hepatic cancer cells. Gastrodin administration specifically upregulated mRNA levels of several nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) responsive genes in CD4 + T cells but not in CD8 + T cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that gastrodin increased the association of NF-κB p65 subunit to the promoter regions of IL-2 and Bcl-2 encoding genes in CD4 + T cells. Our investigations demonstrated that gastrodin is the main active ingredient contributing to the anticancer immunomodulatory properties of G. elata. Promoting NF-κB-mediated gene transcription in CD4 + T cells is implicated in its immunomodulatory activity. - Highlights: • Gastrodin stimulates anticancer immune response. • Gastrodin represses tumor transplantation-induced CD4 + T cell apoptosis. • Gastrodin activates NF-κB activity in CD4 + T cells.« less

  17. Synthesis of flexirubin-mediated silver nanoparticles using Chryseobacterium artocarpi CECT 8497 and investigation of its anticancer activity.

    PubMed

    Venil, Chidambaram Kulandaisamy; Sathishkumar, Palanivel; Malathi, Mahalingam; Usha, Rajamanickam; Jayakumar, Rajarajeswaran; Yusoff, Abdull Rahim Mohd; Ahmad, Wan Azlina

    2016-02-01

    In this work, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from a pigment produced by a recently-discovered bacterium, Chryseobacterium artocarpi CECT 8497, was achieved, followed by an investigation of its anticancer properties. The bacterial pigment was identified as flexirubin following NMR ((1)H NMR and (13)C NMR), UV-Vis, and LC-MS analysis. An aqueous silver nitrate solution was treated with isolated flexirubin to produce silver nanoparticles. The synthesised silver nanoparticles were subsequently characterised by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy methodologies. Furthermore, the anticancer effects of synthesised silver nanoparticles in a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) were evaluated. The tests showed significant cytotoxicity activity of the silver nanoparticles in the cultured cells, with an IC50 value of 36μgmL(-1). This study demonstrates that silver nanoparticles, synthesised from flexirubin from C. artocarpi CECT 8497, may have potential as a novel chemotherapeutic agent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Improving anticancer efficacy of (–)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate gold nanoparticles in murine B16F10 melanoma cells

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Cheng-Cheung; Hsieh, Dar-Shih; Huang, Kao-Jean; Chan, Yi-Lin; Hong, Po-Da; Yeh, Ming-Kung; Wu, Chang-Jer

    2014-01-01

    (–)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major bioactive constituent in green tea, has been reported to effectively inhibit the formation and development of tumors. To maximize the effectiveness of EGCG, we attached it to nanogold particles (EGCG-pNG) in various ratios to examine in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo anti-cancer activity. EGCG-pNG showed improved anti-cancer efficacy in B16F10 murine melanoma cells; the cytotoxic effect in the melanoma cells treated with EGCG-pNG was 4.91 times higher than those treated with EGCG. The enhancement is achieved through mitochondrial pathway-mediated apoptosis as determined by annexin V assay, JC-10 staining, and caspase-3, -8, -9 activity assay. Moreover, EGCG-pNG was 1.66 times more potent than EGCG for inhibition of tumor growth in a murine melanoma model. In the hemolysis assay, the pNG surface conjugated with EGCG is most likely the key factor that contributes to the decreased release of hemoglobin from human red blood cells. PMID:24855338

  19. Pea, Pisum sativum, and Its Anticancer Activity

    PubMed Central

    Rungruangmaitree, Runchana; Jiraungkoorskul, Wannee

    2017-01-01

    Pisum sativum (Family: Fabaceae), as known as green pea or garden pea, has long been important in diet due to its content of fiber, protein, starch, trace elements, and many phytochemical substances. It has been shown to possess antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antihypercholesterolemia, and antioxidant activities and also shown anticancer property. Its nonnutritive biologically active components include alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, isoflavones, phenols, phytosterols, phytic acid, protease inhibitors, saponins, and tannins. This plant is rich in apigenin, hydroxybenzoic, hydroxycinnamic, luteolin, and quercetin, all of which have been reported to contribute to its remedial properties including anticarcinogenesis property. Based on established literature on the anticancer property of P. sativum and possible mode of action, this review article has focused to demonstrate that P. sativum could be further explored for the development of anticancer treatment. PMID:28503053

  20. Antitumor Activity and Mechanism of Action of the Cyclopenta[b]benzofuran, Silvestrol

    PubMed Central

    Cencic, Regina; Carrier, Marilyn; Galicia-Vázquez, Gabriela; Bordeleau, Marie-Eve; Sukarieh, Rami; Bourdeau, Annie; Brem, Brigitte; Teodoro, Jose G.; Greger, Harald; Tremblay, Michel L.; Porco, John A.; Pelletier, Jerry

    2009-01-01

    Background Flavaglines are a family of natural products from the genus Aglaia that exhibit anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo and inhibit translation initiation. They have been shown to modulate the activity of eIF4A, the DEAD-box RNA helicase subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex, a complex that stimulates ribosome recruitment during translation initiation. One flavagline, silvestrol, is capable of modulating chemosensitivity in a mechanism-based mouse model. Methodology/Principal Findings Among a number of flavagline family members tested herein, we find that silvestrol is the more potent translation inhibitor among these. We find that silvestrol impairs the ribosome recruitment step of translation initiation by affecting the composition of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex. We show that silvestrol exhibits significant anticancer activity in human breast and prostate cancer xenograft models, and that this is associated with increased apoptosis, decreased proliferation, and inhibition of angiogenesis. We demonstrate that targeting translation by silvestrol results in preferential inhibition of weakly initiating mRNAs. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that silvestrol is a potent anti-cancer compound in vivo that exerts its activity by affecting survival pathways as well as angiogenesis. We propose that silvestrol mediates its effects by preferentially inhibiting translation of malignancy-related mRNAs. Silvestrol appears to be well tolerated in animals. PMID:19401772

  1. Momordica charantia Extract Induces Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells through Caspase- and Mitochondria-Dependent Pathways

    PubMed Central

    Li, Chia-Jung; Tsang, Shih-Fang; Tsai, Chun-Hao; Tsai, Hsin-Yi; Chyuan, Jong-Ho; Hsu, Hsue-Yin

    2012-01-01

    Plants are an invaluable source of potential new anti-cancer drugs. Momordica charantia is one of these plants with both edible and medical value and reported to exhibit anticancer activity. To explore the potential effectiveness of Momordica charantia, methanol extract of Momordica charantia (MCME) was used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity on four human cancer cell lines, Hone-1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, AGS gastric adenocarcinoma cells, HCT-116 colorectal carcinoma cells, and CL1-0 lung adenocarcinoma cells, in this study. MCME showed cytotoxic activity towards all cancer cells tested, with the approximate IC50 ranging from 0.25 to 0.35 mg/mL at 24 h. MCME induced cell death was found to be time-dependent in these cells. Apoptosis was demonstrated by DAPI staining and DNA fragmentation analysis using agarose gel electrophoresis. MCME activated caspase-3 and enhanced the cleavage of downstream DFF45 and PARP, subsequently leading to DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation. The apoptogenic protein, Bax, was increased, whereas Bcl-2 was decreased after treating for 24 h in all cancer cells, indicating the involvement of mitochondrial pathway in MCME-induced cell death. These findings indicate that MCME has cytotoxic effects on human cancer cells and exhibits promising anti-cancer activity by triggering apoptosis through the regulation of caspases and mitochondria. PMID:23091557

  2. Possible Anticancer Mechanisms of Some Costus speciosus Active Ingredients Concerning Drug Discovery.

    PubMed

    El-Far, Ali H; Badria, Faried A; Shaheen, Hazem M

    2016-01-01

    Costus speciosus is native to South East Asia, especially found in India, Srilanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. C. speciosus have numerous therapeutic potentials against a wide variety of complains. The therapeutic properties of C. speciosus are attributed to the presence of various ingredients such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, sterols and sesquiterpenes. This review presented the past, present, and the future status of C. speciosus active ingredients to propose a future use as a potential anticancer agent. All possible up-regulation of cellular apoptotic molecules as p53, p21, p27, caspases, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and others attribute to the anticancer activity of C. speciosus along the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic agents such as Akt, Bcl2, NFKB, STAT3, JAK, MMPs, actin, surviving and vimentin. Eventually, we recommend further investigation of different C. speciosus extracts, using some active ingredients and evaluate the anticancer effect of these chemicals against different cancers.

  3. Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of novel symmetrical taspine derivatives as anticancer agents.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Yanmin; Pan, Xiaoyan; Wang, Sicen; He, Langchon

    2011-07-01

    It has been demonstrated that taspine derivatives act as anticancer agents, thus we designed and synthesized a novel class of symmetrical biphenyl derivatives. We evaluated the cytotoxicity and antitumor activity of biphenyls against five human tumor and normal cell lines. The results indicated that the majority of the compounds exhibited anticancer activity equivalent to or greater than the positive control. Compounds (11) and (12) demonstrated the most potent cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values between 19.41 µM and 29.27 µM. The potent antiproliferative capabilities of these compounds against ECV304 human transformed endothelial cells indicated that these biphenyls could potentially serve as antiangiogenic agents. We also reviewed the relationship between structure and activity based on the experimental results. Our findings provide a good starting point for further development of symmetrical biphenyl derivatives as potential novel anticancer agents.

  4. Dendrobium chrysanthum ethanolic extract induces apoptosis via p53 up-regulation in HeLa cells and inhibits tumor progression in mice.

    PubMed

    Prasad, Ritika; Rana, Nishant Kumar; Koch, Biplob

    2017-06-01

    Background Dendrobium is one of the diverse genus of orchid plants. It possesses a number of pharmacological activities and has long been used in traditional system of medicine. The goal of this study was to investigate the apoptosis inducing property of the ethanolic extract from the leaves of Dendrobium chrysanthum, a species of Dendrobium whose anticancer role has not been ascertained yet. Methods To evaluate the anticancer activity of the ethanolic extract of D. chrysanthum in vitro in HeLa (human cervical cancer) cells, cytotoxic activity, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), induction of apoptosis and effect on cell cycle were determined. The in vivo study was carried out in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) bearing mice to assess the tumor growth delay. Results Our study demonstrated that the ethanolic extract showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. The extract exhibited dose-dependent increase in ROS production as well as apoptotic cell death which was further confirmed through presence of DNA fragmentation. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry suggests that the ethanolic extract perturbed cell cycle progression and leads to the delay of the cells in S phase. Further, the real-time PCR studies also showed up-regulation of apoptotic genes p53 and Bax. The in vivo antitumor activity exhibited significant increase in the life span of DL bearing mice as compared to control with significant decrease in abdominal size along with reduced tumor ascites. Conclusions These observations demonstrate the anticancer potential of the D. chrysanthum ethanolic extract mediated through p53-dependent apoptosis.

  5. Arctigenin promotes apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via the iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ke; Li, Li-an; Meng, Yuan-guang; You, Yan-qin; Fu, Xiao-yu; Song, Lei

    2014-12-01

    Arctigenin is a biologically active lignan extracted from the seeds of Arctium lappa and shows anticancer activity against a variety of human cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of arctigenin on ovarian cancer cell proliferation and survival and associated molecular mechanisms. Human ovarian cancer OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells were treated with arctigenin, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. Western blot analysis was used to examine signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and survivin and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. The involvement of STAT3/survivin/iNOS/NO signalling in arctigenin action was checked. Arctigenin treatment resulted in a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Arctigenin-treated cells showed a 4-6 times increase in the percentage of apoptosis, compared with control cells. Pre-treatment with Ac-DEVD-CHO, a specific inhibitor of caspase-3, counteracted the induction of apoptosis by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin and iNOS expression. Arctigenin-induced apoptosis was impaired by pre-transfection with survivin-expressing plasmid or addition of chemical nitric oxide (NO) donors. Additionally, exogenous NO prevented the suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin expression by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment inhibits the proliferation and induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Suppression of iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling is causally linked to the anticancer activity of arctigenin. Therefore, arctigenin may be applicable to anticancer therapy for ovarian cancer. © 2014 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

  6. Ciclopirox olamine inhibits mTORC1 signaling by activation of AMPK.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Hongyu; Shang, Chaowei; Wang, Min; Shen, Tao; Kong, Lingmei; Yu, Chunlei; Ye, Zhennan; Luo, Yan; Liu, Lei; Li, Yan; Huang, Shile

    2016-09-15

    Ciclopirox olamine (CPX), an off-patent antifungal agent, has recently been identified as a potential anticancer agent. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central controller of cell growth, proliferation and survival. Little is known about whether and how CPX executes its anticancer action by inhibiting mTOR. Here we show that CPX inhibited the phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), two downstream effector molecules of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), in a spectrum of human tumor cells, indicating that CPX inhibits mTORC1 signaling. Using rhabdomyosarcoma cells as an experimental model, we found that expression of constitutively active mTOR (E2419K) conferred resistance to CPX inhibition of cell proliferation, suggesting that CPX inhibition of mTORC1 contributed to its anticancer effect. In line with this, treatment with CPX inhibited tumor growth and concurrently suppressed mTORC1 signaling in RD xenografts. Mechanistically, CPX inhibition of mTORC1 was neither via inhibition of IGF-I receptor or phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), nor by activation of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Instead, CPX inhibition of mTORC1 was attributed to activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-tuberous sclerosis complexes (TSC)/raptor pathways. This is supported by the findings that CPX activated AMPK; inhibition of AMPK with Compound C or ectopic expression of dominant negative AMPKα partially prevented CPX from inhibiting mTORC1; silencing TSC2 attenuated CPX inhibition of mTORC1; and CPX also increased AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of raptor (S792). Therefore, the results indicate that CPX exerts the anticancer effect by activating AMPK, resulting in inhibition of mTORC1 signaling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Current situation and future usage of anticancer drug databases.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hongzhi; Yin, Yuanyuan; Wang, Peiqi; Xiong, Chenyu; Huang, Lingyu; Li, Sijia; Li, Xinyi; Fu, Leilei

    2016-07-01

    Cancer is a deadly disease with increasing incidence and mortality rates and affects the life quality of millions of people per year. The past 15 years have witnessed the rapid development of targeted therapy for cancer treatment, with numerous anticancer drugs, drug targets and related gene mutations been identified. The demand for better anticancer drugs and the advances in database technologies have propelled the development of databases related to anticancer drugs. These databases provide systematic collections of integrative information either directly on anticancer drugs or on a specific type of anticancer drugs with their own emphases on different aspects, such as drug-target interactions, the relationship between mutations in drug targets and drug resistance/sensitivity, drug-drug interactions, natural products with anticancer activity, anticancer peptides, synthetic lethality pairs and histone deacetylase inhibitors. We focus on a holistic view of the current situation and future usage of databases related to anticancer drugs and further discuss their strengths and weaknesses, in the hope of facilitating the discovery of new anticancer drugs with better clinical outcomes.

  8. Cisplatin binds to pre-miR-200b and impairs its processing to mature microRNA.

    PubMed

    Mezencev, R; Wartell, R M

    2018-01-01

    Cisplatin is an important anticancer drug with a complex mode of action, a variety of possible targets, and numerous resistance mechanisms. While genomic DNA has traditionally been considered to be its most critical anticancer target, several lines of evidence suggest that various RNAs and other biomolecules may play a role in its anticancer mode of action. In this report we demonstrate that cisplatin modifies pre-miR-200b, impairs its processing to mature miRNA, and decreases miR-200b expression in ovarian cancer cells. Considering the role of miR-200b in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cancer chemosensitivity, cisplatin-induced modification of pre-miR-200b and subsequent deregulation of mature miR-200b may, depending on cell context, limit anticancer activity of this important anticancer drug. More gener- ally, precursor miRNAs may be important targets of cisplatin and play a role in this drug's anticancer activity or modulate cell responses to this drug.

  9. Anticancer Properties of Capsaicin Against Human Cancer.

    PubMed

    Clark, Ruth; Lee, Seong-Ho

    2016-03-01

    There is persuasive epidemiological and experimental evidence that dietary phytochemicals have anticancer activity. Capsaicin is a bioactive phytochemical abundant in red and chili peppers. While the preponderance of the data strongly indicates significant anticancer benefits of capsaicin, more information to highlight molecular mechanisms of its action is required to improve our knowledge to be able to propose a potential therapeutic strategy for use of capsaicin against cancer. Capsaicin has been shown to alter the expression of several genes involved in cancer cell survival, growth arrest, angiogenesis and metastasis. Recently, many research groups, including ours, found that capsaicin targets multiple signaling pathways, oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes in various types of cancer models. In this review article, we highlight multiple molecular targets responsible for the anticancer mechanism of capsaicin. In addition, we deal with the benefits of combinational use of capsaicin with other dietary or chemotherapeutic compounds, focusing on synergistic anticancer activities. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  10. Seeking new anti-cancer agents from autophagy-regulating natural products.

    PubMed

    Hua, Fang; Shang, Shuang; Hu, Zhuo-Wei

    2017-04-01

    Natural products are an important original source of many widely used drugs, including anti-cancer drugs. Early research efforts for seeking anti-cancer therapy from the natural products are mainly focused on the compounds with cytotoxicity capability. The good examples include vinblastine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives; topotecan, irinotecan, epipodophyllotoxin derivatives and paclitaxel. In a recent decade, the fundamental progression has been made in the understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms regarding tumor initiation, metastasis, therapeutic resistance, immune escape, and relapse, which provide a great opportunity for the development of new mechanism-based anticancer drugs, especially drugs against new molecular and cellular targets. Autophagy, a critical cell homeostasis mechanism and promising drug target involved in a verity of human diseases including cancer, can be modulated by many compounds derived from natural products. In this review, we'll give a short introduction of autophagy and discuss the roles of autophagy in the tumorigenesis and progression. And then, we summarize the accumulated evidences to show the anti-tumor effects of several compounds derived from natural products through modulation of autophagy activity.

  11. HU-331, a novel cannabinoid-based anticancer topoisomerase II inhibitor.

    PubMed

    Kogan, Natalya M; Schlesinger, Michael; Priel, Esther; Rabinowitz, Ruth; Berenshtein, Eduard; Chevion, Mordechai; Mechoulam, Raphael

    2007-01-01

    Anthracyclines, a large group of quinonoid compounds, are used to treat some forms of cancer. Although highly effective in cancer therapy, the mechanism of action of these compounds is not specific; they act on cancer and other cells by numerous mechanisms. A new anticancer quinone (HU-331) was synthesized from cannabidiol. It shows significant high efficacy against human cancer cell lines in vitro and against in vivo tumor grafts in nude mice. In this study, we investigated its mode of action and present evidence on its unique mechanism. HU-331 does not cause cancer cell cycle arrest, cell apoptosis, or caspase activation. HU-331-caused cell death of human cancer cell lines is not mediated by reactive oxygen intermediates/species, as exposure to HU-331 failed to elicit the generation of reactive oxygen species. HU-331 inhibits DNA topoisomerase II even at nanomolar concentrations but has only a slight nonsignificant effect on DNA topoisomerase I action. The cannabinoid quinone HU-331 is a highly specific inhibitor of topoisomerase II, compared with most known anticancer quinones. It might represent a new potent anticancer drug.

  12. Metal complexes as DNA intercalators.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hong-Ke; Sadler, Peter J

    2011-05-17

    DNA has a strong affinity for many heterocyclic aromatic dyes, such as acridine and its derivatives. Lerman in 1961 first proposed intercalation as the source of this affinity, and this mode of DNA binding has since attracted considerable research scrutiny. Organic intercalators can inhibit nucleic acid synthesis in vivo, and they are now common anticancer drugs in clinical therapy. The covalent attachment of organic intercalators to transition metal coordination complexes, yielding metallointercalators, can lead to novel DNA interactions that influence biological activity. Metal complexes with σ-bonded aromatic side arms can act as dual-function complexes: they bind to DNA both by metal coordination and through intercalation of the attached aromatic ligand. These aromatic side arms introduce new modes of DNA binding, involving mutual interactions of functional groups held in close proximity. The biological activity of both cis- and trans-diamine Pt(II) complexes is dramatically enhanced by the addition of σ-bonded intercalators. We have explored a new class of organometallic "piano-stool" Ru(II) and Os(II) arene anticancer complexes of the type [(η(6)-arene)Ru/Os(XY)Cl](+). Here XY is, for example, ethylenediamine (en), and the arene ligand can take many forms, including tetrahydroanthracene, biphenyl, or p-cymene. Arene-nucleobase stacking interactions can have a significant influence on both the kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA binding. In particular, the cytotoxic activity, conformational distortions, recognition by DNA-binding proteins, and repair mechanisms are dependent on the arene. A major difficulty in developing anticancer drugs is cross-resistance, a phenomenon whereby a cell that is resistant to one drug is also resistant to another drug in the same class. These new complexes are non-cross-resistant with cisplatin towards cancer cells: they constitute a new class of anticancer agents, with a mechanism of action that differs from the anticancer drug cisplatin and its analogs. The Ru-arene complexes with dual functions are more potent towards cancer cells than their nonintercalating analogs. In this Account, we focus on recent studies of dual-function organometallic Ru(II)- and Os(II)-arene complexes and the methods used to detect arene-DNA intercalation. We relate these interactions to the mechanism of anticancer activity and to structure-activity relationships. The interactions between these complexes and DNA show close similarities to those of covalent polycyclic aromatic carcinogens, especially to N7-alkylating intercalation compounds. However, Ru-arene complexes exhibit some new features. Classical intercalation and base extrusion next to the metallated base is observed for {(η(6)-biphenyl)Ru(ethylenediamine)}(2+) adducts of a 14-mer duplex, while penetrating arene intercalation occurs for adducts of the nonaromatic bulky intercalator {(η(6)-tetrahydroanthracene)Ru(ethylenediamine)}(2+) with a 6-mer duplex. The introduction of dual-function Ru-arene complexes introduces new mechanisms of antitumor activity, novel mechanisms for attack on DNA, and new concepts for developing structure- activity relationships. We hope this discussion will stimulate thoughtful and focused research on the design of anticancer chemotherapeutic agents using these unique approaches.

  13. Streptomyces artemisiae MCCB 248 isolated from Arctic fjord sediments has unique PKS and NRPS biosynthetic genes and produces potential new anticancer natural products.

    PubMed

    Dhaneesha, M; Benjamin Naman, C; Krishnan, K P; Sinha, Rupesh Kumar; Jayesh, P; Joseph, Valsamma; Bright Singh, I S; Gerwick, William H; Sajeevan, T P

    2017-05-01

    After screening marine actinomycetes isolated from sediment samples collected from the Arctic fjord Kongsfjorden for potential anticancer activity, an isolate identified as Streptomyces artemisiae MCCB 248 exhibited promising results against the NCI-H460 human lung cancer cell line. H460 cells treated with the ethyl acetate extract of strain MCCB 248 and stained with Hoechst 33342 showed clear signs of apoptosis, including shrinkage of the cell nucleus, DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation. Further to this treated cells showed indications of early apoptotic cell death, including a significant proportion of Annexin V positive staining and evidence of DNA damage as observed in the TUNEL assay. Amplified PKS 1 and NRPS genes involved in secondary metabolite production showed only 82% similarity to known biosynthetic genes of Streptomyces, indicating the likely production of a novel secondary metabolite in this extract. Additionally, chemical dereplication efforts using LC-MS/MS molecular networking suggested the presence of a series of undescribed tetraene polyols. Taken together, these results revealed that this Arctic S. artemisiae strain MCCB 248 is a promising candidate for natural products drug discovery and genome mining for potential anticancer agents.

  14. Interactions of cisplatin with non-DNA targets and their influence on anticancer activity and drug toxicity: the complex world of the platinum complex.

    PubMed

    Mezencev, Roman

    2015-01-01

    Since the discovery of its anticancer activity in 1970s, cisplatin and its analogs have become widely used in clinical practice, being administered to 40-80% of patients undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumors. The fascinating story of this drug continues to evolve presently, which includes advances in our understanding of complexity of molecular mechanisms involved in its anticancer activity and drug toxicity. While genomic DNA has been generally recognized as the most critical pharmacological target of cisplatin, the results reported across multiple disciplines suggest that other targets and molecular interactions are likely involved in the anticancer mode of action, drug toxicity and resistance of cancer cells to this remarkable anticancer drug. This article reviews interactions of cisplatin with non-DNA targets, including RNAs, proteins, phospholipids and carbohydrates in the context of its pharmacological activity and drug toxicity. Some of these non-DNA targets and associated mechanisms likely act in a highly concerted manner towards the biological outcome in cisplatin-treated tumors; therefore, the understanding of complexity of cisplatin interactome may open new avenues for modulation of its clinical efficacy or for designing more efficient platinum-based anticancer drugs to reproduce the success of cisplatin in the treatment of highly curable testicular germ cell tumors in its therapeutic applications to other cancers.

  15. ISO-66, a novel inhibitor of macrophage migration, shows efficacy in melanoma and colon cancer models.

    PubMed

    Ioannou, Kyriaki; Cheng, Kai Fan; Crichlow, Gregg V; Birmpilis, Anastasios I; Lolis, Elias J; Tsitsilonis, Ourania E; Al-Abed, Yousef

    2014-10-01

    Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine, which possesses a contributing role in cancer progression and metastasis and, thus, is now considered a promising anticancer drug target. Many MIF-inactivating strategies have proven successful in delaying cancer growth. Here, we report on the synthesis of ISO-66, a novel, highly stable, small-molecule MIF inhibitor, an analog of ISO-1 with improved characteristics. The MIF:ISO-66 co-crystal structure demonstrated that ISO-66 ligates the tautomerase active site of MIF, which has previously been shown to play an important role in its biological functions. In vitro, ISO-66 enhanced specific and non-specific anticancer immune responses, whereas prolonged administration of ISO-66 in mice with established syngeneic melanoma or colon cancer was non-toxic and resulted in a significant decrease in tumor burden. Subsequent ex vivo analysis of mouse splenocytes revealed that the observed decrease in tumor growth rates was likely mediated by the selective in vivo expansion of antitumor-reactive effector cells induced by ISO-66. Compared to other MIF-inactivating strategies employed in vivo, the anticancer activity of ISO-66 is demonstrated to be of equal or better efficacy. Our findings suggest that targeting MIF, via highly specific and stable compounds, such as ISO-66, may be effective for cancer treatment and stimulation of anticancer immune responses.

  16. Cellular uptake and anticancer effects of mucoadhesive curcumin-containing chitosan nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Chuah, Lay Hong; Roberts, Clive J; Billa, Nashiru; Abdullah, Syahril; Rosli, Rozita

    2014-04-01

    Curcumin, which is derived from turmeric has gained much attention in recent years for its anticancer activities against various cancers. However, due to its poor absorption, rapid metabolism and elimination, curcumin has a very low oral bioavailability. Therefore, we have formulated mucoadhesive nanoparticles to deliver curcumin to the colon, such that prolonged contact between the nanoparticles and the colon leads to a sustained level of curcumin in the colon, improving the anticancer effect of curcumin on colorectal cancer. The current work entails the ex vivo mucoadhesion study of the formulated nanoparticles and the in vitro effect of mucoadhesive interaction between the nanoparticles and colorectal cancer cells. The ex vivo study showed that curcumin-containing chitosan nanoparticles (CUR-CS-NP) have improved mucoadhesion compared to unloaded chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NP), suggesting that curcumin partly contributes to the mucoadhesion process. This may lead to an enhanced anticancer effect of curcumin when formulated in CUR-CS-NP. Our results show that CUR-CS-NP are taken up to a greater extent by colorectal cancer cells, compared to free curcumin. The prolonged contact offered by the mucoadhesion of CUR-CS-NP onto the cells resulted in a greater reduction in percentage cell viability as well as a lower IC50, indicating a potential improved treatment outcome. The formulation and free curcumin appeared to induce cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells, by arresting the cell cycle at G2/M phase. The superior anticancer effects exerted by CUR-CS-NP indicated that this could be a potential treatment for colorectal cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Aqueous extracts of microalgae exhibit antioxidant and anticancer activities

    PubMed Central

    Shanab, Sanaa MM; Mostafa, Soha SM; Shalaby, Emad A; Mahmoud, Ghada I

    2012-01-01

    Objective To investigate the antioxidant and anticancer activities of aqueous extracts of nine microalgal species. Methods Variable percentages of major secondary metabolites (total phenolic content, terpenoids and alkaloids) as well as phycobiliprotein pigments (phycocyanin, allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin) in the aqueous algal extracts were recorded. Antioxidant activity of the algal extracts was performed using 2, 2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test and 2,2′- azino-bis (ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS.+) radical cation assay. Anticancer efficiency of the algal water extracts was investigated against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma cell (EACC) and Human hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2). Results Antioxidant activity of the algal extracts was performed using DPPH test and ABTS.+ radical cation assays which revealed 30.1-72.4% and 32.0-75.9% respectively. Anticancer efficiency of the algal water extracts was investigated against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cell (EACC) and Human Hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2) with an activity ranged 87.25% and 89.4% respectively. Culturing the promising cyanobacteria species; Nostoc muscorum and Oscillatoria sp. under nitrogen stress conditions (increasing and decreasing nitrate content of the normal BG11 medium, 1.5 g/L), increased nitrate concentration (3, 6 and 9 g/L) led to a remarkable increase in phycobilin pigments followed by an increase in both antioxidant and anticancer activities in both cyanobacterial species. While the decreased nitrate concentration (0.75, 0.37 and 0.0 g/L) induced an obvious decrease in phycobilin pigments with complete absence of allophycocyanin in case of Oscillatoria sp. Conclusions Nitrogen starvation (0.00 g/L nitrate) induced an increase and comparable antioxidant and anticancer activities to those cultured in the highest nitrate content. PMID:23569980

  18. Development and characterization of surface engineered PPI dendrimers for targeted drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Kaur, Avleen; Jain, Keerti; Mehra, Neelesh Kumar; Jain, N K

    2017-05-01

    In this study, we reported folate-conjugated polypropylene imine dendrimers (FA-PPI) as efficient carrier for model anticancer drug, methotrexate (MTX), for pH-sensitive drug release, selective targeting to cancer cells, and anticancer activity. In the in vitro drug release studies this nanoconjugate of MTX showed initial rapid release followed by gradual slow release, and the drug release was found to be pH sensitive with greater release at acidic pH. The ex vivo investigations with human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7, showed enhanced cytotoxicity of MTX-FA-PPI with significantly enhanced intracellular uptake. The biofate of nanoconjugate was determined in Wistar rat where MTX-FA-PPI showed 37.79-fold increase in the concentration of MTX in liver after 24 h in comparison with free MTX formulation.

  19. Anticancer and immunostimulating activities of a novel homogalacturonan from Hippophae rhamnoides L. berry.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hailiang; Gao, Tingting; Du, Yuzhi; Yang, Hongxia; Wei, Lixin; Bi, Hongtao; Ni, Weihua

    2015-10-20

    Our previous study isolated an anti-fatigue polysaccharide (HRWP) from the Hippophae rhamnoides berry. In this study, using ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography in turn, a water-soluble homogenous polysaccharide HRWP-A was isolated from HRWP. Structural analysis determined that HRWP-A was a polysaccharide with repeating units of (1→4)-β-d-galactopyranosyluronic residues, of which 85.16% were esterified with methyl groups. An antitumor activity assay showed that HRWP-A could significantly inhibit the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) growth in tumor-bearing mice. Further experiments suggested that the antitumor effect of HRWP-A might be mediated through immunostimulating activity, as it enhances the lymphocyte proliferation, augments the macrophage activities, as well as promoting NK cell activity and CTL cytotoxicity in tumor-bearing mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a natural antitumor high-methoxyl homogalacturonan pectin from the H. rhamnoides berry-a compound that acts as a potential immunostimulant and anticancer adjuvant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Apoptosis mediated anti-proliferative effect of compound isolated from Cassia auriculata leaves against human colon cancer cell line

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Esakkirajan, M.; Prabhu, N. M.; Manikandan, R.; Beulaja, M.; Prabhu, D.; Govindaraju, K.; Thiagarajan, R.; Arulvasu, C.; Dhanasekaran, G.; Dinesh, D.; Babu, G.

    2014-06-01

    A compound was isolated from Cassia auriculata leaves and characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The in vitro anticancer effect of the compound isolated from C. auriculata was evaluated in human colon cancer cells HCT 15 by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cytotoxicity, nuclear morphology analysis and measurement of lactate dehydrogenase. The isolated compound 4-(2,5 dichlorobenzyl)-2,3,4,5,6,7 hexahydro7(4 methoxyphenyl)benzo[h][1,4,7] triazecin8(1H)-one showed 50% inhibition of HCT 15 cells when tested at 20 μg/ml after 24 h incubation. Cytotoxicity, nuclear morphology and lactate dehydrogenase assays clearly show potent anticancer activity of the isolated compound against colon cancer. Thus, the in vitro findings suggest that the compound isolated from C. auriculata leaves have potent anti-cancer properties with possible clinical applications.

  1. A monofunctional platinum(II)-based anticancer agent from a salicylanilide derivative: Synthesis, antiproliferative activity, and transcription inhibition.

    PubMed

    Wang, Beilei; Wang, Zhigang; Ai, Fujin; Tang, Wai Kin; Zhu, Guangyu

    2015-01-01

    Cationic monofunctional platinum(II)-based anticancer agents with a general formula of cis-[Pt(NH3)2(N-donor)Cl](+) have recently drawn significant attention due to their unique mode of action, distinctive anticancer spectrum, and promising antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. Understanding the mechanism of action of novel monofunctional platinum compounds through rational drug design will aid in the further development of active agents. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated a monofunctional platinum-based anticancer agent SA-Pt containing a bulky salicylanilide moiety. The antiproliferative activity of SA-Pt was close to that of cisplatin. Mechanism studies revealed that SA-Pt entered HeLa cells more efficiently than cisplatin, blocked the cell cycle at the S-phase, and induced apoptosis. The compound bound to DNA as effectively as cisplatin, but did not block RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription as strongly as cisplatin, indicating that once the compound formed Pt-DNA lesions, the salicylanilide group was more easily recognized and removed. This study not only enriches the family of monofunctional platinum-based anticancer agents but also guides the design of more potent monofunctional platinum complexes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Cancer.gov

    Laetrile (Amygdalin) has shown little anticancer activity in animal studies and no anticancer activity in human clinical trials. Laetrile is not approved for use in the United States. Get detailed information about use of Laetrile for cancer in this summary for clinicians.

  3. Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Cancer.gov

    Laetrile (Amygdalin) has shown little anticancer activity in animal studies and no anticancer activity in human clinical trials. Laetrile is not approved for use in the United States. Learn more about the use of Laetrile for cancer in this expert-reviewed summary.

  4. Studies on anticancer activities of lactoferrin and lactoferricin.

    PubMed

    Yin, Cui Ming; Wong, Jack Ho; Xia, Jiang; Ng, Tzi Bun

    2013-09-01

    This review mainly summarizes results of recent studies on the anticancer activity of the multifunctional protein lactoferrin (Lf) and its derived peptide lactoferricin (Lfcin). The basic information on Lf and Lfcin, such as their sources, structures, and biological properties which favor their antitumor activity is introduced. The major anticancer mechanisms of Lf and Lfcin including cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, anti-angiogenesis, antimetastasis, immune modulation and necrosis are discussed. Other information from in vivo studies employing a mouse model is also provided. In addition, the roles of talatoferrin and delta lactoferrin, as well as improvement in drug delivery will be covered.

  5. Cytotoxic potential of few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on HepG2 cells

    PubMed Central

    Garg, Munish; Lata, Kusum; Satija, Saurabh

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To investigate in vitro anticancer activity of a few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against HepG2 cells. Materials and Methods: Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared of five fruit peels, i.e., banana, lemon, guava, orange, and papaya by maceration and thereafter subjected for MTT assay to evaluate anticancer potential on HepG2 cells. Plant extract showed best activity was further fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate successively and screened again. Phytochemical analysis was then carried out to find out responsible components for the observed activity. Results: Out of the 40 samples from five fruit peel extracts with rich folklore usage, papaya extract showed maximum activity with least inhibitory concentration50 (IC50) value of 18.5 μg/ml. Further analysis after fractionation of the papaya peel extract, aqueous fraction showed the maximum inhibitory activity with least IC50 value of 17.3 μg/ml. Phytochemical analysis of the aqueous fraction of papaya peel extract revealed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides. Total flavonoid content found to be 72.25 mg/g. Conclusion: Papaya fruit extract demonstrated the best activity against MTT assay which may be due to the presence of flavonoids. PMID:26997725

  6. TIPdb: a database of anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Lin, Ying-Chi; Wang, Chia-Chi; Chen, Ih-Sheng; Jheng, Jhao-Liang; Li, Jih-Heng; Tung, Chun-Wei

    2013-01-01

    The unique geographic features of Taiwan are attributed to the rich indigenous and endemic plant species in Taiwan. These plants serve as resourceful bank for biologically active phytochemicals. Given that these plant-derived chemicals are prototypes of potential drugs for diseases, databases connecting the chemical structures and pharmacological activities may facilitate drug development. To enhance the utility of the data, it is desirable to develop a database of chemical compounds and corresponding activities from indigenous plants in Taiwan. A database of anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan was constructed. The database, TIPdb, is composed of a standardized format of published anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan. A browse function was implemented for users to browse the database in a taxonomy-based manner. Search functions can be utilized to filter records of interest by botanical name, part, chemical class, or compound name. The structured and searchable database TIPdb was constructed to serve as a comprehensive and standardized resource for anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis compounds search. The manually curated chemical structures and activities provide a great opportunity to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship models for the high-throughput screening of potential anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis drugs.

  7. TIPdb: A Database of Anticancer, Antiplatelet, and Antituberculosis Phytochemicals from Indigenous Plants in Taiwan

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Ying-Chi; Wang, Chia-Chi; Chen, Ih-Sheng; Jheng, Jhao-Liang; Li, Jih-Heng; Tung, Chun-Wei

    2013-01-01

    The unique geographic features of Taiwan are attributed to the rich indigenous and endemic plant species in Taiwan. These plants serve as resourceful bank for biologically active phytochemicals. Given that these plant-derived chemicals are prototypes of potential drugs for diseases, databases connecting the chemical structures and pharmacological activities may facilitate drug development. To enhance the utility of the data, it is desirable to develop a database of chemical compounds and corresponding activities from indigenous plants in Taiwan. A database of anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan was constructed. The database, TIPdb, is composed of a standardized format of published anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan. A browse function was implemented for users to browse the database in a taxonomy-based manner. Search functions can be utilized to filter records of interest by botanical name, part, chemical class, or compound name. The structured and searchable database TIPdb was constructed to serve as a comprehensive and standardized resource for anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis compounds search. The manually curated chemical structures and activities provide a great opportunity to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship models for the high-throughput screening of potential anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis drugs. PMID:23766708

  8. Dietary flavonoid fisetin targets caspase-3-deficient human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by induction of caspase-7-associated apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy.

    PubMed

    Yang, Pei-Ming; Tseng, Ho-Hsing; Peng, Chih-Wen; Chen, Wen-Shu; Chiu, Shu-Jun

    2012-02-01

    The outcome of producing apoptotic defects in cancer cells is the primary obstacle that limits the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents, and hence the development of novel agents targeting novel non-canonical cell death pathways has become an imperative mission for clinical research. Fisetin (3,3',4',7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a naturally occurring flavonoid commonly found in fruits and vegetables. In this study, we investigated the potential anticancer effects of fisetin on breast cancer cells. The result showed fisetin induced higher cytotoxicity in human breast cancer MCF-7 than in MDA-MB-231 cells otherwise it did not exert any detectable cytotoxicity in non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. We found fisetin can trigger a novel form of atypical apoptosis in caspase-3-deficient MCF-7 cells, which was characterized by several apoptotic features, including plasma membrane rupture, mitochondrial depolarization, activation of caspase-7, -8 and -9, and PARP cleavage; however, neither DNA fragmentation and phosphotidylserine (PS) externalization was observed. Although p53 was also activated by fisetin, the fisetin-induced apoptosis was not rescued by the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α. In contrast, the fisetin-induced apoptosis was abrogated by pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy by fisetin was shown as additional route to prompt anticancer activity in MCF-7 cells. These data allow us to propose that fisetin appears as a new potential anticancer agent which can be applied to develop a clinical protocol of human breast cancers.

  9. Anti-tumor activities of lipids and lipid analogues and their development as potential anticancer drugs.

    PubMed

    Murray, Michael; Hraiki, Adam; Bebawy, Mary; Pazderka, Curtis; Rawling, Tristan

    2015-06-01

    Lipids have the potential for development as anticancer agents. Endogenous membrane lipids, such as ceramides and certain saturated fatty acids, have been found to modulate the viability of tumor cells. In addition, many tumors over-express cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase or cytochrome P450 enzymes that mediate the biotransformation of ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to potent eicosanoid regulators of tumor cell proliferation and cell death. In contrast, several analogous products from the biotransformation of ω-3 PUFAs impair particular tumorigenic pathways. For example, the ω-3 17,18-epoxide of eicosapentaenoic acid activates anti-proliferative and proapoptotic signaling cascades in tumor cells and the lipoxygenase-derived resolvins are effective inhibitors of inflammatory pathways that may drive tumor expansion. However, the development of potential anti-cancer drugs based on these molecules is complex, with in vivo stability a major issue. Nevertheless, recent successes with the antitumor alkyl phospholipids, which are synthetic analogues of naturally-occurring membrane phospholipid esters, have provided the impetus for development of further molecules. The alkyl phospholipids have been tested against a range of cancers and show considerable activity against skin cancers and certain leukemias. Very recently, it has been shown that combination strategies, in which alkyl phospholipids are used in conjunction with established anticancer agents, are promising new therapeutic approaches. In future, the evaluation of new lipid-based molecules in single-agent and combination treatments may also be assessed. This could provide a range of important treatment options in the management of advanced and metastatic cancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Poncirin Induces Apoptosis in AGS Human Gastric Cancer Cells through Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway by up-Regulation of Fas Ligand.

    PubMed

    Saralamma, Venu Venkatarame Gowda; Nagappan, Arulkumar; Hong, Gyeong Eun; Lee, Ho Jeong; Yumnam, Silvia; Raha, Suchismita; Heo, Jeong Doo; Lee, Sang Joon; Lee, Won Sup; Kim, Eun Hee; Kim, Gon Sup

    2015-09-18

    Poncirin, a natural bitter flavanone glycoside abundantly present in many species of citrus fruits, has various biological benefits such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. The anti-cancer mechanism of Poncirin remains elusive to date. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of Poncirin in AGS human gastric cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinoma). The results revealed that Poncirin could inhibit the proliferation of AGS cells in a dose-dependent manner. It was observed Poncirin induced accumulation of sub-G1 DNA content, apoptotic cell population, apoptotic bodies, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner in AGS cells. The expression of Fas Ligand (FasL) protein was up-regulated dose dependently in Poncirin-treated AGS cells Moreover, Poncirin in AGS cells induced activation of Caspase-8 and -3, and subsequent cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Inhibitor studies' results confirm that the induction of caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death in Poncirin-treated AGS cells was led by the Fas death receptor. Interestingly, Poncirin did not show any effect on mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax and Bak) and anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-xL) in AGS-treated cells followed by no activation in the mitochondrial apoptotic protein caspase-9. This result suggests that the mitochondrial-mediated pathway is not involved in Poncirin-induced cell death in gastric cancer. These findings suggest that Poncirin has a potential anti-cancer effect via extrinsic pathway-mediated apoptosis, possibly making it a strong therapeutic agent for human gastric cancer.

  11. Anticancer activity of botanical compounds in ancient fermented beverages (review).

    PubMed

    McGovern, P E; Christofidou-Solomidou, M; Wang, W; Dukes, F; Davidson, T; El-Deiry, W S

    2010-07-01

    Humans around the globe probably discovered natural remedies against disease and cancer by trial and error over the millennia. Biomolecular archaeological analyses of ancient organics, especially plants dissolved or decocted as fermented beverages, have begun to reveal the preliterate histories of traditional pharmacopeias, which often date back thousands of years earlier than ancient textual, ethnohistorical, and ethnological evidence. In this new approach to drug discovery, two case studies from ancient Egypt and China illustrate how ancient medicines can be reconstructed from chemical and archaeological data and their active compounds delimited for testing their anticancer and other medicinal effects. Specifically, isoscopoletin from Artemisia argyi, artemisinin from Artemisia annua, and the latter's more easily assimilated semi-synthetic derivative, artesunate, showed the greatest activity in vitro against lung and colon cancers. In vivo tests of these compounds previously unscreened against lung and pancreatic cancers are planned for the future.

  12. New sulfurated derivatives of cinnamic acids and rosmaricine as inhibitors of STAT3 and NF-κB transcription factors.

    PubMed

    Gabriele, Elena; Brambilla, Dario; Ricci, Chiara; Regazzoni, Luca; Taguchi, Kyoko; Ferri, Nicola; Asai, Akira; Sparatore, Anna

    2017-12-01

    A set of new sulfurated drug hybrids, mainly derived from caffeic and ferulic acids and rosmaricine, has been synthesized and their ability to inhibit both STAT3 and NF-κB transcription factors have been evaluated. Results showed that most of the new hybrid compounds were able to strongly and selectively bind to STAT3, whereas the parent drugs were devoid of this ability at the tested concentrations. Some of them were also able to inhibit the NF-κB transcriptional activity in HCT-116 cell line and inhibited HCT-116 cell proliferation in vitro with IC 50 in micromolar range, thus suggesting a potential anticancer activity. Taken together, our study described the identification of new derivatives with dual STAT3/NF-κB inhibitory activity, which may represent hit compounds for developing multi-target anticancer agents.

  13. Exploring Cancer Therapeutics with Natural Products from African Medicinal Plants, Part II: Alkaloids, Terpenoids and Flavonoids.

    PubMed

    Nwodo, Justina N; Ibezim, Akachukwu; Simoben, Conrad V; Ntie-Kang, Fidele

    2016-01-01

    Cancer stands as second most common cause of disease-related deaths in humans. Resistance of cancer to chemotherapy remains challenging to both scientists and physicians. Medicinal plants are known to contribute significantly to a large population of Africa, which is to a very large extent linked to folkloric claims which is part of their livelihood. In this review paper, the potential of naturally occurring anti-cancer agents from African flora has been explored, with suggested modes of action, where such data is available. Literature search revealed plant-derived compounds from African flora showing anti-cancer and/or cytotoxic activities, which have been tested in vitro and in vivo. This corresponds to 400 compounds (from mildly active to very active) covering various compound classes. However, in this part II, we only discussed the three major compound classes which are: flavonoids, alkaloids and terpenoids.

  14. Date Palm Tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.): Natural Products and Therapeutic Options

    PubMed Central

    Al-Alawi, Reem A.; Al-Mashiqri, Jawhara H.; Al-Nadabi, Jawaher S. M.; Al-Shihi, Badria I.; Baqi, Younis

    2017-01-01

    Many plants, including some of the commonly consumed herbs and spices in our daily food, can be safely and effectively used to prevent and/or treat some health concerns. For example, caffeine the active ingredient found in coffee beans (Coffea), shows biological activity in the treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders, indole-3-carbinol, and 3,3′-diindolylmethane are both broccoli (Brassica oleracea) derived phytochemicals with potential anti-cancer activity, and resveratrol, isolated from grape (Vitis vinifera), is reported to extend lifespan and provide cardio-neuro-protective, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer effects. Date palm fruits possess high nutritional and therapeutic value with significant antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-proliferative properties. This review focuses on the date fruit extracts and their benefits in individual health promoting conditions and highlights their applications as useful to the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries in the development of natural compound-based industrial products. PMID:28588600

  15. Date Palm Tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.): Natural Products and Therapeutic Options.

    PubMed

    Al-Alawi, Reem A; Al-Mashiqri, Jawhara H; Al-Nadabi, Jawaher S M; Al-Shihi, Badria I; Baqi, Younis

    2017-01-01

    Many plants, including some of the commonly consumed herbs and spices in our daily food, can be safely and effectively used to prevent and/or treat some health concerns. For example, caffeine the active ingredient found in coffee beans ( Coffea ), shows biological activity in the treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders, indole-3-carbinol, and 3,3'-diindolylmethane are both broccoli ( Brassica oleracea ) derived phytochemicals with potential anti-cancer activity, and resveratrol, isolated from grape ( Vitis vinifera ), is reported to extend lifespan and provide cardio-neuro-protective, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer effects. Date palm fruits possess high nutritional and therapeutic value with significant antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-proliferative properties. This review focuses on the date fruit extracts and their benefits in individual health promoting conditions and highlights their applications as useful to the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries in the development of natural compound-based industrial products.

  16. Maslinic acid promotes autophagy by disrupting the interaction between Bcl2 and Beclin1 in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Xiaoli; Zhang, Jiaxiao; Zhou, Zhilin; Ye, Zhennan; Chen, Jiahao; Yuan, Jifan; Cao, Fengjun; Wang, Xuanbin; Liu, Wenchao; Yu, Wenxuan; Li, Xiaohua

    2017-01-01

    Maslinic acid (2α, 3β-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid, MA) was isolated from natural plants and showed anti-cancer activity in rat Pheochromocytoma PC12 cells in our previous studies. We now discover that MA disrupts the interaction between Bcl2 and autophagy scaffold protein Beclin1 in the above cell line, leading to the up-regulation of autophagy. We investigated the effect of MA on the interaction between Bcl2 and Beclin1 by biochemical and biophysical methods in combination with autophagy characterization in the above cell line. Our results suggest that MA may serve as an autophagy activator by directly blocking the Bcl2-Beclin1 interaction to release free Beclin1 required for the recruitment of autophagy positive regulators, implying MA may exert its anti-cancer activity by regulating autophagy. PMID:29088805

  17. Medicinal plants combating against cancer--a green anticancer approach.

    PubMed

    Sultana, Sabira; Asif, Hafiz Muhammad; Nazar, Hafiz Muhammad Irfan; Akhtar, Naveed; Rehman, Jalil Ur; Rehman, Riaz Ur

    2014-01-01

    Cancer is the most deadly disease that causes the serious health problems, physical disabilities, mortalities, and morbidities around the world. It is the second leading cause of death all over the world. Although great advancement have been made in the treatment of cancer progression, still significant deficiencies and room for improvement remain. Chemotherapy produced a number of undesired and toxic side effects. Natural therapies, such as the use of plant-derived products in the treatment of cancer, may reduce adverse and toxic side effects. However, many plants exist that have shown very promising anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo but their active anticancer principle have yet to be evaluated. Combined efforts of botanist, pharmacologist and chemists are required to find new lead anticancer constituent to fight disease. This review will help researchers in the finding of new bioactive molecules as it will focus on various plants evaluated for anticancer properties in vitro and in vivo.

  18. Phycocyanin: A Potential Drug for Cancer Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Liangqian; Wang, Yujuan; Yin, Qifeng; Liu, Guoxiang; Liu, Huihui; Huang, Yajing; Li, Bing

    2017-01-01

    Phycocyanin isolated from marine organisms has the characteristics of high efficiency and low toxicity, and it can be used as a functional food. It has been reported that phycocyanin has anti-oxidative function, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-cancer function, immune enhancement function, liver and kidney protection pharmacological effects. Thus, phycocyanin has an important development and utilization as a potential drug, and phycocyanin has become a new hot spot in the field of drug research. So far, there are more and more studies have shown that phycocyanin has the anti-cancer effect, which can block the proliferation of cancer cells and kill cancer cells. Phycocyanin exerts anti-cancer activity by blocking tumor cell cell cycle, inducing tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy, thereby phycocyanin can serve as a promising anti-cancer agent. This review discusses the therapeutic use of phycocyanin and focuses on the latest advances of phycocyanin as a promising anti-cancer drug. PMID:29151925

  19. Emerging drug treatments for solid tumours.

    PubMed

    Schellens, J H; Pronk, L C; Verweij, J

    1996-01-01

    A number of novel anticancer agents have emerged during the past few decades, which show high activity in preclinical tumour models and promising activity in early trials in patients with solid tumours. Most of the agents have novel and unique mechanisms of action, and show activity against a variety of malignancies, including tumours which are notoriously resistant to systemic treatment. Recently, our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer has increased considerably. This is reflected in the development of agents that are directed at well defined molecular targets, such as the mitotic tubulin/microtubuli system (taxoids), nuclear enzymes (topoisomerase I inhibitors) and cell signal transduction pathways (protein kinase C inhibitors). In addition, significant advances have been made in our understanding of mechanisms of toxicity, especially of cisplatin. This has resulted in the development of agents modulating cisplatin toxicity, among which amifostine (WR-2721) is one of the most promising. The outlined emerging drug therapies with novel anticancer agents and treatment modalities will, it is hoped, result in increased response rates of advanced tumours, longer disease-free and total survival and better palliative care.

  20. Nanoparticle Delivery of Artesunate Enhances the Anti-tumor Efficiency by Activating Mitochondria-Mediated Cell Apoptosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Rui; Yu, Xiwei; Su, Chang; Shi, Yijie; Zhao, Liang

    2017-06-01

    Artemisinin and its derivatives were considered to exert a broad spectrum of anti-cancer activities, and they induced significant anti-cancer effects in tumor cells. Artemisinin and its derivatives could be absorbed quickly, and they were widely distributed, selectively killing tumor cells. Since low concentrations of artesunate primarily depended on oncosis to induce cell death in tumor cells, its anti-tumor effects were undesirable and limited. To obtain better anti-tumor effects, in this study, we took advantage of a new nanotechnology to design novel artesunate-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles to achieve the mitochondrial accumulation of artesunate and induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. The results showed that when compared with free artesunate's reliance on oncotic death, artesunate-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles showed higher cytotoxicity and their significant apoptotic effects were induced through the distribution of artesunate in the mitochondria. This finding indicated that artesunate-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles damaged the mitochondrial integrity and activated mitochondrial-mediated cell apoptosis by upregulating apoptosis-related proteins and facilitating the rapid release of cytochrome C.

  1. Inhibiting glutamine uptake represents an attractive new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia

    PubMed Central

    Willems, Lise; Jacque, Nathalie; Jacquel, Arnaud; Neveux, Nathalie; Trovati Maciel, Thiago; Lambert, Mireille; Schmitt, Alain; Poulain, Laury; Green, Alexa S.; Uzunov, Madalina; Kosmider, Olivier; Radford-Weiss, Isabelle; Moura, Ivan Cruz; Auberger, Patrick; Ifrah, Norbert; Bardet, Valérie; Chapuis, Nicolas; Lacombe, Catherine; Mayeux, Patrick; Tamburini, Jérôme

    2013-01-01

    Cancer cells require nutrients and energy to adapt to increased biosynthetic activity, and protein synthesis inhibition downstream of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) has shown promise as a possible therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Glutamine contributes to leucine import into cells, which controls the amino acid/Rag/mTORC1 signaling pathway. We show in our current study that glutamine removal inhibits mTORC1 and induces apoptosis in AML cells. The knockdown of the SLC1A5 high-affinity transporter for glutamine induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor formation in a mouse AML xenotransplantation model. l-asparaginase (l-ase) is an anticancer agent also harboring glutaminase activity. We show that l-ases from both Escherichia coli and Erwinia chrysanthemi profoundly inhibit mTORC1 and protein synthesis and that this inhibition correlates with their glutaminase activity levels and produces a strong apoptotic response in primary AML cells. We further show that l-ases upregulate glutamine synthase (GS) expression in leukemic cells and that a GS knockdown enhances l-ase–induced apoptosis in some AML cells. Finally, we observe a strong autophagic process upon l-ase treatment. These results suggest that l-ase anticancer activity and glutamine uptake inhibition are promising new therapeutic strategies for AML. PMID:24014241

  2. Synergistic anticancer activity of curcumin and catechin: an in vitro study using human cancer cell lines.

    PubMed

    Manikandan, R; Beulaja, M; Arulvasu, C; Sellamuthu, S; Dinesh, D; Prabhu, D; Babu, G; Vaseeharan, B; Prabhu, N M

    2012-02-01

    The most practical approach to reduce morbidity and mortality of cancer is to delay the process of carcinogenesis by usage of anticancer agents. This necessitates that safer compounds are to be critically examined for anticancer activity especially, those derived from natural sources. A spice commonly found in India and the surrounding regions, is turmeric, derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa and the major active component is a phytochemical termed curcumin. Green tea is one of the most popular beverages used worldwide, produced from the leaves of evergreen plant Camellia sinensis and the major active ingredients are polyphenolic compounds known as catechins. In this study, synergistic anticancer activity of curcumin and catechin was evaluated in human colon adenocarcinoma HCT 15, HCT 116, and human larynx carcinoma Hep G-2 cell lines. Although, both curcumin or catechin inhibited the growth of above cell lines, interestingly, in combination of both these compounds highest level of growth control was observed. The anticancer activity shown is due to cytotoxicity, nuclear fragmentation as well as condensation, and DNA fragmentation associated with the appearance of apoptosis. These results suggest that curcumin and catechin in combination can inhibit the proliferation of HCT 15, HCT 116, as well as Hep G-2 cells efficiently through induction of apoptosis. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Lesson learned from nature for the development of novel anti-cancer agents: implication of isoflavone, curcumin, and their synthetic analogs.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, Fazlul H; Li, Yiwei; Wang, Zhiwei; Padhye, Subhash

    2010-06-01

    In recent years, naturally occurring dietary compounds have received greater attention in the field of cancer prevention and treatment research. Among them, isoflavone genistein and curcumin are very promising anti-cancer agents because of their non-toxic and potent anti-cancer properties. However, it is important to note that the low water solubility, poor in vivo bioavailability and unacceptable pharmacokinetic profile of these natural compounds limit their efficacy as anti-cancer agents for solid tumors. Therefore, the development of synthetic analogs of isoflavone and curcumin based on the structure-activity assay, and the encapsulation of isoflavone and curcumin with liposome or nanoparticle for enhancing the anti-tumor activity of these natural agents, is an exciting area of research. Emerging in vitro and in vivo studies clearly suggest that these analogs and formulations of natural compounds could be much more potent for the prevention and/or treatment of various cancers. In this review article, we will summarize the current knowledge regarding the anti-cancer effect of natural compounds and their analogs, the regulation of cell signaling by these agents, and the structure-activity relationship for better design of novel anti-cancer agents, which could open newer avenues for the prevention of tumor progression and/or treatment of human malignancies.

  4. Lesson Learned from Nature for the Development of Novel Anti-Cancer Agents: Implication of Isoflavone, Curcumin, and their Synthetic Analogs

    PubMed Central

    Sarkar, Fazlul H.; Li, Yiwei; Wang, Zhiwei; Padhye, Subhash

    2011-01-01

    In recent years, naturally occurring dietary compounds have received greater attention in the field of cancer prevention and treatment research. Among them, isoflavone genistein and curcumin are very promising anti-cancer agents because of their non-toxic and potent anti-cancer properties. However, it is important to note that the low water solubility, poor in vivo bioavailability and unacceptable pharmacokinetic profile of these natural compounds limit their efficacy as anti-cancer agents for solid tumors. Therefore, the development of synthetic analogs of isoflavone and curcumin based on the structure-activity assay, and the encapsulation of isoflavone and curcumin with liposome or nanoparticle for enhancing the anti-tumor activity of these natural agents, is an exciting area of research. Emerging in vitro and in vivo studies clearly suggest that these analogs and formulations of natural compounds could be much more potent for the prevention and/or treatment of various cancers. In this review article, we will summarize the current knowledge regarding the anti-cancer effect of natural compounds and their analogs, the regulation of cell signaling by these agents, and the structure-activity relationship for better design of novel anti-cancer agents, which could open newer avenues for the prevention of tumor progression and/or treatment of human malignancies. PMID:20345353

  5. Enhanced oral bioavailability and anticancer efficacy of fisetin by encapsulating as inclusion complex with HPβCD in polymeric nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Kadari, Amrita; Gudem, Sagarika; Kulhari, Hitesh; Bhandi, Murali Mohan; Borkar, Roshan M; Kolapalli, Venkata Ramana Murthy; Sistla, Ramakrishna

    2017-11-01

    Fisetin (FST), a potent anticancer phytoconstituent, exhibits poor aqueous solubility and hence poor bioavailability. The aim of the present study is to improve the oral bioavailability of FST by encapsulating into PLGA NPs (poly-lactide-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles) as a complex of HPβCD (hydroxyl propyl beta cyclodextrin) and to assess its anti-cancer activity against breast cancer cells. FST-HPβCD inclusion complex (FHIC) was prepared and the supramolecular complex formation was characterized by FTIR, DSC, PXRD and 1 H NMR. FHIC encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles (FHIC-PNP) were prepared and were studied for in vitro anticancer activity, cellular uptake, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species generation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Comparative bioavailability of FST was determined after oral administration in C57BL6 mice as pure FST and FHIC-PNP. The results revealed that FHIC-PNP not only enhanced the anti-cancer activity and apoptosis of FST against MCF-7 cells but also improved its oral bioavailability, as demonstrated by increased peak plasma concentration and total drug absorbed.

  6. CancerHSP: anticancer herbs database of systems pharmacology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tao, Weiyang; Li, Bohui; Gao, Shuo; Bai, Yaofei; Shar, Piar Ali; Zhang, Wenjuan; Guo, Zihu; Sun, Ke; Fu, Yingxue; Huang, Chao; Zheng, Chunli; Mu, Jiexin; Pei, Tianli; Wang, Yuan; Li, Yan; Wang, Yonghua

    2015-06-01

    The numerous natural products and their bioactivity potentially afford an extraordinary resource for new drug discovery and have been employed in cancer treatment. However, the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of most natural anticancer compounds remain elusive, which has become one of the major obstacles in developing novel effective anticancer agents. Here, to address these unmet needs, we developed an anticancer herbs database of systems pharmacology (CancerHSP), which records anticancer herbs related information through manual curation. Currently, CancerHSP contains 2439 anticancer herbal medicines with 3575 anticancer ingredients. For each ingredient, the molecular structure and nine key ADME parameters are provided. Moreover, we also provide the anticancer activities of these compounds based on 492 different cancer cell lines. Further, the protein targets of the compounds are predicted by state-of-art methods or collected from literatures. CancerHSP will help reveal the molecular mechanisms of natural anticancer products and accelerate anticancer drug development, especially facilitate future investigations on drug repositioning and drug discovery. CancerHSP is freely available on the web at http://lsp.nwsuaf.edu.cn/CancerHSP.php.

  7. Andrographolide, a potential cancer therapeutic agent isolated from Andrographis paniculata.

    PubMed

    Rajagopal, Sriram; Kumar, R Ajaya; Deevi, Dhanvanthri S; Satyanarayana, Chitkala; Rajagopalan, R

    2003-01-01

    Andrographis paniculata plant extract is known to possess a variety of pharmacological activities. Andrographolide, the major constituent of the extract is implicated towards its pharmacological activity. We studied the cellular processes and targets modulated by andrographolide treatment in human cancer and immune cells. Andrographolide treatment inhibited the in vitro proliferation of different tumor cell lines, representing various types of cancers. The compound exerts direct anticancer activity on cancer cells by cell-cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase through induction of cell-cycle inhibitory protein p27 and decreased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4). Immunostimulatory activity of andrographolide is evidenced by increased proliferation of lymphocytes and production of interleukin-2. Andrographolide also enhanced the tumor necrosis factor-alpha production and CD marker expression, resulting in increased cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes against cancer cells, which may contribute for its indirect anticancer activity. The in vivo anticancer activity of the compound is further substantiated against B16F0 melanoma syngenic and HT-29 xenograft models. These results suggest that andrographolide is an interesting pharmacophore with anticancer and immunomodulatory activities and hence has the potential for being developed as a cancer therapeutic agent.

  8. 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-[1, 2, 3] oxadiazol-3-ium-5-olate and its 4-formyl analog-Ultrasound assisted synthesis and in-vitro anticancer evaluation against human tumor cell lines.

    PubMed

    Bhosale, Sachin K; Deshpande, Shreenivas R; Wagh, Rajendra D

    2017-03-01

    The title compound, 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-formyl-[1, 2, 3] oxadiazol-3-ium-5-olate 5 was synthesized under ultrasonication by formylation of 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-[1, 2, 3] oxadiazol-3-ium-5-olate 4 and characterized by spectral studies. The ultrasonic method of synthesis was found to be simple, ecofriendly, economical, reduces reaction time and gave good yield when compared with traditional methods of synthesis. Anticancer activity of the compounds were tested against 60 human tumor cell lines and compared with standard drug vincristine sulphate. Compound 5 was found to be active against CNS (SNB-75, %GI=46.71), renal (UO-31, %GI=31.52), non small cell lung (NCI-H522, %GI=25.65), leukemia (MOLT-4, %GI=23.02) human tumor cell lines whereas, compound 4 against breast (MDA-MB-231/ATCC, %GI=19.90, T-47D %GI=16.50, MCF-7 15.10) and ovarian (IGROV1 %GI=19.30, OVCAR-4 %GI=17.90) human tumor cell lines. Compound 5 showed higher cytotoxicity against NCI-H23 cells (non small lung cancer cell panel) as compared to standard drug vincristine sulphate. Further structural modification of these compounds may lead to potent anticancer activity.

  9. Basics of cancer immunotherapy.

    PubMed

    Fujioka, Yuki; Nishikawa, Hiroyoshi

    2016-01-01

    The immune system is the body's defense against infectious organisms and other invaders including cancer cells. Cancer immunotherapy, which employs our own immune systems to attack cancer cells, is now emerging as a promising modality of cancer treatment based upon the clinical successes of immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive T cell transfer. In hematologic malignancies, clinical application of anti-PD-1 mAb and CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T therapy is now being extensively tested in Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, and CD19 + acute lymphocytic leukemia. In sharp contrast to conventional anti-cancer reagents which directly kill cancer cells, cancer immunotherapy activates various types of immune effector cells to attack cancer cells. However, more than half of the treated patients showed no activation of anti-tumor CD8 + killer T cells and CD4 + helper T cells and failed to respond to immune therapies such as immune checkpoint blockade, even when administered in combination regimens. Thus, development of novel immunotherapies to achieve more effective activation of anti-cancer immunity and immuno-monitoring of biomarkers, allowing proper evaluation of immune responses in cancer patients in order to detect responders, are urgent issues. Additionally, we must pay attention to characteristic immunological side effects not observed following treatment with conventional anti-cancer reagents. Herein, we present a summary outline and discuss the future direction of cancer immunotherapy.

  10. Disposition, Metabolism and Histone Deacetylase and Acetyltransferase Inhibition Activity of Tetrahydrocurcumin and Other Curcuminoids

    PubMed Central

    Novaes, Júlia T.; Sayre, Casey L.; Majeed, Muhammed; Ho, Emmanuel A.; Oliveira, Ana Luísa de P.; Martinez, Stephanie E.; Davies, Neal M.; Lakowski, Ted M.

    2017-01-01

    Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), curcumin and calebin-A are curcuminoids found in turmeric (Curcuma longa). Curcuminoids have been established to have a variety of pharmacological activities and are used as natural health supplements. The purpose of this study was to identify the metabolism, excretion, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of these curcuminoids and to determine disposition of THC in rats after oral administration. We developed a UHPLC–MS/MS assay for THC in rat serum and urine. THC shows multiple redistribution phases with corresponding increases in urinary excretion rate. In-vitro antioxidant activity, histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity and anti-inflammatory inhibitory activity were examined using commercial assay kits. Anticancer activity was determined in Sup-T1 lymphoma cells. Our results indicate THC was poorly absorbed after oral administration and primarily excreted via non-renal routes. All curcuminoids exhibited multiple pharmacological effects in vitro, including potent antioxidant activity as well as inhibition of CYP2C9, CYP3A4 and lipoxygenase activity without affecting the release of TNF-α. Unlike curcumin and calebin-A, THC did not inhibit HDAC1 and PCAF and displayed a weaker growth inhibition activity against Sup-T1 cells. We show evidence for the first time that curcumin and calebin-A inhibit HAT and PCAF, possibly through a Michael-addition mechanism. PMID:29023392

  11. Small-Molecule Procaspase-3 Activation Sensitizes Cancer to Treatment with Diverse Chemotherapeutics

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Conventional chemotherapeutics remain essential treatments for most cancers, but their combination with other anticancer drugs (including targeted therapeutics) is often complicated by unpredictable synergies and multiplicative toxicities. As cytotoxic anticancer chemotherapeutics generally function through induction of apoptosis, we hypothesized that a molecularly targeted small molecule capable of facilitating a central and defining step in the apoptotic cascade, the activation of procaspase-3 to caspase-3, would broadly and predictably enhance activity of cytotoxic drugs. Here we show that procaspase-activating compound 1 (PAC-1) enhances cancer cell death induced by 15 different FDA-approved chemotherapeutics, across many cancer types and chemotherapeutic targets. In particular, the promising combination of PAC-1 and doxorubicin induces a synergistic reduction in tumor burden and enhances survival in murine tumor models of osteosarcoma and lymphoma. This PAC-1/doxorubicin combination was evaluated in 10 pet dogs with naturally occurring metastatic osteosarcoma or lymphoma, eliciting a biologic response in 3 of 6 osteosarcoma patients and 4 of 4 lymphoma patients. Importantly, in both mice and dogs, coadministration of PAC-1 with doxorubicin resulted in no additional toxicity. On the basis of the mode of action of PAC-1 and the high expression of procaspase-3 in many cancers, these results suggest the combination of PAC-1 with cytotoxic anticancer drugs as a potent and general strategy to enhance therapeutic response. PMID:27610416

  12. Highly biological active antibiofilm, anticancer and osteoblast adhesion efficacy from MWCNT/PPy/Pd nanocomposite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murugesan, Balaji; Sonamuthu, Jegatheeswaran; Samayanan, Selvam; Arumugam, Sangili; Mahalingam, Sundrarajan

    2018-03-01

    Multifunctional biologically active materials have approached for antibiofilm, anticancer and osteoblast adhesion activities with significant biomedical applications, owing to this MWCNT modified with polypyrrole (PPy) matrix with the incorporation of palladium nanoparticles (NPs). The synthesized composite displays a tube-shaped morphology with highly dispersed crystalline Pd NPs, which are established through XRD, SEM, TEM and SAED studies. The pyridinic-N(∼402.7), pyrrolic sbnd N (∼400.8) peak in XPS spectra evidenced the interaction of PPy with Pd and MWCNT. Polymer stretching frequencies in FTIR and Raman spectroscopy proves successful formation of PPy and the Pd-N (1609 cm-1) interaction. In the stability aspect, it is up to 58.73% mass withstood at 800 °C in TGA analysis. The composite exhibits an efficient Anti-biofilm against a set of bacterial stain with planktonic cell growth. In vitro cytotoxicity of Vero and HeLa cell line assess the composites toxicity and anticancer activity up to 100 μg. The outcome of cell adhesions showed that human osteosarcoma cells (HOS) can adhere and to develop on the MWCNT/PPy/Pd composites. Furthermore, the proliferation of cells on MWCNT/PPy/Pd composites was also proved the biocompatibility of the composites against HOS cells. These results suggest that Pd-doped MWCNT/PPy composites are promising materials for biomedical applications.

  13. Synthesis, cytotoxicity and molecular modelling studies of new phenylcinnamide derivatives as potent inhibitors of cholinesterases.

    PubMed

    Saeed, Aamer; Mahesar, Parvez Ali; Zaib, Sumera; Khan, Muhammad Siraj; Matin, Abdul; Shahid, Mohammad; Iqbal, Jamshed

    2014-05-06

    The present study reports the synthesis of cinnamide derivatives and their biological activity as inhibitors of both cholinesterases and anticancer agents. Controlled inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) may slow neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's diseases (AD). The anticholinesterase activity of phenylcinnamide derivatives was determined against Electric Eel acetylcholinesterase (EeAChE) and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE) and some of the compounds appeared as moderately potent inhibitors of EeAChE and hBChE. The compound 3-(2-(Benzyloxy)phenyl)-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acrylamide (3i) showed maximum activity against EeAChE with an IC50 0.29 ± 0.21 μM whereas 3-(2-chloro-6-nitrophenyl)-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acrylamide (3k) was proved to be the most potent inhibitor of hBChE having IC50 1.18 ± 1.31 μM. To better understand the enzyme-inhibitor interaction of the most active compounds toward cholinesterases, molecular modelling studies were carried out on high-resolution crystallographic structures. The anticancer effects of synthesized compounds were also evaluated against cancer cell line (lung carcinoma). The compounds may be useful leads for the design of a new class of anticancer drugs for the treatment of cancer and cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. In vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.

    PubMed

    Suresh, V; Sruthi, V; Padmaja, B; Asha, V V

    2011-04-12

    To determine anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of Cuscuta reflexa in cell lines (in vitro). Anti-inflammatory activity of the water extract was analysed in vitro using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammatory reactions in murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7. The expression of COX-2 and TNF-α genes involved in inflammation was analysed by SQ RT-PCR. EMSA was conducted to analyse the influence of the extract on NF-κB signalling. Anti-cancer activity was analysed on Hep3B cells by MTT assay, DAPI staining, annexin V staining and SQ-RT PCR analysis of BAX, Bcl-2, p53 and survivin. The extract down regulated LPS induced over expression of TNF-α and COX-2 in RAW264.7 cells; blocked NF-κB binding to its motifs and induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells as evidenced from MTT, DAPI staining and annexin V staining assays. The extract up regulated pro-apoptotic factors BAX and p53, and down regulated anti-apoptotic factors Bcl-2 and survivin. The study showed that Cuscuta reflexa inhibits LPS induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells through interplay of TNF-α, COX-2 and NF-κB signalling. It induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells through the up regulation of p53, BAX and down regulation of Bcl-2 and survivin. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Explorative study on the anticancer activity, selectivity and metabolic stability of related analogs of aminosteroid RM-133.

    PubMed

    Perreault, Martin; Maltais, René; Dutour, Raphaël; Poirier, Donald

    2016-11-01

    RM-133 is a key representative of a new family of aminosteroids reported as potent anticancer agents. Although RM-133 produced interesting results in 4 mouse xenograft cancer models when injected subcutaneously, it needs to be improved to increase its in vivo potency. Thus, to obtain an analog of RM-133 with a better drug potential, a structure-activity relationship study was conducted by synthesizing eleven RM-133-related compounds and addressing their antiproliferative activity on 3 human cancer cells (HL-60, OVCAR-3 and PANC-1) and 3 human normal cell lines (primary ovary, pancreas and renal proximal tubule) as well as their metabolic stability in human liver microsomes. When the 2β-tertiary amine of RM-133 was transformed into a salt or moved to position 3β, the anticancer activity was lost. Modifying the orientation of the side chain of RM-133 increased anticancer activity and selectivity, but led to a drastic loss of stability. The protection of the 3α-hydroxyl of RM-133 by the formation of an ester or a carbamate stabilized the molecule against the phase I metabolic enzymes without affecting its anticancer activity. In comparison to RM-133, the 3-dimethylcarbamate derivative 3 is more selective for cancer cells over normal cells and is much more stable in liver microsomes. Those results support the use of a pro-drug strategy targeting the 3α-hydroxyl of RM-133 as an approach to improve its drug properties. The work presented will enable the development of an optimized anticancer drug of the aminosteroid family that is suitable for a future phase I clinical trial. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. In Vitro Sustained Release Study of Gallic Acid Coated with Magnetite-PEG and Magnetite-PVA for Drug Delivery System

    PubMed Central

    Kura, Aminu Umar; Hussein-Al-Ali, Samer Hasan; Bin Hussein, Mohd Zobir; Fakurazi, Sharida; Shaari, Abdul Halim; Ahmad, Zalinah

    2014-01-01

    The efficacy of two nanocarriers polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl alcohol magnetic nanoparticles coated with gallic acid (GA) was accomplished via X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, thermal analysis, and TEM. X-ray diffraction and TEM results showed that Fe3O4 nanoparticles were pure iron oxide having spherical shape with the average diameter of 9 nm, compared with 31 nm and 35 nm after coating with polyethylene glycol-GA (FPEGG) and polyvinyl alcohol-GA (FPVAG), respectively. Thermogravimetric analyses proved that after coating the thermal stability was markedly enhanced. Magnetic measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) revealed that superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles could be successfully coated with two polymers (PEG and PVA) and gallic acid as an active drug. Release behavior of gallic acid from two nanocomposites showed that FPEGG and FPVAG nanocomposites were found to be sustained and governed by pseudo-second-order kinetics. Anticancer activity of the two nanocomposites shows that the FPEGG demonstrated higher anticancer effect on the breast cancer cell lines in almost all concentrations tested compared to FPVAG. PMID:24737969

  17. Synthesis, anticancer and antibacterial activity of salinomycin N-benzyl amides.

    PubMed

    Antoszczak, Michał; Maj, Ewa; Napiórkowska, Agnieszka; Stefańska, Joanna; Augustynowicz-Kopeć, Ewa; Wietrzyk, Joanna; Janczak, Jan; Brzezinski, Bogumil; Huczyński, Adam

    2014-11-25

    A series of 12 novel monosubstituted N-benzyl amides of salinomycin (SAL) was synthesized for the first time and characterized by NMR and FT-IR spectroscopic methods. Molecular structures of three salinomycin derivatives in the solid state were determined using single crystal X-ray method. All compounds obtained were screened for their antiproliferative activity against various human cancer cell lines as well as against the most problematic bacteria strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Novel salinomycin derivatives exhibited potent anticancer activity against drug-resistant cell lines. Additionally, two N-benzyl amides of salinomycin revealed interesting antibacterial activity. The most active were N-benzyl amides of SAL substituted at -ortho position and the least anticancer active derivatives were those substituted at the -para position.

  18. Recent Advances in Anticancer Activities and Drug Delivery Systems of Tannins.

    PubMed

    Cai, Yuee; Zhang, Jinming; Chen, Nelson G; Shi, Zhi; Qiu, Jiange; He, Chengwei; Chen, Meiwan

    2017-07-01

    Tannins, polyphenols in medicinal plants, have been divided into two groups of hydrolysable and condensed tannins, including gallotannins, ellagitannins, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Potent anticancer activities have been observed in tannins (especially EGCG) with multiple mechanisms, such as apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of invasion and metastases. Furthermore, the combinational effects of tannins and anticancer drugs have been demonstrated in this review, including chemoprotective, chemosensitive, and antagonizing effects accompanying with anticancer effect. However, the applications of tannins have been hindered due to their poor liposolubility, low bioavailability, off-taste, and shorter half-life time in human body, such as EGCG, gallic acid, and ellagic acid. To tackle these obstacles, novel drug delivery systems have been employed to deliver tannins with the aim of improving their applications, such as gelatin nanoparticles, micelles, nanogold, liposomes, and so on. In this review, the chemical characteristics, anticancer properties, and drug delivery systems of tannins were discussed with an attempt to provide a systemic reference to promote the development of tannins as anticancer agents. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Anticancer activity of metal complexes: involvement of redox processes.

    PubMed

    Jungwirth, Ute; Kowol, Christian R; Keppler, Bernhard K; Hartinger, Christian G; Berger, Walter; Heffeter, Petra

    2011-08-15

    Cells require tight regulation of the intracellular redox balance and consequently of reactive oxygen species for proper redox signaling and maintenance of metal (e.g., of iron and copper) homeostasis. In several diseases, including cancer, this balance is disturbed. Therefore, anticancer drugs targeting the redox systems, for example, glutathione and thioredoxin, have entered focus of interest. Anticancer metal complexes (platinum, gold, arsenic, ruthenium, rhodium, copper, vanadium, cobalt, manganese, gadolinium, and molybdenum) have been shown to strongly interact with or even disturb cellular redox homeostasis. In this context, especially the hypothesis of "activation by reduction" as well as the "hard and soft acids and bases" theory with respect to coordination of metal ions to cellular ligands represent important concepts to understand the molecular modes of action of anticancer metal drugs. The aim of this review is to highlight specific interactions of metal-based anticancer drugs with the cellular redox homeostasis and to explain this behavior by considering chemical properties of the respective anticancer metal complexes currently either in (pre)clinical development or in daily clinical routine in oncology.

  20. Anticancer Activity of Metal Complexes: Involvement of Redox Processes

    PubMed Central

    Jungwirth, Ute; Kowol, Christian R.; Keppler, Bernhard K.; Hartinger, Christian G.; Berger, Walter; Heffeter, Petra

    2012-01-01

    Cells require tight regulation of the intracellular redox balance and consequently of reactive oxygen species for proper redox signaling and maintenance of metal (e.g., of iron and copper) homeostasis. In several diseases, including cancer, this balance is disturbed. Therefore, anticancer drugs targeting the redox systems, for example, glutathione and thioredoxin, have entered focus of interest. Anticancer metal complexes (platinum, gold, arsenic, ruthenium, rhodium, copper, vanadium, cobalt, manganese, gadolinium, and molybdenum) have been shown to strongly interact with or even disturb cellular redox homeostasis. In this context, especially the hypothesis of “activation by reduction” as well as the “hard and soft acids and bases” theory with respect to coordination of metal ions to cellular ligands represent important concepts to understand the molecular modes of action of anticancer metal drugs. The aim of this review is to highlight specific interactions of metal-based anticancer drugs with the cellular redox homeostasis and to explain this behavior by considering chemical properties of the respective anticancer metal complexes currently either in (pre)clinical development or in daily clinical routine in oncology. PMID:21275772

  1. Synthesis of pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione derivatives: Anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, α-glucosidase, β-glucuronidase inhibition and their molecular docking studies.

    PubMed

    Barakat, Assem; Islam, Mohammad Shahidul; Al-Majid, Abdullah Mohammed; Ghabbour, Hazem A; Yousuf, Sammer; Ashraf, Mahwish; Shaikh, Nimra Naveed; Iqbal Choudhary, M; Khalil, Ruqaiya; Ul-Haq, Zaheer

    2016-10-01

    This paper describes a facile protocol, efficient, and environmentally benign for the synthesis a series of barbiturate acid substituted at C5 position 3a-o. The desired compounds subjected in vitro for different set of bioassays including against anti-oxidant (DPPH and super oxide scavenger assays), anti-cancer, α-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase inhibitions. Compound 3m (IC50=22.9±0.5μM) found to be potent α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitors and showed more activity than standard acarbose (IC50=841±1.73μM). Compound 3f (IC50=86.9±4.33μM) found to be moderate β-Glucuronidase enzyme inhibitors and showed activity comparatively less than the standard d-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone (IC50=45.75±2.16μM). Furthermore, in sillico investigation was carried out to investigate bonding mode of barbiturate acid derivatives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Anti-pancreatic cancer activity of ONC212 involves the unfolded protein response (UPR) and is reduced by IGF1-R and GRP78/BIP

    PubMed Central

    Lev, Avital; Lulla, Amriti R.; Wagner, Jessica; Ralff, Marie D.; Kiehl, Joshua B.; Zhou, Yan; Benes, Cyril H.; Prabhu, Varun V.; Oster, Wolfgang; Astsaturov, Igor; Dicker, David T.; El-Deiry, Wafik S.

    2017-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer is chemo-resistant and metastasizes early with an overall five-year survival of ∼8.2%. First-in-class imipridone ONC201 is a small molecule in clinical trials with anti-cancer activity. ONC212, a fluorinated-ONC201 analogue, shows preclinical efficacy in melanoma and hepatocellular-cancer models. We investigated efficacy of ONC201 and ONC212 against pancreatic cancer cell lines (N=16 including 9 PDX-cell lines). We demonstrate ONC212 efficacy in 4 in-vivo models including ONC201-resistant tumors. ONC212 is active in pancreatic cancer as single agent or in combination with 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin or RTK inhibitor crizotinib. Based on upregulation of pro-survival IGF1-R in some tumors, we found an active combination of ONC212 with inhibitor AG1024, including in vivo. We show a rationale for targeting pancreatic cancer using ONC212 combined with targeting the unfolded-protein response and ER chaperones such as GRP78/BIP. Our results lay the foundation to test imipridones, anti-cancer agents, in pancreatic cancer, that is refractory to most drugs. PMID:29137221

  3. Anti-pancreatic cancer activity of ONC212 involves the unfolded protein response (UPR) and is reduced by IGF1-R and GRP78/BIP.

    PubMed

    Lev, Avital; Lulla, Amriti R; Wagner, Jessica; Ralff, Marie D; Kiehl, Joshua B; Zhou, Yan; Benes, Cyril H; Prabhu, Varun V; Oster, Wolfgang; Astsaturov, Igor; Dicker, David T; El-Deiry, Wafik S

    2017-10-10

    Pancreatic cancer is chemo-resistant and metastasizes early with an overall five-year survival of ∼8.2%. First-in-class imipridone ONC201 is a small molecule in clinical trials with anti-cancer activity. ONC212, a fluorinated-ONC201 analogue, shows preclinical efficacy in melanoma and hepatocellular-cancer models. We investigated efficacy of ONC201 and ONC212 against pancreatic cancer cell lines ( N =16 including 9 PDX-cell lines). We demonstrate ONC212 efficacy in 4 in-vivo models including ONC201-resistant tumors. ONC212 is active in pancreatic cancer as single agent or in combination with 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin or RTK inhibitor crizotinib. Based on upregulation of pro-survival IGF1-R in some tumors, we found an active combination of ONC212 with inhibitor AG1024, including in vivo . We show a rationale for targeting pancreatic cancer using ONC212 combined with targeting the unfolded-protein response and ER chaperones such as GRP78/BIP. Our results lay the foundation to test imipridones, anti-cancer agents, in pancreatic cancer, that is refractory to most drugs.

  4. Preparation of albumin based nanoparticles for delivery of fisetin and evaluation of its cytotoxic activity.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Pooja; Singha Roy, Atanu; Chaudhury, Susmitnarayan; Jana, Saikat Kumar; Chaudhury, Koel; Dasgupta, Swagata

    2016-05-01

    Fisetin is a well known flavonoid that shows several properties such as antioxidant, antiviral and anticancer activities. Its use in the pharmaceutical field is limited due to its poor aqueous solubility which results in poor bioavailability and poor permeability. The aim of our present study is to prepare fisetin loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles to improve its bioavailability. The nanoparticles were prepared by a desolvation method and characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The particles were smooth and spherical in nature with an average size of 220 ± 8 nm. The encapsulation efficiency was found to be 84%. The in vitro release profile showed a biphasic pattern and the release rate increases with increase in ionic strength of solution. We have also confirmed the antioxidant activity of the prepared nanoparticles by a DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. Further its anticancer activity was evaluated using MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Our findings suggest that fisetin loaded HSA nanoparticles could be used to transfer fisetin to target areas under specific conditions and thus may find use as a delivery vehicle for the flavonoid. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Identifying Novel Molecular Structures for Advanced Melanoma by Ligand-Based Virtual Screening

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhao; Lu, Yan; Seibel, William; Miller, Duane D.; Li, Wei

    2009-01-01

    We recently discovered a new class of thiazole analogs that are highly potent against melanoma cells. To expand the structure-activity relationship study and to explore potential new molecular scaffolds, we performed extensive ligand-based virtual screening against a compound library containing 342,910 small molecules. Two different approaches of virtual screening were carried out using the structure of our lead molecule: 1) connectivity-based search using Scitegic Pipeline Pilot from Accelerys and 2) molecular shape similarity search using Schrodinger software. Using a testing compound library, both approaches can rank similar compounds very high and rank dissimilar compounds very low, thus validating our screening methods. Structures identified from these searches were analyzed, and selected compounds were tested in vitro to assess their activity against melanoma cancer cell lines. Several molecules showed good anticancer activity. While none of the identified compounds showed better activity than our lead compound, they provided important insight into structural modifications for our lead compound and also provided novel platforms on which we can optimize new classes of anticancer compounds. One of the newly synthesized analogs based on this virtual screening has improved potency and selectivity against melanoma. PMID:19445498

  6. Biotin decorated PLGA nanoparticles containing SN-38 designed for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Mehdizadeh, Mozhdeh; Rouhani, Hasti; Sepehri, Nima; Varshochian, Reyhaneh; Ghahremani, Mohammad Hossein; Amini, Mohsen; Gharghabi, Mehdi; Ostad, Seyed Nasser; Atyabi, Fatemeh; Baharian, Azin; Dinarvand, Rassoul

    2017-05-01

    Active targeted chemotherapy is expected to provide more specific delivery of cytotoxic drugs to the tumor cells and hence reducing the side effects on healthy tissues. Due to the over expression of biotin receptors on cancerous cells as a result of further requirement for rapid proliferations, biotin can be a good candidate as a targeting agent. In this study, biotin decorated PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) containing SN-38 were prepared and in vitro studies were evaluated for their improved anti-cancer properties. In conclusion, biotin targeted PLGA NPs containing SN-38 showed preferential anticancer properties against tumor cells with biotin receptor over expression.

  7. Hydroxyethylated graphene oxide as potential carriers for methotrexate delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Du, Libo; Suo, Siqingaowa; Luo, Dan; Jia, Hongying; Sha, Yinlin; Liu, Yang

    2013-06-01

    In this study, we presented a simple approach to prepare hydroxyethylated graphene oxide (HE-GO) with high water solubility and physiological stability. The successful synthesis of HE-GO was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The loading of anticancer drug methotrexate (MTX) onto this nanocarrier (MTX/HE-GO) was investigated. The results of in vitro drug release experiment showed that the rate of MTX release from MTX/HE-GO was pH dependent. Moreover, cell viability assay demonstrated that HE-GO loaded with MTX exhibits higher anticancer activity against human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line than non-vehicle MTX.

  8. Identification of Potential Anticancer Activities of Novel Ganoderma lucidum Extracts Using Gene Expression and Pathway Network Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Kao, Chi H.J.; Bishop, Karen S.; Xu, Yuanye; Han, Dug Yeo; Murray, Pamela M.; Marlow, Gareth J.; Ferguson, Lynnette R.

    2016-01-01

    Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi) has been used for the general promotion of health in Asia for many centuries. The common method of consumption is to boil lingzhi in water and then drink the liquid. In this study, we examined the potential anticancer activities of G. lucidum submerged in two commonly consumed forms of alcohol in East Asia: malt whiskey and rice wine. The anticancer effect of G. lucidum, using whiskey and rice wine-based extraction methods, has not been previously reported. The growth inhibition of G. lucidum whiskey and rice wine extracts on the prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145, was determined. Using Affymetrix gene expression assays, several biologically active pathways associated with the anticancer activities of G. lucidum extracts were identified. Using gene expression analysis (real-time polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) and protein analysis (Western blotting), we confirmed the expression of key genes and their associated proteins that were initially identified with Affymetrix gene expression analysis. PMID:27006591

  9. Pinus Roxburghii essential oil anticancer activity and chemical composition evaluation.

    PubMed

    Sajid, Arfaa; Manzoor, Qaisar; Iqbal, Munawar; Tyagi, Amit Kumar; Sarfraz, Raja Adil; Sajid, Anam

    2018-01-01

    The present study was conducted to appraise the anticancer activity of Pinus roxburghii essential oil along with chemical composition evaluation. MTT assay revealed cytotoxicity induction in colon, leukemia, multiple myeloma, pancreatic, head and neck and lung cancer cells exposed to essential oil. Cancer cell death was also observed through live/dead cell viability assay and FACS analysis. Apoptosis induced by essential oil was confirmed by cleavage of PARP and caspase-3 that suppressed the colony-forming ability of tumor cells and 50 % inhibition occurred at a dose of 25 μg/mL. Moreover, essential oil inhibited the activation of inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB and inhibited expression of NF-κB regulated gene products linked to cell survival (survivin, c-FLIP, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, c-Myc, c-IAP2), proliferation (Cyclin D1) and metastasis (MMP-9). P. roxburghii essential oil has considerable anticancer activity and could be used as anticancer agent, which needs further investigation to identify and purify the bioactive compounds followed by in vivo studies.

  10. Design and synthesis of novel C14-urea-tetrandrine derivatives with potent anti-cancer activity.

    PubMed

    Lan, Junjie; Huang, Lan; Lou, Huayong; Chen, Chao; Liu, Tangjingjun; Hu, Shengcao; Yao, Yao; Song, Junrong; Luo, Jun; Liu, Yazhou; Xia, Bin; Xia, Lei; Zeng, Xueyi; Ben-David, Yaacov; Pan, Weidong

    2018-01-01

    Tetrandrine is a dibenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal plant Stephania tetrandra, with anti-tumor activity. Our previous study identified several derivatives of tetrandrine showing better activities than parental compound against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. To increase diversity and cytotoxic activities of the original compound, a series of novel 14-urea-tetrandrine derivatives were synthesized through structural modification of tetrandrine. These derivaties demonstrated a moderate to strong anti-proliferative activities against human cell lines HEL and K562 (Leukemia), prostate (PC3), breast (MDA-MB-231) and melanoma (WM9). Compound 4g showed strongest cytotoxic effect against PC3 cells with IC 50 value of 0.64 μM, which was 12-fold, 31-fold and 26-fold lower than the parental tetrandrine, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, respectively. Preliminary structure-activity relationship study indicated that urea subsititution was the key pharmacophore for the enhancement of their antitumor activities. Induction of apoprosis by 4g was associated with the activation of pro-apoptotic protein BAX and inhibition of antiapoptosis proteins survivin as well as Bcl-2. Moreover, activation of caspases led to increase cleavage of PARP, which further accelerates apoptotic cell death. These results reveal that the compound 4g may be used as a potential anticancer drug candidate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Synthesis and Biological Screening of Pyrano[3,2-c]quinoline Analogues as Anti-inflammatory and Anticancer Agents.

    PubMed

    Upadhyay, Kuldip D; Dodia, Narsinh M; Khunt, Rupesh C; Chaniara, Ravi S; Shah, Anamik K

    2018-03-08

    A series of pyrano[3,2- c ]quinoline based structural analogues was synthesized using one-pot multicomponent condensation between 2,4-dihydroxy-1-methylquinoline, malononitrile, and diverse un(substituted) aromatic aldehydes. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity activity. Initially, all the compounds were evaluated for the percent inhibition of cytokine release, and cytotoxicity activity and 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) were also determined. Based on the primary results, it was further studied for their ability to inhibit TNF-α production in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) assay. The screening results revealed that compound 4c , 4f , 4i , and 4j were found most active candidates of the series against both anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. The structure-activity relationship is discussed and suggested that 3-substitution on the aryl ring at C4 position of the pyrano[3,2- c ]quinolone structural motif seems to be an important position for both TNF-α and IL-6 inhibition and anticancer activity as well. However, structural diversity with electron withdrawing, electron donating, sterically hindered, and heteroaryl substitution sincerely affected both the inflammation and anticancer activities.

  12. Synthesis of novel fluorinated chalcones derived from 4‧-morpholinoacetophenone and their antiproliferative effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurşun Aktar, Bedriye Seda; Oruç-Emre, Emine Elçin; Demirtaş, Ibrahim; Yaglioglu, Ayse Sahin; Guler, Caglar; Adem, Sevki; Karaküçük Iyidoğan, Ayşegül

    2017-12-01

    The fluorinated chalcones were synthesized by Claisen-Schmidt condensation between 4‧-morpholineacetophenone and various fluorinated benzaldehydes in the presence of NaOH in methanol. The synthesized compounds [1-7] were evaluated their antiproliferative activity against HeLa and C6 cell lines. Among them, compounds 4 and 5 were determined to have anticancer activity against HeLa cells line (IC50 values of 7.74 and 6.10 μg/mL, respectively). The anticancer activity results were shown that compounds 3, and 6 had inhibitory against C6 cells (IC50 values of 12.80 and 4.16 μg/mL, respectively). The compounds 1 and 2 had high antiproliferative activity with non-cytotoxicity. All of the new compounds, except for compound 4 showed inhibition against the human isozyme hCA I with IC50 in the range of 0.5-1,16 mM. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) was effectively inhibited by compound 4 with IC50 = 26 μM.

  13. Synthesis of new Schiff bases bearing 1,2,4-triazole, thiazolidine and chloroazetidine moieties and their pharmacological evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kandile, Nadia G; Mohamed, Mansoura I; Ismaeel, Hind M

    2017-12-01

    New compounds based on oxindole moiety were synthesized via the reaction of 5-substitued isatins 1a-e with different nucleophiles such as benzidine, 3,3'-dimethoxybenzidine 2a,b and 2,6-diaminopyridine 3 to afford three different classes of bis-Schiff bases 4a-e, 5a-e and 6a-e, respectively. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of their FTIR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, GC/MS spectral data and elemental analysis. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the new compounds was evaluated using a broth dilution technique in terms of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against four bacterial and two fungal pathogens and anticancer activities against HELA cervix. The revealed data showed that compound 9d has excellent activity against Gram + ve and Gram -ve bacteria, and compounds 11b presented promising anticancer activity against HELA cervix. [Formula: see text].

  14. Curcumin-docetaxel co-loaded nanosuspension for enhanced anti-breast cancer activity.

    PubMed

    Sahu, Bhanu P; Hazarika, Hemanga; Bharadwaj, Rituraj; Loying, Pojul; Baishya, Rinku; Dash, Suvakanta; Das, Malay K

    2016-08-01

    A curcumin-docetaxel co-loaded nanosuspension with increased anti-breast cancer activity was developed. Curcumin is a potential anticancer agent with p-glycoprotein (p-gp) inhibiting activity may be co-administered with docetaxel as a nanosuspension to enhance its anticancer effect by increasing the oral bioavailability and decreasing drug efflux. Nanosuspensions of curcumin and docetaxel were prepared by precipitation-homozenisation technique and evaluated for particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential and drug release. The in vitro MTT assay was conducted using MCF-7 for anti-breast cancer activity. The in vivo biodistribution by radiolabeling and tumor inhibition study was conducted in mice. Homogenous nanosuspensions of 80 ± 20 nm were obtained with increased solubility. The drugs as nanosuspensions showed higher cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cell line compared to their suspensions due to the increased in vitro cellular uptake. Due to this increased solubility, sensitization of tumor cells and inhibition of p-gp the in-vivo results showed greater tumor inhibition rate of up to 70% in MCF-7 treated mice. Histopathological results showed higher apoptotic activity and reduced level of angiogenesis. The in vitro and in vivo study of the nanosuspensions has shown that Co-administration of Curcumin as a p-gp inhibitor with docetaxel may have the potential to increase the anti-breast cancer efficacy of both drugs.

  15. Anticancer Effect of Ginger Extract against Pancreatic Cancer Cells Mainly through Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Autotic Cell Death

    PubMed Central

    Akimoto, Miho; Iizuka, Mari; Kanematsu, Rie; Yoshida, Masato; Takenaga, Keizo

    2015-01-01

    The extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and its major pungent components, [6]-shogaol and [6]-gingerol, have been shown to have an anti-proliferative effect on several tumor cell lines. However, the anticancer activity of the ginger extract in pancreatic cancer is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the ethanol-extracted materials of ginger suppressed cell cycle progression and consequently induced the death of human pancreatic cancer cell lines, including Panc-1 cells. The underlying mechanism entailed autosis, a recently characterized form of cell death, but not apoptosis or necroptosis. The extract markedly increased the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, decreased SQSTM1/p62 protein, and enhanced vacuolization of the cytoplasm in Panc-1 cells. It activated AMPK, a positive regulator of autophagy, and inhibited mTOR, a negative autophagic regulator. The autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine and chloroquine partially prevented cell death. Morphologically, however, focal membrane rupture, nuclear shrinkage, focal swelling of the perinuclear space and electron dense mitochondria, which are unique morphological features of autosis, were observed. The extract enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and the antioxidant N-acetylcystein attenuated cell death. Our study revealed that daily intraperitoneal administration of the extract significantly prolonged survival (P = 0.0069) in a peritoneal dissemination model and suppressed tumor growth in an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer (P < 0.01) without serious adverse effects. Although [6]-shogaol but not [6]-gingerol showed similar effects, chromatographic analyses suggested the presence of other constituent(s) as active substances. Together, these results show that ginger extract has potent anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cells by inducing ROS-mediated autosis and warrants further investigation in order to develop an efficacious candidate drug. PMID:25961833

  16. SKLB060 Reversibly Binds to Colchicine Site of Tubulin and Possesses Efficacy in Multidrug-Resistant Cell Lines.

    PubMed

    Yan, Wei; Yang, Tao; Yang, Jianhong; Wang, Taijin; Yu, Yamei; Wang, Yuxi; Chen, Qiang; Bai, Peng; Li, Dan; Ye, Haoyu; Qiu, Qiang; Zhou, Yongzhao; Hu, Yiguo; Yang, Shengyong; Wei, Yuquan; Li, Weimin; Chen, Lijuan

    2018-05-22

    Many tubulin inhibitors are in clinical use as anti-cancer drugs. In our previous study, a novel series of 4-substituted coumarins derivatives were identified as novel tubulin inhibitors. Here, we report the anti-cancer activity and underlying mechanism of one of the 4-substituted coumarins derivatives (SKLB060). The anti-cancer activity of SKLB060 was tested on 13 different cancer cell lines and four xenograft cancer models. Immunofluorescence staining, cell cycle analysis, and tubulin polymerization assay were employed to study the inhibition of tubulin. N, N '-Ethylenebis(iodoacetamide) assay was used to measure binding to the colchicine site. Wound-healing migration and tube formation assays were performed on human umbilical vascular endothelial cells to study anti-vascular activity (the ability to inhibit blood vessel growth). Mitotic block reversibility and structural biology assays were used to investigate the SKLB060-tubulin bound model. SKLB060 inhibited tubulin polymerization and subsequently induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. SKLB060 bound to the colchicine site of β-tubulin and showed antivascular activity in vitro. Moreover, SKLB060 induced reversible cell cycle arrest and reversible inhibition of tubulin polymerization. A mitotic block reversibility assay showed that the effects of SKLB060 have greater reversibility than those of colcemid (a reversible tubulin inhibitor), indicating that SKLB060 binds to tubulin in a totally reversible manner. The crystal structures of SKLB060-tubulin complexes confirmed that SKLB060 binds to the colchicine site, and the natural coumarin ring in SKLB060 enables reversible binding. These results reveal that SKLB060 is a powerful and reversible microtubule inhibitor that binds to the colchicine site and is effective in multidrug-resistant cell lines. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Sphaeropsidin A shows promising activity against drug-resistant cancer cells by targeting regulatory volume increase.

    PubMed

    Mathieu, Véronique; Chantôme, Aurélie; Lefranc, Florence; Cimmino, Alessio; Miklos, Walter; Paulitschke, Verena; Mohr, Thomas; Maddau, Lucia; Kornienko, Alexander; Berger, Walter; Vandier, Christophe; Evidente, Antonio; Delpire, Eric; Kiss, Robert

    2015-10-01

    Despite the recent advances in the treatment of tumors with intrinsic chemotherapy resistance, such as melanoma and renal cancers, their prognosis remains poor and new chemical agents with promising activity against these cancers are urgently needed. Sphaeropsidin A, a fungal metabolite whose anticancer potential had previously received little attention, was isolated from Diplodia cupressi and found to display specific anticancer activity in vitro against melanoma and kidney cancer subpanels in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) 60-cell line screen. The NCI data revealed a mean LC50 of ca. 10 µM and a cellular sensitivity profile that did not match that of any other agent in the 765,000 compound database. Subsequent mechanistic studies in melanoma and other multidrug-resistant in vitro cancer models showed that sphaeropsidin A can overcome apoptosis as well as multidrug resistance by inducing a marked and rapid cellular shrinkage related to the loss of intracellular Cl(-) and the decreased HCO3 (-) concentration in the culture supernatant. These changes in ion homeostasis and the absence of effects on the plasma membrane potential were attributed to the sphaeropsidin A-induced impairment of regulatory volume increase (RVI). Preliminary results also indicate that depending on the type of cancer, the sphaeropsidin A effects on RVI could be related to Na-K-2Cl electroneutral cotransporter or Cl(-)/HCO3 (-) anion exchanger(s) targeting. This study underscores the modulation of ion-transporter activity as a promising therapeutic strategy to combat drug-resistant cancers and identifies the fungal metabolite, sphaeropsidin A, as a lead to develop anticancer agents targeting RVI in cancer cells.

  18. Licoricidin inhibits the growth of SW480 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo by inducing cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ji, Shuai

    Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) possesses significant anti-cancer activities, but the active ingredients and underlying mechanisms have not been revealed. By screening the cytotoxic activities of 122 licorice compounds against SW480 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, we found that licoricidin (LCD) inhibited SW480 cell viability with an IC{sub 50} value of 7.2 μM. Further studies indicated that LCD significantly induced G1/S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in SW480 cells, accompanied by inhibition of cyclins/CDK1 expression and activation of caspase-dependent pro-apoptotic signaling. Meanwhile, LCD promoted autophagy in SW480 cells, and activated AMPK signaling and inhibited Akt/mTOR pathway. Overexpression of a dominant-negative AMPKα2 abolishedmore » LCD-induced inhibition of Akt/mTOR, autophagic and pro-apoptotic signaling pathways, and significantly reversed loss of cell viability, suggesting activation of AMPK is essential for the anti-cancer activity of LCD. In vivo anti-tumor experiments indicated that LCD (20 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly inhibited the growth of SW480 xenografts in nude mice with an inhibitory rate of 43.5%. In addition, we obtained the glycosylated product LCDG by microbial transformation, and found that glycosylation slightly enhanced the in vivo anti-cancer activities of LCD. This study indicates that LCD could inhibit SW480 cells by inducing cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy, and is a potential chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent against colorectal cancer. - Highlights: • Molecular mechanisms for cytotoxic activity of licoricidin (LCD) were investigated. • LCD promoted autophagy of SW480 cells through AMPK and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. • Both LCD and its glucoside showed in vivo anti-colorectal cancer activities.« less

  19. Phenethyl ester and amide of Ferulic Acids: Synthesis and bioactivity against P388 Leukemia Murine Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Firdaus; Soekamto, N. H.; Seniwati; Islam, M. F.; Sultan

    2018-03-01

    Bioactivity of a compound is closely related to the molecular structure of the compound concerned, its strength being the quantitative relation of the strength of the activity of the group it possesses. The combining of moieties of the active compounds will produce more active compounds. Most phenolic compounds as well as compounds containing moiety phenethyl groups have potential activity as anticancer. Combining phenolic groups and phenethyl groups in a compound will result in compounds having strong anticancer bioactivity. This study aims to combine the feruloyl and phenethyl groups to form esters and amides by synthesize of phenethyl trans-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acrylate (5) and trans-3-(4- hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-N-phenethylacrylamide (6) from ferulic acid with phenethyl alcohol and phenethylamine, and to study their bioactivity as anticancer. The synthesis of both compounds was conducted via indirect reaction, including acetylation, chlorination, esterfication/amidation, and deacetylation. Structures of products were characterized by FTIR and NMR data, and their bioactivity assay of the compounds against P388 Leukemia Murine Cells was conducted by an MTT method. Results showed that the compound 5 was obtained as a yellow gel with the IC50 of 10.79 μg/mL (36.21 μΜ), and the compound 6 was a yellowish solid with a melting point of 118-120°C and the IC50 of 29.14 μg/mL (97.79 μΜ). These compounds were more active than the analog compounds.

  20. Carboxylesterases 1 and 2 hydrolyze phospho-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: relevance to their pharmacological activity.

    PubMed

    Wong, Chi C; Cheng, Ka-Wing; Xie, Gang; Zhou, Dingying; Zhu, Cai-Hua; Constantinides, Panayiotis P; Rigas, Basil

    2012-02-01

    Phospho-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (phospho-NSAIDs) are novel NSAID derivatives with improved anticancer activity and reduced side effects in preclinical models. Here, we studied the metabolism of phospho-NSAIDs by carboxylesterases and assessed the impact of carboxylesterases on the anticancer activity of phospho-NSAIDs in vitro and in vivo. The expression of human liver carboxylesterase (CES1) and intestinal carboxylesterase (CES2) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells resulted in the rapid intracellular hydrolysis of phospho-NSAIDs. Kinetic analysis revealed that CES1 is more active in the hydrolysis of phospho-sulindac, phospho-ibuprofen, phospho-naproxen, phospho-indomethacin, and phospho-tyrosol-indomethacin that possessed a bulky acyl moiety, whereas the phospho-aspirins are preferentially hydrolyzed by CES2. Carboxylesterase expression leads to a significant attenuation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of phospho-NSAIDs, suggesting that the integrity of the drug is critical for anticancer activity. Benzil and bis-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (BNPP), two carboxylesterase inhibitors, abrogated the effect of carboxylesterases and resensitized carboxylesterase-expressing cells to the potent cytotoxic effects of phospho-NSAIDs. In mice, coadministration of phospho-sulindac and BNPP partially protected the former from esterase-mediated hydrolysis, and this combination more effectively inhibited the growth of AGS human gastric xenografts in nude mice (57%) compared with phospho-sulindac alone (28%) (p = 0.037). Our results show that carboxylesterase mediates that metabolic inactivation of phospho-NSAIDs, and the inhibition of carboxylesterases improves the efficacy of phospho-NSAIDs in vitro and in vivo.

  1. Carboxylesterases 1 and 2 Hydrolyze Phospho-Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Relevance to Their Pharmacological Activity

    PubMed Central

    Wong, Chi C.; Cheng, Ka-Wing; Xie, Gang; Zhou, Dingying; Zhu, Cai-Hua; Constantinides, Panayiotis P.

    2012-01-01

    Phospho-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (phospho-NSAIDs) are novel NSAID derivatives with improved anticancer activity and reduced side effects in preclinical models. Here, we studied the metabolism of phospho-NSAIDs by carboxylesterases and assessed the impact of carboxylesterases on the anticancer activity of phospho-NSAIDs in vitro and in vivo. The expression of human liver carboxylesterase (CES1) and intestinal carboxylesterase (CES2) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells resulted in the rapid intracellular hydrolysis of phospho-NSAIDs. Kinetic analysis revealed that CES1 is more active in the hydrolysis of phospho-sulindac, phospho-ibuprofen, phospho-naproxen, phospho-indomethacin, and phospho-tyrosol-indomethacin that possessed a bulky acyl moiety, whereas the phospho-aspirins are preferentially hydrolyzed by CES2. Carboxylesterase expression leads to a significant attenuation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of phospho-NSAIDs, suggesting that the integrity of the drug is critical for anticancer activity. Benzil and bis-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (BNPP), two carboxylesterase inhibitors, abrogated the effect of carboxylesterases and resensitized carboxylesterase-expressing cells to the potent cytotoxic effects of phospho-NSAIDs. In mice, coadministration of phospho-sulindac and BNPP partially protected the former from esterase-mediated hydrolysis, and this combination more effectively inhibited the growth of AGS human gastric xenografts in nude mice (57%) compared with phospho-sulindac alone (28%) (p = 0.037). Our results show that carboxylesterase mediates that metabolic inactivation of phospho-NSAIDs, and the inhibition of carboxylesterases improves the efficacy of phospho-NSAIDs in vitro and in vivo. PMID:22085648

  2. Polymeric anticancer drugs with pH-controlled activation.

    PubMed

    Ulbrich, Karel; Subr, Vladimír

    2004-04-23

    Use of macromolecular water-soluble carriers of anti-cancer drugs represents a promising approach to cancer therapy. Release of drugs from the carrier system is a prerequisite for therapeutic activity of most macromolecular anti-cancer conjugates. Incorporation of acid-sensitive spacers between the drug and carrier enables release of an active drug from the carrier in a tumor tissue, either in slightly acidic extracellular fluids or, after endocytosis, in endosomes or lysosomes of cancer cells. This paper reviews advances in development and study of properties of various acid-sensitive macromolecular drug delivery systems, starting from simple polymer-drug conjugates to ending with site-specific antibody-targeted polymer-drug conjugates.

  3. Cobra venom cytotoxins; apoptotic or necrotic agents?

    PubMed

    Ebrahim, Karim; Shirazi, Farshad H; Mirakabadi, Abbas Zare; Vatanpour, Hossein

    2015-12-15

    Organs homeostasis is controlled by a dynamic balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Failure to induction of apoptosis has been implicated in tumor development. Cytotoxin-I (CTX-I) and cytotoxin-II (CTX-II) are two physiologically active polypeptides found in Caspian cobra venom. Anticancer activity and mechanism of cell death induced by these toxins have been studied. The toxins were purified by different chromatographic steps and their cytotoxicity and pattern of cell death were determined by MTT, LDH release, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EtBr) double staining, flow cytometric analysis, caspase-3 activity and neutral red assays. The IC50 of CTX-II in MCF-7, HepG2, DU-145 and HL-60 was 4.1 ± 1.3, 21.2 ± 4.4, 9.4 ± 1.8 μg/mL and 16.3 ± 1.9 respectively while the IC50 of this toxin in normal MDCK cell line was 54.5 ± 3.9 μg/mL. LDH release suddenly increase after a specific toxins concentrations in all cell lines. AO/EtBr double staining, flow cytometric analysis and caspase-3 activity assay confirm dose and time-dependent induction of apoptosis by both toxins. CTX-I and CTX-II treated cells lost their lysosomal membrane integrity and couldn't uptake neutral red day. CTX-I and CTX-II showed significant anticancer activity with minimum effects on normal cells and better IC50 compared to current anticancer drug; cisplatin. They induce their apoptotic effect via lysosomal pathways and release of cathepsins to cytosol. These effects were seen in limited rage of toxins concentrations and pattern of cell death rapidly changes to necrosis by increase in toxin's concentration. In conclusion, significant apoptogenic effects of these toxins candidate them as a possible anticancer agent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Concurrent Autophagy Inhibition Overcomes the Resistance of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Human Bladder Cancer Cells.

    PubMed

    Kang, Minyong; Lee, Kyoung-Hwa; Lee, Hye Sun; Jeong, Chang Wook; Kwak, Cheol; Kim, Hyeon Hoe; Ku, Ja Hyeon

    2017-02-04

    Despite the potential therapeutic efficacy of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in the treatment of advanced stage bladder cancer, there currently is no clear evidence to support this hypothesis. In this study, we investigate whether the concurrent treatment of autophagy-blocking agents with EGFR inhibitors exerts synergistic anti-cancer effects in T24 and J82 human bladder cancer cells. Lapatinib and gefitinib were used as EGFR inhibitors, and bafilomycin A1 (BFA1), chloroquine (CQ) and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) were used as the pharmacologic inhibitors of autophagy activities. To assess the proliferative and self-renewal capabilities, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and a clonogenic assay were performed, respectively. To examine apoptotic cell death, flow cytometry using annexin-V/propidium iodide (PI) was used. To measure the autophagy activities, the expression levels of LC3I and II was determined by Western blot analysis. To validate the synergistic effects of autophagy inhibition with EGFR inhibitors, we specifically blocked key autophagy regulatory gene ATG12 by transfection of small interference RNA and examined the phenotypic changes. Of note, lapatinib and gefitinib triggered autophagy activities in T24 and J82 human bladder cancer cells, as indicated by upregulation of LC3II. More importantly, inhibiting autophagy activities with pharmacologic inhibitors (BFA1, CQ or 3-MA) remarkably reduced the cell viabilities and clonal proliferation of T24 and J82 cells, compared to those treated with either of the agents alone. We also obtained similar results of the enhanced anti-cancer effects of EGFR inhibitors by suppressing the expression of ATG12. Notably, the apoptotic assay showed that synergistic anti-cancer effects were induced via the increase of apoptotic cell death. In summary, concomitant inhibition of autophagy activities potentiated the anti-cancer effects of EGFR inhibitors in human bladder cancer cells, indicating a novel therapeutic strategy to treat advanced bladder cancer.

  5. Anticancer effect and structure-activity analysis of marine products isolated from metabolites of mangrove fungi in the South China Sea.

    PubMed

    Tao, Li-yang; Zhang, Jian-ye; Liang, Yong-ju; Chen, Li-ming; Zhen, Li-sheng; Wang, Fang; Mi, Yan-jun; She, Zhi-gang; To, Kenneth Kin Wah; Lin, Yong-cheng; Fu, Li-wu

    2010-04-01

    Marine-derived fungi provide plenty of structurally unique and biologically active secondary metabolites. We screened 87 marine products from mangrove fungi in the South China Sea for anticancer activity by MTT assay. 14% of the compounds (11/86) exhibited a potent activity against cancer in vitro. Importantly, some compounds such as compounds 78 and 81 appeared to be promising for treating cancer patients with multidrug resistance, which should encourage more efforts to isolate promising candidates for further development as clinically useful chemotherapeutic drugs. Furthermore, DNA intercalation was not involved in their anticancer activities, as determined by DNA binding assay. On the other hand, the structure-activity analysis indicated that the hydroxyl group was important for their cytotoxic activity and that bulky functional groups such as phenyl rings could result in a loss of biological activity, which will direct the further development of marine product-based derivatives.

  6. Anticancer activity of liposomal bergamot essential oil (BEO) on human neuroblastoma cells.

    PubMed

    Celia, Christian; Trapasso, Elena; Locatelli, Marcello; Navarra, Michele; Ventura, Cinzia Anna; Wolfram, Joy; Carafa, Maria; Morittu, Valeria Maria; Britti, Domenico; Di Marzio, Luisa; Paolino, Donatella

    2013-12-01

    Citrus extracts, particularly bergamot essential oil (BEO) and its fractions, have been found to exhibit anticancer efficacy. However, the poor water solubility, low stability and limited bioavailability have prevented the use of BEO in cancer therapy. To overcome such drawbacks, we formulated BEO liposomes that improved the water solubility of the phytocomponents and increased their anticancer activity in vitro against human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The results warrant further investigation of BEO liposomes for in vivo applications. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Gold Nanoparticles-enabled Efficient Dual Delivery of Anticancer Therapeutics to HeLa Cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Farooq, Muhammad U.; Novosad, Valentyn; Rozhkova, Elena A.

    Colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are of interest as non-toxic carriers for drug delivery owing to their advanced properties, such as extensive surface-to-volume ratio and possibilities for tailoring their charge, hydrophilicity and functionality through surface chemistries. To date, various biocompatible polymers have been used for surface decoration of AuNPs to enhance their stability, payloads capacity and cellular uptake. This study describes a facile one-step method to synthesize stable AuNPs loaded with combination of two anticancer therapeutics, -bleomycin and doxorubicin. Anticancer activities, cytotoxicity, uptake and intracellular localization of the AuNPs were demonstrated in HeLa cells. We show that the therapeutic efficacy ofmore » the nanohybrid drug was strongly enhanced by the active targeting by the nanoscale delivery system to HeLa cells with a significant decrease of the half-maximal effective drug concentration, through blockage of HeLa cancer cell cycle. These results provide rationale for further progress of AuNPs-assisted combination chemotherapy using two drugs at optimized effective concentrations which act via different mechanisms thus decreasing possibilities of development of the cancer drug resistance, reduction of systemic drug toxicity and improvement of outcomes of chemotherapy.« less

  8. Gold Nanoparticles-enabled Efficient Dual Delivery of Anticancer Therapeutics to HeLa Cells

    DOE PAGES

    Farooq, Muhammad U.; Novosad, Valentyn; Rozhkova, Elena A.; ...

    2018-02-13

    Colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are of interest as non-toxic carriers for drug delivery owing to their advanced properties, such as extensive surface-to-volume ratio and possibilities for tailoring their charge, hydrophilicity and functionality through surface chemistries. To date, various biocompatible polymers have been used for surface decoration of AuNPs to enhance their stability, payloads capacity and cellular uptake. This study describes a facile one-step method to synthesize stable AuNPs loaded with combination of two anticancer therapeutics, -bleomycin and doxorubicin. Anticancer activities, cytotoxicity, uptake and intracellular localization of the AuNPs were demonstrated in HeLa cells. We show that the therapeutic efficacy ofmore » the nanohybrid drug was strongly enhanced by the active targeting by the nanoscale delivery system to HeLa cells with a significant decrease of the half-maximal effective drug concentration, through blockage of HeLa cancer cell cycle. These results provide rationale for further progress of AuNPs-assisted combination chemotherapy using two drugs at optimized effective concentrations which act via different mechanisms thus decreasing possibilities of development of the cancer drug resistance, reduction of systemic drug toxicity and improvement of outcomes of chemotherapy.« less

  9. SIAH1-induced p34SEI-1 polyubiquitination/degradation mediates p53 preferential vitamin C cytotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Lee, Soonduck; Kim, Jinsun; Jung, Samil; Li, Chengping; Yang, Young; Kim, Keun Il; Lim, Jong-Seok; Kim, Yonghwan; Cheon, Choong-Il; Lee, Myeong-Sok

    2015-03-01

    Vitamin C is considered as an important anticancer therapeutic agent although this view is debatable. In this study, we introduce a physiological mechanism demonstrating how vitamin C exerts anticancer activity that induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Our previous and current data reveal that p53 tumor suppressor is the prerequisite factor for stronger anticancer effects of vitamin C. In addition, vitamin C-mediated cancer cell cytotoxicity appears to be achieved at least partly through the downregulation of the p34SEI-1 oncoprotein. Our previous study showed that p34SEI-1 increases the survival of various types of cancer cells by inhibiting their apoptosis. Present data suggest that vitamin C treatment decreases the p34SEI-1 expression at the protein level and therefore alleviates its anti-apoptotic activity. Of note, SIAH1, E3 ubiquitin ligase, appears to be responsible for the p34SEI-1 polyubiquitination and its subsequent degradation, which is dependent on p53. In summary, vitamin C increases cancer cell death by inducing SIAH1-mediated polyubiquitination/degradation of the p34SEI-1 oncoprotein in a p53-dependent manner.

  10. Inhibition of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein: time for a change of strategy?

    PubMed

    Callaghan, Richard; Luk, Frederick; Bebawy, Mary

    2014-04-01

    P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a key player in the multidrug-resistant phenotype in cancer. The protein confers resistance by mediating the ATP-dependent efflux of an astonishing array of anticancer drugs. Its broad specificity has been the subject of numerous attempts to inhibit the protein and restore the efficacy of anticancer drugs. The general strategy has been to develop compounds that either compete with anticancer drugs for transport or act as direct inhibitors of P-gp. Despite considerable in vitro success, there are no compounds currently available to "block" P-gp-mediated resistance in the clinic. The failure may be attributed to toxicity, adverse drug interaction, and numerous pharmacokinetic issues. This review provides a description of several alternative approaches to overcome the activity of P-gp in drug-resistant cells. These include 1) drugs that specifically target resistant cells, 2) novel nanotechnologies to provide high-dose, targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, 3) compounds that interfere with nongenomic transfer of resistance, and 4) approaches to reduce the expression of P-gp within tumors. Such approaches have been developed through the pursuit of greater understanding of resistance mediators such as P-gp, and they show considerable potential for further application.

  11. Antileukemic activity of Tillandsia recurvata and some of its cycloartanes.

    PubMed

    Lowe, Henry I C; Toyang, Ngeh J; Watson, Charah T; Ayeah, Kenneth N N; Bryant, Joseph

    2014-07-01

    Approximately 250,000 deaths were caused by leukemia globally in 2012 and about 40%-50% of all leukemia diagnoses end-up in death. Medicinal plants are a rich source for the discovery of new drugs against leukemia and other types of cancers. To this end, we subjected the Jamaican ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) and its cycloartanes, as well as some analogs, to in vitro screening against a number of leukemia cell lines. The WST-1 anti-proliferation assay was used to determine the anticancer activity of ball moss and two cycloartanes isolated from ball moss and four of their analogs against four leukemia cell lines (HL-60, K562, MOLM-14, monoMac6). Ball moss crude methanolic extract showed activity with a 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) value of 3.028 μg/ml against the Molm-14 cell line but was ineffective against HL-60 cells. The six cycloartanes tested demonstrated varying activity against the four leukemia cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 1.83 μM to 18.3 μM. Five out of the six cycloartanes demonstrated activity, while one was inactive against all four cell lines. The preliminary activity demonstrated by the Jamaican ball moss and its cycloartanes against selected leukemia cell lines continues to throw light on the broad anticancer activity of ball moss. Further studies to evaluate the efficacy of these molecules in other leukemia cell lines are required in order to validate the activity of these molecules, as well as to determine their mechanisms of action and ascertain the activity in vivo in order to establish efficacy and safety profiles. Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  12. Glycosides from Medicinal Plants as Potential Anticancer Agents: Emerging Trends towards Future Drugs.

    PubMed

    Khan, Haroon; Saeedi, Mina; Nabavi, Seyed Mohammad; Mubarak, Mohammad S; Bishayee, Anupam

    2018-04-03

    Cancer continues to be a global burden, despite the advancement of various technological and pharmaceutical improvements over the past two decades. Methods for treating cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in addition to other specialized techniques. On the other hand, medicinal plants have been traditionally employed either as the complementary medicine or dietary agents in the treatment and management of cancer. Medicinal plants are a rich source of secondary metabolites with interesting biological and pharmacological activities. Among these metabolites, glycosides are naturally occurring substances and have outstanding therapeutic potential and clinical utility. Different medical research engines such GoogleScholar, PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect were used to collect related literature on the subject matter. In this regard, only peer reviewed journals were considered. Emerging results showed that numerous glycosides isolated from various plants possessed marked anticancer activity against a variety of cancer cell lines. Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to shed light on the anticancer effects of glycosides, analyze possible mechanisms of action, and highlight the role of these natural agents as complementary and alternative medicine in combating and managing cancer. The glycosides isolated from different plants demonstrated potent cytotoxic effects against various cancer cell lines in initial preclinical studies. The anticancer effect was mediated through multiple mechanisms; however further detail studies are needed to understand the full potential of glycosides for clinical utility. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  13. Cyclooxgenase-2 Inhibiting Perfluoropoly (Ethylene Glycol) Ether Theranostic Nanoemulsions—In Vitro Study

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Sravan Kumar; Zhang, Yang; Pollock, John A.; Janjic, Jelena M.

    2013-01-01

    Cylcooxgenase-2 (COX-2) expressing macrophages, constituting a major portion of tumor mass, are involved in several pro-tumorigenic mechanisms. In addition, macrophages are actively recruited by the tumor and represent a viable target for anticancer therapy. COX-2 specific inhibitor, celecoxib, apart from its anticancer properties was shown to switch macrophage phenotype from tumor promoting to tumor suppressing. Celecoxib has low aqueous solubility, which may limit its tumor inhibiting effect. As opposed to oral administration, we propose that maximum anticancer effect may be achieved by nanoemulsion mediated intravenous delivery. Here we report multifunctional celecoxib nanoemulsions that can be imaged by both near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and 19F magnetic resonance. Celecoxib loaded nanoemulsions showed a dose dependent uptake in mouse macrophages as measured by 19F NMR and NIRF signal intensities of labeled cells. Dramatic inhibition of intracellular COX-2 enzyme was observed in activated macrophages upon nanoemulsion uptake. COX-2 enzyme inhibition was statistically equivalent between free drug and drug loaded nanoemulsion. However, nanoemulsion mediated drug delivery may be advantageous, helping to avoid systemic exposure to celecoxib and related side effects. Dual molecular imaging signatures of the presented nanoemulsions allow for future in vivo monitoring of the labeled macrophages and may help in examining the role of macrophage COX-2 inhibition in inflammation-cancer interactions. These features strongly support the future use of the presented nanoemulsions as anti-COX-2 theranostic nanomedicine with possible anticancer applications. PMID:23409048

  14. QSAR and docking studies on xanthone derivatives for anticancer activity targeting DNA topoisomerase IIα

    PubMed Central

    Alam, Sarfaraz; Khan, Feroz

    2014-01-01

    Due to the high mortality rate in India, the identification of novel molecules is important in the development of novel and potent anticancer drugs. Xanthones are natural constituents of plants in the families Bonnetiaceae and Clusiaceae, and comprise oxygenated heterocycles with a variety of biological activities along with an anticancer effect. To explore the anticancer compounds from xanthone derivatives, a quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model was developed by the multiple linear regression method. The structure–activity relationship represented by the QSAR model yielded a high activity–descriptors relationship accuracy (84%) referred by regression coefficient (r2=0.84) and a high activity prediction accuracy (82%). Five molecular descriptors – dielectric energy, group count (hydroxyl), LogP (the logarithm of the partition coefficient between n-octanol and water), shape index basic (order 3), and the solvent-accessible surface area – were significantly correlated with anticancer activity. Using this QSAR model, a set of virtually designed xanthone derivatives was screened out. A molecular docking study was also carried out to predict the molecular interaction between proposed compounds and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) topoisomerase IIα. The pharmacokinetics parameters, such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity, were also calculated, and later an appraisal of synthetic accessibility of organic compounds was carried out. The strategy used in this study may provide understanding in designing novel DNA topoisomerase IIα inhibitors, as well as for other cancer targets. PMID:24516330

  15. Stepwise encapsulation and controlled two-stage release system for cis-Diamminediiodoplatinum

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Yun; Li, Qian; Wu, Qingsheng

    2014-01-01

    cis-Diamminediiodoplatinum (cis-DIDP) is a cisplatin-like anticancer drug with higher anticancer activity, but lower stability and price than cisplatin. In this study, a cis-DIDP carrier system based on micro-sized stearic acid was prepared by an emulsion solvent evaporation method. The maximum drug loading capacity of cis-DIDP-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles was 22.03%, and their encapsulation efficiency was 97.24%. In vitro drug release in phosphate-buffered saline (pH =7.4) at 37.5°C exhibited a unique two-stage process, which could prove beneficial for patients with tumors and malignancies. MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay results showed that cis-DIDP released from cis-DIDP-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles had better inhibition activity than cis-DIDP that had not been loaded. PMID:25061294

  16. A potential photocatalytic, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of chitosan-copper nanocomposite.

    PubMed

    Arjunan, Nithya; Singaravelu, Chandra Mohan; Kulanthaivel, Jeganathan; Kandasamy, Jothivenkatachalam

    2017-11-01

    In this study, chitosan-copper (CS-Cu) nanocomposite was synthesized without the aid of any external chemical reducing agents. The optical, structural, spectral, thermal and morphological analyses were carried out by several techniques. The prepared nanocomposite acts as a photocatalyst for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Conge red (CR) dyes under visible light irradiation. The pseudo first order kinetics was derived according to Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) model. The nanocomposite also proved to be an excellent antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; and also show activity against fungus. The advanced material was used for the major research areas which include photocatalytic materials for waste water treatment; biological applications in the development of drug resistant antimicrobials and anticancer agents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Green and rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Borago officinalis leaf extract: anticancer and antibacterial activities.

    PubMed

    Singh, Hina; Du, Juan; Yi, Tae-Hoo

    2017-11-01

    This study highlights the facile, reliable, cost effective, and ecofriendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Borago officinalis leaves extract efficiently. The biosynthesis of AgNPs was verified by UV-Vis spectrum which showed the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 422 nm. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis revealed that the particles were spherical, hexagonal, and irregular in shape and had size ranging from 30 to 80 nm. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and elemental mapping have displayed the purity and maximum distribution of silver in the AgNPs. The crystalline nature of AgNPs had been identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area diffraction pattern (SAED). The particle size analysis revealed that the Z-average diameter of the AgNPs was 50.86 nm with polydispersity index (PDI) 0.136. Zeta potential analysis displayed the colloidal stability of AgNPs. This work also showed the efficacy of AgNPs against lung cancer cell lines (A549) and cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), in vitro. The AgNPs showed cytotoxicity to the A549 and HeLa cancer cell line at the concentrations 5 and 2 μg/ml. The AgNPs were also explored for the antibacterial activity including biofilm inhibition against pathogenic bacteria. The B. officinalis leaves extract can be used efficiently for green synthesis AgNPs. The biosynthesized AgNPs demonstrated potentials as anticancer and antibacterial agents. This work provides helpful insight into the development of new anticancer and antimicrobial agents.

  18. Exploration of Sea Cucumbers Stichopus hermanii from Karimunjawa Islands as Production of Marine Biological Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pringgenies, Delianis; Rudiyanti, Siti; Yudiati, Ervia

    2018-02-01

    This research aim was to study the potential of Stichopus hermanii to determine the amino acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine contents, to discover its antibacterial and anti-cancer agent. The samples were rinsed prior to separation, with only the corpus being used in the study. Sea cucumber extract was then processed using HPLC to trace contents of amino acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine contents. The samples were then put into test against several strains of pathogenic bacteria by means of diffusion for any biological activity. The anti-cancer test was performed by human ovarian cancer cell line (KOC7C) method. The study showed that the extract of Stichopus hermanii has the potency to inhibit the growth of active ovarian cancer cells. The qualitative test of the sea cucumber extract showed that it is capable of suppressing the growth of several strains of pathogenic bacteria identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio voinivica, and Pseudomonas sp. HPLC results showed that the extract contained amino acid (mg/100g), the highest being Collagen (11200), followed by Glycine (3760), Glutamic Acid (3700), Aspartic Acid (2540), Alanine (2140), Proline (2050), Arginine (2050), Tyrosine (1430), Threonine (1270), Leucine (1170), Valine (1050), Serine (971), Isoleucine (816), Phenylalanine (713), Lysine (639), Methionine (383), Cystine (263) and Histidine (208). The extract also contained Chondroitin Sulfate (4200) and Glucosamine Hydrochloride (<5.00). In conclusion, the study found that the extract of Stichopus hermanii has potential as anti-cancer, particularly against ovarian cancer, with the highest content being Collagen within amino acids, as well as chondroitin and glucosamine.

  19. Novel microtubule-targeted agent 6-chloro-4-(methoxyphenyl) coumarin induces G2-M arrest and apoptosis in HeLa cells

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Yi-ming; Zhou, Yu-bo; Xie, Chuan-ming; Chen, Dong-mei; Li, Jia

    2012-01-01

    Aim: To identify a novel coumarin analogue with the highest anticancer activity and to further investigate its anticancer mechanisms. Methods: The viability of cancer cells was investigated using the MTT assay. The cell cycle progression was evaluated using both flow cytometric and Western blotting analysis. Microtubule depolymerization was observed with immunocytochemistry in vivo and a tubulin depolymerization assay in vitro. Apoptosis was demonstrated using Annexin V/Propidium Iodide (PI) double-staining and sub-G1 analysis. Results: Among 36 analogues of coumarin, 6-chloro-4-(methoxyphenyl) coumarin showed the best anticancer activity (IC50 value about 200 nmol/L) in HCT116 cells. The compound had a broad spectrum of anticancer activity against 9 cancer cell lines derived from colon cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, leukemia, epidermoid cancer with IC50 value of 75 nmol/L–1.57 μmol/L but with low cytotocitity against WI-38 human lung fibroblasts (IC50 value of 12.128 μmol/L). The compound (0.04–10 μmol/L) induced G2-M phase arrest in HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner, which was reversible after the compound was removed. The compound (10–300 μmol/L) induced the depolymerization of purified porcine tubulin in vitro. Finally, the compound (0.04–2.5 μmol/L) induced apoptosis of HeLa cells in dose- and time-dependent manners. Conclusion: 6-Chloro-4-(methoxyphenyl) coumarin is a novel microtubule-targeting agent that induces G2–M arrest and apoptosis in HeLa cells. PMID:22266726

  20. Tocotrienols target PI3K/Akt signaling in anti-breast cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Sylvester, Paul W; Ayoub, Nehad M

    2013-09-01

    The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway mediates mitogen-dependent growth and survival in various types of cancer cells, and inhibition of this pathway results in tumor cell growth arrest and apoptosis. Tocotrienols are natural forms of vitamin E that displays potent anticancer activity at treatment doses that had little or no effect on normal cell viability. Mechanistic studies revealed that the anticancer effects of γ-tocotrienol were associated with a suppression in PI3K/Akt signaling. Additional studies showed that cytotoxic LD50 doses of γ-tocotrienol were 3-5-fold higher than growth inhibitory IC50 treatment doses, suggesting that cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects of γ-tocotrienol might be mediated through different mechanisms. However, γ-tocotrienol-induced caspase activation and apoptosis in mammary tumor cells was also found to be associated with suppression in intracellular PI3K/Akt signaling and subsequent down-regulation of FLIP, an endogenous inhibitor of caspase processing and activation. Since breast cancer cells are significantly more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of γ-tocotrienol on PI3K/Akt signaling than normal cells, these findings suggest that γ-tocotrienol may provide significant health benefits in reducing the risk of breast cancer in women. Studies have also shown that combined treatment of γ-tocotrienol with other chemotherapeutic agents can result in a synergistic anticancer response. Combination therapy was most effective when the anticancer mechanism of action of γ-tocotrienol is complimentary to that of the other drug and can provide significant health benefits in the prevention and/or treatment of breast cancer, while at the same time avoiding tumor resistance or toxic effects that is commonly associated with high dose monotherapy.

  1. Baicalein inhibits breast cancer growth via activating a novel isoform of the long noncoding RNA PAX8-AS1-N.

    PubMed

    Yu, Xiaolan; Cao, Yong; Tang, Li; Yang, Yingcheng; Chen, Feng; Xia, Jiyi

    2018-04-25

    Baicalein, a natural flavonoid, has fascinating anti-cancer properties in breast cancer. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of transcripts with no protein-coding potential, also exhibit critical roles in breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms mediating the anti-cancer properties of baicalein and whether lncRNAs are involved in the anti-cancer effects are still unclear. In this study, we identified a novel isoform of lncRNA PAX8-AS1 (PAX8-AS1-N), which is activated by baicalein in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Functional assays showed that PAX8-AS1-N reduced cell viability, inhibited cell-cycle progression, and induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells in vitro. Depletion of PAX8-AS1-N promoted breast xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, depletion of PAX8-AS1-N attenuated the suppressive roles of baicalein on cell viability, the apoptosis induced by baicalein, and also the suppressive roles of baicalein on tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, PAX8-AS1-N bound to miR-17-5p, and up-regulated miR-17-5p targets, such as PTEN, CDKN1A, and ZBTB4. In addition, PAX8-AS1-N was down-regulated in breast cancer and reduced expression of PAX8-AS1-N indicated poor survival of breast cancer patients. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that PAX8-AS1-N activation mediated the anti-cancer effects of baicalein via regulating miR-17-5p, and suggested that baicalein and enhancing PAX8-AS1-N would be potential therapeutic strategies against breast cancer. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Design and synthesis of thienopyrimidine urea derivatives with potential cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity against breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

    PubMed

    Abdelhaleem, Eman F; Abdelhameid, Mohammed K; Kassab, Asmaa E; Kandeel, Manal M

    2018-01-01

    A series of novel tetrahydrobenzothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine urea derivatives was synthesized according to fragment-based design strategy. They were evaluated for their anticancer activity against MCF-7 cell line. Three compounds 9c, 9d and 11b showed 1.5-1.03 folds more potent anticancer activity than doxorubicin. In this study, a promising multi-sited enzyme small molecule inhibitor 9c, which showed the most potent anti-proliferative activity, was identified. The anti-proliferative activity of this compound appears to correlate well with its ability to inhibit topoisomerase II (IC 50  = 9.29 μM). Moreover, compound 9c showed excellent VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity, at the sub-micromolar level with IC 50 value 0.2 μM, which is 2.1 folds more potent than sorafenib. Moreover, activation of damage response pathway of the DNA leads to cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, accumulation of cells in pre-G1 phase and annexin-V and propidium iodide staining, indicating that cell death proceeds through an apoptotic mechanism. Compound 9c showed potent pro-apoptotic effect through induction of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. This mechanistic pathway was confirmed by a significant increase in the expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53, elevation in Bax/BCL-2 ratio and a significant increase in the level of active caspase-3. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies delivered equations of five 3D descriptors with R 2  = 0.814. This QSAR model provides an effective technique for understanding the observed antitumor properties and thus could be adopted for developing effective lead structures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. Marine Peptides as Anticancer Agents: A Remedy to Mankind by Nature.

    PubMed

    Negi, Beena; Kumar, Deepak; Rawat, Diwan S

    2017-01-01

    In the search of bioactive molecules, nature has always been an important source and most of the drugs in clinic are either natural products or derived from natural products. The ocean has played significant role as thousands of molecules and their metabolites with different types of biological activity such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, antioxidant, anti HIV and anticancer activity have been isolated from marine organisms. In particular, marine peptides have attracted much attention due to their high specificity against cancer cell lines that may be attributed to the various unusual amino acid residues and their sequences in the peptide chain. This review aims to identify the various anticancer agents isolated from the marine system and their anticancer potential. We did literature search for the anticancer peptides isolated from the different types of microorganism found in the marine system. Total one eighty eight papers were reviewed concisely and most of the important information from these papers were extracted and kept in the present manuscript. This review gives details about the isolation, anticancer potential and mechanism of action of the anticancer peptides of the marine origin. Many of these molecules such as aplidine, dolastatin 10, didemnin B, kahalalide F, elisidepsin (PM02734) are in clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers. With the interdisciplinary and collaborative research and technical advancements we can search more promising and affordable anticancer drugs in future. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  4. Anti-cancer effect of ursolic acid activates apoptosis through ROCK/PTEN mediated mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1 in prostate cancer

    PubMed Central

    Gai, Wen-Tao; Yu, Da-Peng; Wang, Xin-Sheng; Wang, Pei-Tao

    2016-01-01

    Ursolic acid is a type of pentacyclic triterpene compound with multiple pharmacological activities including cancer resistance, protection from liver injury, antisepsis, anti-inflammation and antiviral activity. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effect of ursolic acid. Ursolic acid activates cell apoptosis and its pro-apoptotic mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. Cell Counting kit-8 assays, flow cytometric analysis and analysis of caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity were used to estimate the anticancer effect of ursolic acid on DU145 prostate cancer cells. The protein expression of cytochrome c, rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and cofilin-1 were examined using western blot analysis. In the present study, ursolic acid significantly suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis, as well as increasing caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities of DU145 cells. Furthermore, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial cytochrome c protein expression was significantly activated and suppressed, respectively, by ursolic acid. Ursolic acid significantly suppressed the ROCK/PTEN signaling pathway and inhibited cofilin-1 protein expression in DU145 cells. The results of the present study indicate that the anticancer effect of ursolic acid activates cell apoptosis through ROCK/PTEN mediated mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1 in prostate cancer. PMID:27698874

  5. Anti-cancer, pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies of cremophor el free alternative paclitaxel formulation.

    PubMed

    Jain, Subheet K; Utreja, Puneet; Tiwary, Ashok K; Mahajan, Mohit; Kumar, Nikhil; Roy, Partha

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present investigation is to determine the in vivo potential of previously developed and optimized Cremophor EL free paclitaxel (CF-PTX) formulation consisting of soya phosphatidylcholine and biosurfactant sodium deoxycholate. CF-PTX was found to have drug loading of 6 mg/ml similar to Cremophor EL based marketed paclitaxel formulation. In the present study, intracellular uptake, repeated dose 28 days sub-acute toxicity, anti-cancer activity, biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies were conducted to determine in vivo performance of CF-PTX formulation in comparison to marketed paclitaxel formulation. Intracellular uptake of CF-PTX was studied using A549 cells by fluorescence activated cell sorting assay (FACS) and fluorescence microscopy. In vivo anti-cancer activity of CF-PTX was evaluated using Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) model in mice followed by biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies. FACS investigation showed that fluorescence marker acridine orange (AO) solution showed only 19.8±1.1% intracellular uptake where as significantly higher uptake was observed in the case of AO loaded CF-PTX formulation (85.4±2.3%). The percentage reduction in tumor volume for CF-PTX (72.5±2.3%) in EAC bearing mice was found to be significantly (p<0.05) higher than marketed formulation (58.6±2.8%) on 14th day of treatment. Pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies showed sustained plasma concentration of paclitaxel depicted by higher mean residence time (MRT; 18.2±1.8 h) and elimination half life (12.8±0.6 h) with CF-PTX formulation as compared to marketed formulation which showed 4.4±0.2 h MRT and 3.6±0.4 h half life. The results of the present study demonstrated better in vivo performance of CF-PTX and this formulation appears to be a promising carrier for sustained and targeted delivery of paclitaxel.

  6. Ursolic acid exerts anti-cancer activity by suppressing vaccinia-related kinase 1-mediated damage repair in lung cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Kim, Seong-Hoon; Ryu, Hye Guk; Lee, Juhyun; Shin, Joon; Harikishore, Amaravadhi; Jung, Hoe-Yune; Jung, Hoe-Youn; Kim, Ye Seul; Lyu, Ha-Na; Oh, Eunji; Baek, Nam-In; Choi, Kwan-Yong; Yoon, Ho Sup; Kim, Kyong-Tai

    2015-09-28

    Many mitotic kinases have been targeted for the development of anti-cancer drugs, and inhibitors of these kinases have been expected to perform well for cancer therapy. Efforts focused on selecting good targets and finding specific drugs to target are especially needed, largely due to the increased frequency of anti-cancer drugs used in the treatment of lung cancer. Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a master regulator in lung adenocarcinoma and is considered a key molecule in the adaptive pathway, which mainly controls cell survival. We found that ursolic acid (UA) inhibits the catalytic activity of VRK1 via direct binding to the catalytic domain of VRK1. UA weakens surveillance mechanisms by blocking 53BP1 foci formation induced by VRK1 in lung cancer cells, and possesses synergistic anti-cancer effects with DNA damaging drugs. Taken together, UA can be a good anti-cancer agent for targeted therapy or combination therapy with DNA damaging drugs for lung cancer patients.

  7. New Ferrocene Compounds as Selective Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, Cytotoxicity and Enzyme-inhibitory Activity.

    PubMed

    Farzaneh, Shabnam; Zeinalzadeh, Elnaz; Daraei, Bahram; Shahhosseini, Soraya; Zarghi, Afshin

    2018-01-01

    Due to the astonishing properties of ferrocene and its derivatives, it has a broad application in diverse areas. Numerous ferrocene derivatives demonstrated anti-proliferative activity. Also COX-2, as a key isoenzyme for production of prostaglandins, is frequently overexpressed in various cancers. It is now recognized that COX-2 over expression promotes tumorigenic functions which can be suppressed by COX-2 inhibitors, a phenomenon useful for the preventing of tumor progression. The combination of COX-2 inhibitors with other anti-cancer or cancer prevention drugs may reduce their side effects in future cancer prevention and treatment. Owing to high anticancer potential of ferrocene derivatives and considerable COX-2 inhibitory and cytotoxicity effects of our previously synthesized chalcones, we decided to incorporate the ferrocenyl moiety into appropriate COX-2 inhibitor chalcone based scaffold, to evaluate COX-2 inhibitory activity as well as anticancer activities. Chalcones were synthesized via clasien-schmidt condensation of methylsulfonyl aldehyde and acetyl ferrocene. Further different amines with solvent free and ultra sound condition were reacted with chalcones to have different 1-ferrocenyl-3-amino carbonyl compounds. Docking study was carried out with Auto Dock vina software. All the newly-synthesized compounds were evaluated for their cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity using chemiluminescent enzyme assays as well as cytotoxicity activity against MCF-7 and T47D and fibroblast cell lines by MTT assay. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition studies demonstrated that all compounds were selective inhibitors of the COX-2 isozyme with IC50 values in the highly potent 0.05-0.12 µM range, and COX-2 selectivity indexes (SI) in the 148.3-313.7 range. These results indicated that either potency or selectivity of COX-2 inhibitory activity was affected by the nature and size of the substituents on C-3 of propane-1-one. Also anti-proliferative and toxicity activities of synthesized compounds against breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and T47D and fibroblast cell lines showed that the synthesized compounds had mild to moderate cytotoxicity against MCT7 and T47D breast cancer cell lines at 10 µM concentration. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition studies and anticancer activity against MCF-7, identified 1-ferrocenyl-3-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl) propen-1-one as a potent compound (IC50 COX-2 = 0.05 µM, MCF-7: % inhibition (at concentration of 10 µM) = 32.7%), and also 1-ferrocenyl-3- (propan-1-amine)-3-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl) propan-1-one showed the most selectivity on COX-2 inhibition (selectivity index= 313.7). A novel group of ferrocene compounds, possessing a methyl sulfonyl COX-2 pharmacophore were synthesized to investigate the effect of different substituents on selectivity and potency of COX-2 inhibitory activity and their cytotoxicity effects. This study indicates that 1-ferrocenyl-3-amino carbonyl compounds having ferrocene motif and methyl sulfonyl COX-2 pharmacophore is a suitable scaffold to design COX-2 inhibitors and anti-cancer agents. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  8. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Van Aller, Glenn S., E-mail: glenn.s.van.aller@gsk.com; Carson, Jeff D.; Tang, Wei

    Research highlights: {yields} Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is an ATP-competitive inhibitor of PI3K and mTOR with Ki values around 300 nM. {yields} EGCG inhibits cell proliferation and AKT phosphorylation at Ser473 in MDA-MB-231and A549 cells. {yields} Molecular docking studies show that EGCG binds well to the PI3K kinase domain active site. {yields} These results suggest another important molecular mechanism for the anticancer activities of EGCG. -- Abstract: The PI3K signaling pathway is activated in a broad spectrum of human cancers, either directly by genetic mutation or indirectly via activation of receptor tyrosine kinases or inactivation of the PTEN tumor suppressor. The keymore » nodes of this pathway have emerged as important therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we show that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major component of green tea, is an ATP-competitive inhibitor of both phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) with K{sub i} values of 380 and 320 nM respectively. The potency of EGCG against PI3K and mTOR is within physiologically relevant concentrations. In addition, EGCG inhibits cell proliferation and AKT phosphorylation at Ser473 in MDA-MB-231 and A549 cells. Molecular docking studies show that EGCG binds well to the PI3K kinase domain active site, agreeing with the finding that EGCG competes for ATP binding. Our results suggest another important molecular mechanism for the anticancer activities of EGCG.« less

  9. AMPK activation by pterostilbene contributes to suppression of hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression and glucose production in H4IIE cells

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Pterostilbene, a bioactive component of blueberries and grapes, shows structural similarity to resveratrol, and exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, and cholesterol lowering effects. This study examined potential mechanisms that may contribute to its lipid- and glucose...

  10. Mitochondrial targeted curcumin exhibits anticancer effects through disruption of mitochondrial redox and modulation of TrxR2 activity.

    PubMed

    Jayakumar, Sundarraj; Patwardhan, Raghavendra S; Pal, Debojyoti; Singh, Babita; Sharma, Deepak; Kutala, Vijay Kumar; Sandur, Santosh Kumar

    2017-12-01

    Mitocurcumin is a derivative of curcumin, which has been shown to selectively enter mitochondria. Here we describe the anti-tumor efficacy of mitocurcumin in lung cancer cells and its mechanism of action. Mitocurcumin, showed 25-50 fold higher efficacy in killing lung cancer cells as compared to curcumin as demonstrated by clonogenic assay, flow cytometry and high throughput screening assay. Treatment of lung cancer cells with mitocurcumin significantly decreased the frequency of cancer stem cells. Mitocurcumin increased the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreased the mitochondrial glutathione levels and induced strand breaks in the mitochondrial DNA. As a result, we observed increased BAX to BCL-2 ratio, cytochrome C release into the cytosol, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased caspase-3 activity suggesting that mitocurcumin activates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Docking studies using mitocurcumin revealed that it binds to the active site of the mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase (TrxR2) with high affinity. In corroboration with the above finding, mitocurcumin decreased TrxR activity in cell free as well as the cellular system. The anti-cancer activity of mitocurcumin measured in terms of apoptotic cell death and the decrease in cancer stem cell frequency was accentuated by TrxR2 overexpression. This was due to modulation of TrxR2 activity to NADPH oxidase like activity by mitocurcumin, resulting in higher ROS accumulation and cell death. Thus, our findings reveal mitocurcumin as a potent anticancer agent with better efficacy than curcumin. This study also demonstrates the role of TrxR2 and mitochondrial DNA damage in mitocurcumin mediated killing of cancer cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. [Response of Pharmaceutical Companies to the Crisis of Post-Marketing Clinical Trials of Anti-Cancer Agents -- Results of Questionnaires to Pharmaceutical Companies].

    PubMed

    Nakajima, Toshifusa

    2016-04-01

    Investigator-oriented post-marketing clinical trials of anti-cancer agents are faced to financial crisis due to drastic decrease in research-funds from pharmaceutical companies caused by a scandal in 2013. In order to assess the balance of research funds between 2012 and 2014, we made queries to 26 companies manufacturing anti-cancer agents, and only 10 of 26 responded to our queries. Decrease in the fund was observed in 5 of 10, no change in 1, increase in 3 and no answer in 1. Companies showed passive attitude to carry out doctor-oriented clinical trials of off-patent drugs or unapproved drugs according to advanced medical care B program, though some companies answered to proceed approved routines of these drugs if clinical trials showed good results. Most companies declined to make comments on the activity of Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), but some insisted to produce good corroboration between AMED and pharmaceutical companies in order to improve the quality of trials. Further corroboration must be necessary for this purpose among researchers, governmental administrative organs, pharmaceutical companies, patients' groups, and mass-media.

  12. Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of (E)-N-Aryl-2-arylethene-sulfonamide Analogues as Potent and Orally Bioavailable Microtubule-targeted Anticancer Agents

    PubMed Central

    Ramana Reddy, M. V.; Mallireddigari, Muralidhar R.; Pallela, Venkat R.; Cosenza, Stephen C.; Billa, Vinay K.; Akula, Balaiah; Venkata Subbaiah, D. R. C.; Bharathi, E. Vijaya; Padgaonkar, Amol; Lv, Hua; Gallo, James M.; Reddy, E. Premkumar

    2013-01-01

    A series of novel (E)-N-aryl-2-arylethenesulfonamides (6) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity. Some of the compounds in this series showed potent cytotoxicity against a wide spectrum of cancer cell-lines (IC50 values ranging from 5 to 10 nM) including all drug resistant cell-lines. Nude mice xenograft assays with compound (E)-N-(3-Amino-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2′,4′,6′-trimethoxyphenyl)ethenesulfonamide (6t) showed dramatic reduction in tumor size indicating their in vivo potential as anticancer agents. A preliminary drug development study with compound 6t is predicted to have increased blood-brain barrier permeability relative to many clinically used anti-mitotic agents. Mechanistic studies indicate that 6t and some other analogs disrupted microtubule formation, formation of mitotic spindles and arrest of cells in mitotic phase. Compound 6t inhibited purified tubulin polymerization in vitro and in vivo and circumvented drug resistance mediated by P-glycoprotein. Compound 6t specifically competed with colchicine binding to tubulin and with similar avidity as podophylltoxin indicating its binding site on tubulin. PMID:23750455

  13. Discovery and characterization of inhibitors of human palmitoyl acyltransferases.

    PubMed

    Ducker, Charles E; Griffel, Lindsay K; Smith, Ryan A; Keller, Staci N; Zhuang, Yan; Xia, Zuping; Diller, John D; Smith, Charles D

    2006-07-01

    The covalent attachment of palmitate to specific proteins by the action of palmitoyl acyltransferases (PAT) plays critical roles in the biological activities of several oncoproteins. Two PAT activities are expressed by human cells: type 1 PATs that modify the farnesyl-dependent palmitoylation motif found in H- and N-Ras, and type 2 PATs that modify the myristoyl-dependent palmitoylation motif found in the Src family of tyrosine kinases. We have previously shown that the type 1 PAT HIP14 causes cellular transformation. In the current study, we show that mRNA encoding HIP14 is up-regulated in a number of types of human tumors. To assess the potential of HIP14 and other PATs as targets for new anticancer drugs, we developed three cell-based assays suitable for high-throughput screening to identify inhibitors of these enzymes. Using these screens, five chemotypes, with activity toward either type 1 or type 2 PAT activity, were identified. The activity of the hits were confirmed using assays that quantify the in vitro inhibition of PAT activity, as well as a cell-based assay that determines the abilities of the compounds to prevent the localization of palmitoylated green fluorescent proteins to the plasma membrane. Representative compounds from each chemotype showed broad antiproliferative activity toward a panel of human tumor cell lines and inhibited the growth of tumors in vivo. Together, these data show that PATs, and HIP14 in particular, are interesting new targets for anticancer compounds, and that small molecules with such activity can be identified by high-throughput screening.

  14. Discovery and characterization of inhibitors of human palmitoyl acyltransferases

    PubMed Central

    Ducker, Charles E.; Griffel, Lindsay K.; Smith, Ryan A.; Keller, Staci N.; Zhuang, Yan; Xia, Zuping; Diller, John D.; Smith, Charles D.

    2010-01-01

    The covalent attachment of palmitate to specific proteins by the action of palmitoyl acyltransferases (PAT) plays critical roles in the biological activities of several oncoproteins. Two PAT activities are expressed by human cells: type 1 PATs that modify the farnesyl-dependent palmitoylation motif found in H- and N-Ras, and type 2 PATs that modify the myristoyl-dependent palmitoylation motif found in the Src family of tyrosine kinases. We have previously shown that the type 1 PAT HIP14 causes cellular transformation. In the current study, we show that mRNA encoding HIP14 is up-regulated in a number of types of human tumors. To assess the potential of HIP14 and other PATs as targets for new anticancer drugs, we developed three cell-based assays suitable for high-throughput screening to identify inhibitors of these enzymes. Using these screens, five chemotypes, with activity toward either type 1 or type 2 PAT activity, were identified. The activity of the hits were confirmed using assays that quantify the in vitro inhibition of PAT activity, as well as a cell-based assay that determines the abilities of the compounds to prevent the localization of palmitoylated green fluorescent proteins to the plasma membrane. Representative compounds from each chemotype showed broad antiproliferative activity toward a panel of human tumor cell lines and inhibited the growth of tumors in vivo. Together, these data show that PATs, and HIP14 in particular, are interesting new targets for anticancer compounds, and that small molecules with such activity can be identified by high-throughput screening. PMID:16891450

  15. Eco-friendly synthesis of novel cyanopyridine derivatives and their anticancer and PIM-1 kinase inhibitory activities.

    PubMed

    Abouzid, Khaled A M; Al-Ansary, Ghada H; El-Naggar, Abeer M

    2017-07-07

    Targeting Pim-1 kinase recently proved to be profitable for conquering cancer proliferation. In the current study, we report the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of two novel series of 2-amino cyanopyridine series (5a-g) and 2-oxocyanopyridine series (6a-g) targeting Pim-1 kinase. All of the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against a panel of three cell lines, namely, the liver cancer cell line (HepG2), the colon cancer cell line (HCT-116) and the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Most of the compounds showed good to moderate anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 and HCT-116 cell lines while only few compounds showed significant cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cell line. Further, the Pim-1 kinase inhibitory activity for the two series was evaluated where most of the tested compounds showed marked Pim-1 kinase inhibitory activity (26%-89%). Moreover, determination of the IC 50 values unraveled very potent molecules in the submicromolar range where compound 6c possessed an IC 50 value of 0.94 μM. Moreover, apoptosis studies were conducted on the most potent compound 6c to evaluate the proapoptotic potential of our compounds. Interestingly, it induced the level of active caspase 3 and boosted the Bax/Bcl2 ratio 22704 folds in comparison to the control. Finally, a molecular docking study was conducted to reveal the probable interaction with the Pim-1 kinase active site. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Exploration of (hetero)aryl derived thienylchalcones for antiviral and anticancer activities.

    PubMed

    Patil, Vikrant; Patil, Siddappa A; Patil, Renukadevi; Bugarin, Alejandro; Beaman, Kenneth; Patil, Shivaputra A

    2018-05-23

    Search for new antiviral and anticancer agents are essential because of the emergence of drug resistance in recent years. In continuation of our efforts in identifying the new small molecule antiviral and anticancer agents, we identified chalcones as potent antiviral and anticancer agents. With the aim of identifying the broad acting antiviral and anticancer agents, we discovered substituted aryl/heteroaryl derived thienyl chalcones as antiviral and anticancer agents. A focused set of thienyl chalcone derivaties II-VI was screened for selected viruses Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Dengue virus 2 (DENV2), Influenza A (H1N1) virus, MERS coronavirus, Poliovirus 1 (PV 1), Rift Valley fever (RVF), Tacaribe virus (TCRV), Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) and Zika virus (ZIKV) using the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)'s Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) antiviral screening program. Additionally, a cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV has been screened for 60 human cancer cell lines using the Development Therapeutics Program (DTP) of NCI. All thienyl chalcone derivatives II-VI displayed moderate to excellent antiviral activity towards several viruses tested. Compounds V and VI were turned out be active compounds towards human cytomegalovirus for both normal strain (AD169) as well as resistant isolate (GDGr K17). Particularly, cyano derivative V showed very high potency (EC50: <0.05 µM) towards AD169 strain of HCMV compared to standard drug Ganciclovir (EC50: 0.12 µM). Additionally, it showed moderate activity in the secondary assay (AD169; EC50: 2.30 µM). The cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV displayed high potency towards Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and Tacaribe virus (TCRV). The cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV is nearly 28 times more potent in our initial in vitro visual assay (EC50: 0.39 μg/ml) and nearly 17 times more potent in neutral red assay (EC50: 0.71 μg/ml) compared to the standard drug Ribavirin (EC50: 11 μg/ml; visual assay and EC50: 12 μg/ml; neutral red assay). It is nearly 12 times more potent in our initial in vitro visual assay (EC50: >1 μg/ml) and nearly 8 times more potent in neutral red assay (EC50: >1.3 μg/ml) compared to the standard drug Ribavirin (EC50: 12 μg/ml; visual assay and EC50: 9.9 μg/ml; neutral red assay) towards Tacaribe virus (TCRV). Additionally, cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV has shown strong growth inhibitory activity towards three major cancer (colon, breast, and leukemia) cell lines and moderate growth inhibition shown towards other cancer cell lines screened. Compounds V and VI were demonstrated viral inhibition towards Human cytomegalovirus, whereas cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV towards Rift Valley fever virus and Tacaribe virus. Additionally, cyclopropylquinoline derivative IV has displayed very good cytotoxicity against colon, breast and leukemia cell lines in vitro. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  17. Pinus Roxburghii essential oil anticancer activity and chemical composition evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Sajid, Arfaa; Manzoor, Qaisar; Iqbal, Munawar; Tyagi, Amit Kumar; Sarfraz, Raja Adil; Sajid, Anam

    2018-01-01

    The present study was conducted to appraise the anticancer activity of Pinus roxburghii essential oil along with chemical composition evaluation. MTT assay revealed cytotoxicity induction in colon, leukemia, multiple myeloma, pancreatic, head and neck and lung cancer cells exposed to essential oil. Cancer cell death was also observed through live/dead cell viability assay and FACS analysis. Apoptosis induced by essential oil was confirmed by cleavage of PARP and caspase-3 that suppressed the colony-forming ability of tumor cells and 50 % inhibition occurred at a dose of 25 μg/mL. Moreover, essential oil inhibited the activation of inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB and inhibited expression of NF-κB regulated gene products linked to cell survival (survivin, c-FLIP, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, c-Myc, c-IAP2), proliferation (Cyclin D1) and metastasis (MMP-9). P. roxburghii essential oil has considerable anticancer activity and could be used as anticancer agent, which needs further investigation to identify and purify the bioactive compounds followed by in vivo studies. PMID:29743861

  18. Development of Certain Protein Kinase Inhibitors with the Components from Traditional Chinese Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Minghua; Zhao, Ge; Cao, Shousong; Zhang, Yangyang; Li, Xiaofang; Lin, Xiukun

    2017-01-01

    Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been used in China for more than two thousand years, and some of them have been confirmed to be effective in cancer treatment. Protein kinases play critical roles in control of cell growth, proliferation, migration, survival, and angiogenesis and mediate their biological effects through their catalytic activity. In recent years, numerous protein kinase inhibitors have been developed and are being used clinically. Anticancer TCMs represent a large class of bioactive substances, and some of them display anticancer activity via inhibiting protein kinases to affect the phosphoinositide 3-kinase, serine/threonine-specific protein kinases, pechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR), P38, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) pathways. In the present article, we comprehensively reviewed several components isolated from anticancer TCMs that exhibited significantly inhibitory activity toward a range of protein kinases. These components, which belong to diverse structural classes, are reviewed herein, based upon the kinases that they inhibit. The prospects and problems in development of the anticancer TCMs are also discussed. PMID:28119606

  19. Role of Dopamine Receptors in the Anticancer Activity of ONC201.

    PubMed

    Kline, Christina Leah B; Ralff, Marie D; Lulla, Amriti R; Wagner, Jessica M; Abbosh, Phillip H; Dicker, David T; Allen, Joshua E; El-Deiry, Wafik S

    2018-01-01

    ONC201/TIC10 is a first-in-class small molecule inducer of TRAIL that causes early activation of the integrated stress response. Its promising safety profile and broad-spectrum efficacy in vitro have been confirmed in Phase I/II trials in several advanced malignancies. Binding and reporter assays have shown that ONC201 is a selective antagonist of the dopamine D2-like receptors, specifically, DRD2 and DRD3. We hypothesized that ONC201's interaction with DRD2 plays a role in ONC201's anticancer effects. Using cBioportal and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses, we confirmed that DRD2 is expressed in different cancer cell types in a cell type-specific manner. On the other hand, DRD3 was generally not detectable. Overexpressing DRD2 in cells with low DRD2 levels increased ONC201-induced PARP cleavage, which was preceded and correlated with an increase in ONC201-induced CHOP mRNA expression. On the other hand, knocking out DRD2 using CRISPR/Cas9 in three cancer cell lines was not sufficient to abrogate ONC201's anticancer effects. Although ONC201's anticancer activity was not dependent on DRD2 expression in the cancer cell types tested, we assessed the cytotoxic potential of DRD2 blockade. Transient DRD2 knockdown in HCT116 cells activated the integrated stress response and reduced cell number. Pharmacological antagonism of DRD2 significantly reduced cell viability. Thus, we demonstrate in this study that disrupting dopamine receptor expression and activity can have cytotoxic effects that may at least be in part due to the activation of the integrated stress response. On the other hand, ONC201's anticancer activity goes beyond its ability to antagonize DRD2, potentially due to ONC201's ability to activate other pathways that are independent of DRD2. Nevertheless, blocking the dopamine D1-like receptor DRD5 via siRNA or the use of a pharmacological antagonist promoted ONC201-induced anticancer activity. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Preparation and in vitro evaluation of actively targetable nanoparticles for SN-38 delivery against HT-29 cell lines.

    PubMed

    Ebrahimnejad, Pedram; Dinarvand, Rassoul; Sajadi, Abolghasem; Jaafari, Mahmoud Reza; Nomani, Ali Reza; Azizi, Ebrahim; Rad-Malekshahi, Mazda; Atyabi, Fatemeh

    2010-06-01

    SN-38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin) is the active metabolite of irinotecan, which is 100-to 1000-fold more cytotoxic than irinotecan. Nevertheless, extreme hydrophobicity of SN-38 has prevented its clinical use. One way of improving the solubility and stability of SN-38 is to formulate the drug into nanoparticles. Folic acid has been widely used as a targeting moiety for various anticancer drugs. For folate-receptor-targeted anticancer therapy, SN-38 nanoparticles were produced using poly-lactide-co-glycolide-polyethylene glycol-folate (PLGA-PEG-FOL) conjugate by emulsification/solvent evaporation method. The FOL-conjugated di-block copolymer was synthesized by coupling the PLGA-PEG-NH(2) di-block copolymer with an activated folic acid. The conjugates were used for the formation of SN-38 nanoparticles with an average size of 200 nm in diameter. The SN-38 targeted nanoparticles showed a greater cytotoxicity against HT-29 cancer cells than SN-38 nontargeted nanoparticles. These results suggested that folate-targeted nanoparticles could be a potentially useful delivery system for SN-38 as an anticancer agent. SN-38 is the active metabolite of the chemotherapy agent irinotecan, which is 100-1000 fold more cytotoxic than irinotecan, but its extreme hydrophobicity has prevented its clinical use. In this paper, the authors present a nanotechnology-based approach targeting the folate-receptor with SN-38 loaded nanoparticles, demonstrating stronger cytotoxicity against HT-29 cancer cells than with control nanoparticles.

  1. Methadone, commonly used as maintenance medication for outpatient treatment of opioid dependence, kills leukemia cells and overcomes chemoresistance.

    PubMed

    Friesen, Claudia; Roscher, Mareike; Alt, Andreas; Miltner, Erich

    2008-08-01

    The therapeutic opioid drug methadone (d,l-methadone hydrochloride) is the most commonly used maintenance medication for outpatient treatment of opioid dependence. In our study, we found that methadone is also a potent inducer of cell death in leukemia cells and we clarified the unknown mechanism of methadone-induced cell killing in leukemia cells. Methadone inhibited proliferation in leukemia cells and induced cell death through apoptosis induction and activated apoptosis pathways through the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, down-regulation of Bcl-x(L) and X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. In addition, methadone induced cell death not only in anticancer drug-sensitive and apoptosis-sensitive leukemia cells but also in doxorubicin-resistant, multidrug-resistant, and apoptosis-resistant leukemia cells, which anticancer drugs commonly used in conventional therapies of leukemias failed to kill. Depending on caspase activation, methadone overcomes doxorubicin resistance, multidrug resistance, and apoptosis resistance in leukemia cells through activation of mitochondria. In contrast to leukemia cells, nonleukemic peripheral blood lymphocytes survived after methadone treatment. These findings show that methadone kills leukemia cells and breaks chemoresistance and apoptosis resistance. Our results suggest that methadone is a promising therapeutic approach not only for patients with opioid dependence but also for patients with leukemias and provide the foundation for new strategies using methadone as an additional anticancer drug in leukemia therapy, especially when conventional therapies are less effective.

  2. Glutamine deprivation enhances antitumor activity of 3-bromopyruvate through the stabilization of monocarboxylate transporter-1.

    PubMed

    Cardaci, Simone; Rizza, Salvatore; Filomeni, Giuseppe; Bernardini, Roberta; Bertocchi, Fabio; Mattei, Maurizio; Paci, Maurizio; Rotilio, Giuseppe; Ciriolo, Maria Rosa

    2012-09-01

    Anticancer drug efficacy might be leveraged by strategies to target certain biochemical adaptations of tumors. Here we show how depriving cancer cells of glutamine can enhance the anticancer properties of 3-bromopyruvate, a halogenated analog of pyruvic acid. Glutamine deprival potentiated 3-bromopyruvate chemotherapy by increasing the stability of the monocarboxylate transporter-1, an effect that sensitized cells to metabolic oxidative stress and autophagic cell death. We further elucidated mechanisms through which resistance to chemopotentiation by glutamine deprival could be circumvented. Overall, our findings offer a preclinical proof-of-concept for how to employ 3-bromopyruvate or other monocarboxylic-based drugs to sensitize tumors to chemotherapy. ©2012 AACR.

  3. A Novel Isoquinoline Derivative Anticancer Agent and Its Targeted Delivery to Tumor Cells Using Transferrin-Conjugated Liposomes

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xuewei; Yang, Shuang; Chai, Hongyu; Yang, Zhaogang; Lee, Robert J.; Liao, Weiwei; Teng, Lesheng

    2015-01-01

    We have screened 11 isoquinoline derivatives and α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthi-azol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay in HeLa and HEK-293T cells. Compound 2 was identified as potential anticancer agent. To further improve its therapeutic potential, this agent was incorporated into transferrin (Tf)-conjugated liposomes (LPs) for targeted delivery to tumor cells. We have demonstrated Tf-LP-Compound 2 have superior antitumor activity compared to non-targeted controls and the free drug. These data show Tf-LP-Compound 2 to be a promising agent that warrants further evaluation. PMID:26309138

  4. Multifunctional High Drug Loading Nanocarriers for Cancer Drug Delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Erlei

    2011-12-01

    Most anticancer drugs have poor water-solubility, rapid blood clearance, low tumor-selectivity and severe systemic toxicity to healthy tissues. Thus, polymeric nanocarriers have been widely explored for anticancer drugs to solve these problems. However, polymer nanocarriers developed to date still suffer drawbacks including low drug loading contents, premature drug release, slow cellular internalization, slow intracellular drug release and thereby low therapeutic efficiency in cancer thermotherapy. Accordingly, in this dissertation, functional nanocapsules and nanoparticles including high drug loading liposome-like nanocapsules, high drug loading phospholipid-mimic nanocapsules with fast intracellular drug release, high drug loading charge-reversal nanocapsules, TAT based long blood circulation nanoparticles and charge-reversal nuclear targeted nanoparticles are designed and synthesized. These functional carriers have advantages such as high drug loading contents without premature drug release, fast cellular internalization and intracellular drug release, nuclear targeted delivery and long blood circulation. As a result, all these drug carriers show much higher in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer activities.

  5. Facile synthesis and antibacterial, antitubercular, and anticancer activities of novel 1,4-dihydropyridines.

    PubMed

    Sirisha, Kalam; Achaiah, Garlapati; Reddy, Vanga Malla

    2010-06-01

    A series of twenty new 4-substituted-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-bis-N-(heteroaryl)-carbamoyl-1,4-dihydropyridines have been prepared from a three-component one-pot condensation reaction of N-heteroaryl acetoacetamide, an aromatic/heteroaromatic aldehyde, and ammonium acetate under four different experimental conditions. Except for the conventional method, all the experimental conditions were simple, eco-friendly, economical, and the reactions were rapid and high-yielding. The methods employed have been compared in terms of yields, cost, and simplicity. The synthesized compounds were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their in-vitro anticancer, antibacterial, and antitubercular activities. Amongst the compounds tested, compound 25 exhibited the highest anticancer activity while compounds 14 and 18 exhibited significant antibacterial and antitubercular activities.

  6. Chitosan-based nano-in-microparticle carriers for enhanced oral delivery and anticancer activity of propolis.

    PubMed

    Elbaz, Nancy M; Khalil, Islam A; Abd-Rabou, Ahmed A; El-Sherbiny, Ibrahim M

    2016-11-01

    This study reports a promising approach to enhance the oral delivery of propolis, improve its aqueous solubility and bioavailability, and allow its controlled release as well as enhancing its anticancer activity. Propolis was standardized then its solubility was improved via formulation into optimized solid dispersion (SD) matrices, and its release was controlled through incorporation into nanoparticles (NPs) of optimized composition followed by further inclusion into chitosan (Cs) microparticles. The anticancer activity of the newly developed propolis-loaded nano-in-microparticles (NIMs) was evaluated against human liver cancer (HepG2) and human colorectal cancer (HCT 116) cells. The prepared SDs, NPs and NIMs were characterized using SEM, TEM, DLS, FTIR, DSC and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The therapeutic efficiency of formulated propolis was bio-assessed via cytotoxicity measurements, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis-induced cell death and cell cycle arrest. The results demonstrated a considerable enhancement in propolis solubility with a controlled release profile in different GIT environments. In-vitro cytotoxicity studies showed that the propolis-loaded NIMs induce more cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cells than HCT-116 cells and mediated three-fold higher therapeutic efficiency than free propolis. The apoptosis assay indicated that the propolis-loaded NIMs induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells and significantly decrease their number in the proliferative G0/G1, S and G2/M phases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Effects of different carboxylic ester spacers on chemical stability, release characteristics, and anticancer activity of mono-PEGylated curcumin conjugates.

    PubMed

    Wichitnithad, Wisut; Nimmannit, Ubonthip; Callery, Patrick S; Rojsitthisak, Pornchai

    2011-12-01

    We investigated the effects of different carboxylic ester spacers of mono-PEGylated curcumin conjugates on chemical stability, release characteristics, and anticancer activity. Three novel conjugates were synthesized with succinic acid, glutaric acid, and methylcarboxylic acid as the respective spacers between curcumin and monomethoxy polyethylene glycol of molecular weight 2000 (mPEG(2000) ): mPEG(2000) -succinyl-curcumin (PSC), mPEG(2000) -glutaryl-curcumin (PGC), and mPEG(2000) -methylcarboxyl-curcumin (PMC), respectively. Hydrolysis of all conjugates in buffer and human plasma followed pseudo first-order kinetics. In phosphate buffer, the overall degradation rate constant and half-life values indicated an order of stability of PGC > PSC > PMC > curcumin. In human plasma, more than 90% of curcumin was released from the esters after incubation for 0.25, 1.5, and 2 h, respectively. All conjugates exhibited cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines: Caco-2 (colon), KB (oral cavity), MCF7 (breast), and NCI-H187 (lung) with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50) ) values in the range of 1-6 µM, similar to that observed for curcumin itself. Our results suggest that mono-PEGylation of curcumin produces prodrugs that are stable in buffer at physiological pH, release curcumin readily in human plasma, and show anticancer activity. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  8. Clopidogrel in a combined therapy with anticancer drugs—effect on tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment toxicity: Studies in animal models

    PubMed Central

    Denslow, Agnieszka; Świtalska, Marta; Jarosz, Joanna; Papiernik, Diana; Porshneva, Kseniia; Nowak, Marcin

    2017-01-01

    Clopidogrel, a thienopyridine derivative with antiplatelet activity, is widely prescribed for patients with cardiovascular diseases. In addition to antiplatelet activity, antiplatelet agents possess anticancer and antimetastatic properties. Contrary to this, results of some studies have suggested that the use of clopidogrel and other thienopyridines accelerates the progression of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of clopidogrel and various anticancer agents as a combined treatment using mouse models of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. Metastatic dissemination, selected parameters of platelet morphology and biochemistry, as well as angiogenesis were assessed. In addition, body weight, blood morphology, and biochemistry were evaluated to test toxicity of the studied compounds. According to the results, clopidogrel increased antitumor and/or antimetastatic activity of chemotherapeutics such as 5-fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, and mitoxantrone, whereas it decreased the anticancer activity of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and tamoxifen. The mechanisms of such divergent activities may be based on the modulation of tumor vasculature via factors, such as transforming growth factor β1 released from platelets. Moreover, clopidogrel increased the toxicity of docetaxel and protected against mitoxantrone-induced toxicity, which may be due to the modulation of hepatic enzymes and protection of the vasculature, respectively. These results demonstrate that antiplatelet agents can be useful but also dangerous in anticancer treatment and therefore use of thienopyridines in patients undergoing chemotherapy should be carefully evaluated. PMID:29206871

  9. Anticancer Drugs from Marine Flora: An Overview

    PubMed Central

    Sithranga Boopathy, N.; Kathiresan, K.

    2010-01-01

    Marine floras, such as bacteria, actinobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, microalgae, seaweeds, mangroves, and other halophytes are extremely important oceanic resources, constituting over 90% of the oceanic biomass. They are taxonomically diverse, largely productive, biologically active, and chemically unique offering a great scope for discovery of new anticancer drugs. The marine floras are rich in medicinally potent chemicals predominantly belonging to polyphenols and sulphated polysaccharides. The chemicals have displayed an array of pharmacological properties especially antioxidant, immunostimulatory, and antitumour activities. The phytochemicals possibly activate macrophages, induce apoptosis, and prevent oxidative damage of DNA, thereby controlling carcinogenesis. In spite of vast resources enriched with chemicals, the marine floras are largely unexplored for anticancer lead compounds. Hence, this paper reviews the works so far conducted on this aspect with a view to provide a baseline information for promoting the marine flora-based anticancer research in the present context of increasing cancer incidence, deprived of the cheaper, safer, and potent medicines to challenge the dreadful human disease. PMID:21461373

  10. PolyMetformin combines carrier and anticancer activities for in vivo siRNA delivery.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yi; Wang, Wei; Guo, Shutao; Wang, Yuhua; Miao, Lei; Xiong, Yang; Huang, Leaf

    2016-06-06

    Metformin, a widely implemented anti-diabetic drug, exhibits potent anticancer efficacies. Herein a polymeric construction of Metformin, PolyMetformin (PolyMet) is successfully synthesized through conjugation of linear polyethylenimine (PEI) with dicyandiamide. The delocalization of cationic charges in the biguanide groups of PolyMet reduces the toxicity of PEI both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the polycationic properties of PolyMet permits capture of siRNA into a core-membrane structured lipid-polycation-hyaluronic acid (LPH) nanoparticle for systemic gene delivery. Advances herein permit LPH-PolyMet nanoparticles to facilitate VEGF siRNA delivery for VEGF knockdown in a human lung cancer xenograft, leading to enhanced tumour suppressive efficacy. Even in the absence of RNAi, LPH-PolyMet nanoparticles act similarly to Metformin and induce antitumour efficacy through activation of the AMPK and inhibition of the mTOR. In essence, PolyMet successfully combines the intrinsic anticancer efficacy of Metformin with the capacity to carry siRNA to enhance the therapeutic activity of an anticancer gene therapy.

  11. Anticancer drugs from marine flora: an overview.

    PubMed

    Sithranga Boopathy, N; Kathiresan, K

    2010-01-01

    Marine floras, such as bacteria, actinobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, microalgae, seaweeds, mangroves, and other halophytes are extremely important oceanic resources, constituting over 90% of the oceanic biomass. They are taxonomically diverse, largely productive, biologically active, and chemically unique offering a great scope for discovery of new anticancer drugs. The marine floras are rich in medicinally potent chemicals predominantly belonging to polyphenols and sulphated polysaccharides. The chemicals have displayed an array of pharmacological properties especially antioxidant, immunostimulatory, and antitumour activities. The phytochemicals possibly activate macrophages, induce apoptosis, and prevent oxidative damage of DNA, thereby controlling carcinogenesis. In spite of vast resources enriched with chemicals, the marine floras are largely unexplored for anticancer lead compounds. Hence, this paper reviews the works so far conducted on this aspect with a view to provide a baseline information for promoting the marine flora-based anticancer research in the present context of increasing cancer incidence, deprived of the cheaper, safer, and potent medicines to challenge the dreadful human disease.

  12. Dual-pH Sensitive Charge-reversal Nanocomplex for Tumor-targeted Drug Delivery with Enhanced Anticancer Activity.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Qing; Hou, Yilin; Zhang, Li; Wang, Jianlin; Qiao, Youbei; Guo, Songyan; Fan, Li; Yang, Tiehong; Zhu, Lin; Wu, Hong

    2017-01-01

    Poly(β-L-malic acid) (PMLA), a natural aliphatic polyester, has been proven to be a promising carrier for anti-cancer drugs. In spite of excellent bio-compatibility, the application of PMLA as the drug carrier for cancer therapy is limited by its low cellular uptake efficiency. The strong negative charge of PMLA impedes its uptake by cancer cells because of the electrostatic repulsion. In this study, a dual pH-sensitive charge-reversal PMLA-based nanocomplex (PMLA-PEI-DOX-TAT@PEG-DMMA) was developed for effective tumor-targeted drug delivery, enhanced cellular uptake, and intracellular drug release. The prepared nanocomplex showed a negative surface charge at the physiological pH, which could protect the nanocomplex from the attack of plasma proteins and recognition by the reticuloendothelial system, so as to prolong its circulation time. While at the tumor extracellular pH 6.8, the DMMA was hydrolyzed, leading to the charge reversal and exposure of the TAT on the polymeric micelles, thus enhancing the cellular internalization. Then, the polymeric micelles underwent dissociation and drug release in response to the acidic pH in the lyso/endosomal compartments of the tumor cell. Both in vitro and in vivo efficacy studies indicated that the nanocomplex significantly inhibited the tumor growth while the treatment showed negligible systemic toxicity, suggesting that the developed dual pH-sensitive PMLA-based nanocomplex would be a promising drug delivery system for tumor-targeted drug delivery with enhanced anticancer activity.

  13. Dual-pH Sensitive Charge-reversal Nanocomplex for Tumor-targeted Drug Delivery with Enhanced Anticancer Activity

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Qing; Hou, Yilin; Zhang, Li; Wang, Jianlin; Qiao, Youbei; Guo, Songyan; Fan, Li; Yang, Tiehong; Zhu, Lin; Wu, Hong

    2017-01-01

    Poly(β-L-malic acid) (PMLA), a natural aliphatic polyester, has been proven to be a promising carrier for anti-cancer drugs. In spite of excellent bio-compatibility, the application of PMLA as the drug carrier for cancer therapy is limited by its low cellular uptake efficiency. The strong negative charge of PMLA impedes its uptake by cancer cells because of the electrostatic repulsion. In this study, a dual pH-sensitive charge-reversal PMLA-based nanocomplex (PMLA-PEI-DOX-TAT@PEG-DMMA) was developed for effective tumor-targeted drug delivery, enhanced cellular uptake, and intracellular drug release. The prepared nanocomplex showed a negative surface charge at the physiological pH, which could protect the nanocomplex from the attack of plasma proteins and recognition by the reticuloendothelial system, so as to prolong its circulation time. While at the tumor extracellular pH 6.8, the DMMA was hydrolyzed, leading to the charge reversal and exposure of the TAT on the polymeric micelles, thus enhancing the cellular internalization. Then, the polymeric micelles underwent dissociation and drug release in response to the acidic pH in the lyso/endosomal compartments of the tumor cell. Both in vitro and in vivo efficacy studies indicated that the nanocomplex significantly inhibited the tumor growth while the treatment showed negligible systemic toxicity, suggesting that the developed dual pH-sensitive PMLA-based nanocomplex would be a promising drug delivery system for tumor-targeted drug delivery with enhanced anticancer activity. PMID:28638469

  14. Synthesis, spectroscopic, thermogravimetric and antimicrobial studies of mixed ligands complexes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahmoud, Walaa H.; Mahmoud, Nessma F.; Mohamed, Gehad G.; El-Sonbati, Adel Z.; El-Bindary, Ashraf A.

    2015-09-01

    An interesting series of mixed ligand complexes have been synthesized by the reaction of metal chloride with guaifenesin (GFS) in the presence of 2-aminoacetic acid (HGly) (1:1:1 molar ratio). The elemental analysis, magnetic moments, molar conductance, spectral (UV-Vis, IR, 1H NMR and ESR) and thermal studies were used to characterize the isolated complexes. The molecular structure of GFS is optimized theoretically and the quantum chemical parameters are calculated. The IR showed that the ligand (GFS) acts as monobasic tridentate through the hydroxyl, phenoxy etheric and methoxy oxygen atoms and co-ligand (HGly) as monobasic bidentate through the deprotonated carboxylate oxygen atom and nitrogen atom of amino group. The molar conductivities showed that all the complexes are non-electrolytes except Cr(III) complex is electrolyte. Electronic and magnetic data proposed the octahedral structure for all complexes under investigation. ESR spectrum for Cu(II) revealed data which confirm the proposed structure. Antibacterial screening of the compounds were carried out in vitro on gram positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), gram negative (Escherichia coli and Neisseria gonorrhoeae) bacteria and for in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans organism. However, some complexes showed more chemotherapeutic efficiency than the parent GFS drug. The complexes were also screened for their in vitro anticancer activity against the breast cell line (MFC7) and the results obtained showed that they exhibit a considerable anticancer activity.

  15. Anticancer agents derived from natural cinnamic acids.

    PubMed

    Su, Ping; Shi, Yaling; Wang, Jinfeng; Shen, Xiuxiu; Zhang, Jie

    2015-01-01

    Cancer is the most dangerous disease that causes deaths all over the world. Natural products have afforded a rich source of drugs in a number of therapeutic fields including anticancer agents. Many significant drugs have been derived from natural sources by structural optimization of natural products. Cinnamic acid has gained great interest due to its antiproliferative, antioxidant, antiangiogenic and antitumorigenic potency. Currently it has been observed that cinnamic acid and its analogs such as caffeic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, and isoferulic acid display various pharmacological activities, such as immunomodulation, anti-inflammation, anticancer and antioxidant. They have served to be the major sources of potential leading anticancer compounds. In this review, we focus on the anticancer potency of cinnamic acid derivatives and novel strategies to design these derivatives. We hope this review will be useful for researchers who are interested in developing anticancer agents.

  16. Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD): A collection of plants with anti-human cancer activities

    PubMed Central

    Al-Zahrani, Ateeq Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Several anticancer drugs have been developed from natural products such as plants. Successful experiments in inhibiting the growth of human cancer cell lines using Saudi plants were published over the last three decades. Up to date, there is no Saudi anticancer plants database as a comprehensive source for the interesting data generated from these experiments. Therefore, there was a need for creating a database to collect, organize, search and retrieve such data. As a result, the current paper describes the generation of the Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD). The database contains most of the reported information about the naturally growing Saudi anticancer plants. SACPD comprises the scientific and local names of 91 plant species that grow naturally in Saudi Arabia. These species belong to 38 different taxonomic families. In Addition, 18 species that represent16 family of medicinal plants and are intensively sold in the local markets in Saudi Arabia were added to the database. The website provides interesting details, including plant part containing the anticancer bioactive compounds, plants locations and cancer/cell type against which they exhibit their anticancer activity. Our survey revealed that breast, liver and leukemia were the most studied cancer cell lines in Saudi Arabia with percentages of 27%, 19% and 15%, respectively. The current SACPD represents a nucleus around which more development efforts can expand to accommodate all future submissions about new Saudi plant species with anticancer activities. SACPD will provide an excellent starting point for researchers and pharmaceutical companies who are interested in developing new anticancer drugs. SACPD is available online at https://teeqrani1.wixsite.com/sapd PMID:29774137

  17. Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD): A collection of plants with anti-human cancer activities.

    PubMed

    Al-Zahrani, Ateeq Ahmed

    2018-01-30

    Several anticancer drugs have been developed from natural products such as plants. Successful experiments in inhibiting the growth of human cancer cell lines using Saudi plants were published over the last three decades. Up to date, there is no Saudi anticancer plants database as a comprehensive source for the interesting data generated from these experiments. Therefore, there was a need for creating a database to collect, organize, search and retrieve such data. As a result, the current paper describes the generation of the Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD). The database contains most of the reported information about the naturally growing Saudi anticancer plants. SACPD comprises the scientific and local names of 91 plant species that grow naturally in Saudi Arabia. These species belong to 38 different taxonomic families. In Addition, 18 species that represent16 family of medicinal plants and are intensively sold in the local markets in Saudi Arabia were added to the database. The website provides interesting details, including plant part containing the anticancer bioactive compounds, plants locations and cancer/cell type against which they exhibit their anticancer activity. Our survey revealed that breast, liver and leukemia were the most studied cancer cell lines in Saudi Arabia with percentages of 27%, 19% and 15%, respectively. The current SACPD represents a nucleus around which more development efforts can expand to accommodate all future submissions about new Saudi plant species with anticancer activities. SACPD will provide an excellent starting point for researchers and pharmaceutical companies who are interested in developing new anticancer drugs. SACPD is available online at https://teeqrani1.wixsite.com/sapd.

  18. Fatty acid composition and anticancer activity in colon carcinoma cell lines of Prunus dulcis seed oil.

    PubMed

    Mericli, Filiz; Becer, Eda; Kabadayı, Hilal; Hanoglu, Azmi; Yigit Hanoglu, Duygu; Ozkum Yavuz, Dudu; Ozek, Temel; Vatansever, Seda

    2017-12-01

    Almond oil is used in traditional and complementary therapies for its numerous health benefits due to high unsaturated fatty acids content. This study investigated the composition and in vitro anticancer activity of almond oil from Northern Cyprus and compared with almond oil from Turkey. Almond oil from Northern Cyprus was obtained by supercritical CO 2 extraction and analyzed by GC-MS. Almond oil of Turkey was provided from Turkish pharmacies. Different concentrations of almond oils were incubated for 24 and 48 h with Colo-320 and Colo-741 cells. Cell growth and cytotoxicity were measured by MTT assays. Anticancer and antiprolifetarive activities of almond oils were investigated by immunocytochemistry using antibodies directed against to BMP-2, β-catenin, Ki-67, LGR-5 and Jagged 1. Oleic acid (77.8%; 75.3%), linoleic acid (13.5%; 15.8%), palmitic acid (7.4%; 6.3%), were determined as the major compounds of almond oil from Northern Cyprus and Turkey, respectively. In the MTT assay, both almond oils were found to be active against Colo-320 and Colo-741 cells with 1:1 dilution for both 24 h and 48 h. As a result of immunohistochemical staining, while both almond oils exhibited significant antiproliferative and anticancer activity, these activities were more similar in Colo-320 cells which were treated with Northern Cyprus almond oil. Almond oil from Northern Cyprus and Turkey may have anticancer and antiproliferative effects on colon cancer cells through molecular signalling pathways and, thus, they could be potential novel therapeutic agents.

  19. Effectiveness of activated carbon masks in preventing anticancer drug inhalation.

    PubMed

    Sato, Junya; Kogure, Atushi; Kudo, Kenzo

    2016-01-01

    The exposure of healthcare workers to anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide (CPA) is a serious health concern. Anticancer drug pollution may spread outside biological safety cabinets even when a closed system is used. The inhalation of vaporized anticancer drugs is thought to be the primary route of exposure. Therefore, it is important that healthcare workers wear masks to prevent inhalation of anticancer drugs. However, the permeability of medical masks to vaporized anticancer drugs has not been examined. Furthermore, the performance differences between masks including activated carbon with chemical adsorptivity and non-activated carbon masks are uncertain. We investigated activated carbon mask permeability to vaporized CPA, and assessed whether inhibition of vaporized CPA permeability was attributable to the masks' adsorption abilities. A CPA solution (4 mg) was vaporized in a chamber and passed through three types of masks: Pleated-type cotton mask (PCM), pleated-type activated carbon mask (PAM), and stereoscopic-type activated carbon mask (SAM); the flow rate was 1.0 L/min for 1 h. The air was then recovered in 50 % ethanol. CPA quantities in the solution were determined by liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. To determine CPA adsorption by the mask, 5 cm 2 of each mask was immersed in 10 mL of CPA solution (50-2500 μg/mL) for 1 h. CPA concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. For the control (no mask), 3.735 ± 0.543 μg of CPA was recovered from the aerated solution. Significantly lower quantities were recovered from PCM (0.538 ± 0.098 μg) and PAM (0.236 ± 0.193 μg) ( p  < 0.001 and p  < 0.001 vs control, respectively). CPA quantities recovered from all of SAM samples were below the quantification limit. When a piece of the SAM was immersed in the CPA solution, a marked decrease to less than 3.1 % of the initial CPA concentration was observed. The SAM exhibited good adsorption ability, and this characteristic may contribute to avoiding inhalation exposure to vaporized CPA. These results suggest that wearing activated carbon masks may prevent anticancer drug inhalation by healthcare workers.

  20. Ocimum gratissimum retards breast cancer growth and progression and is a natural inhibitor of matrix metalloproteases

    PubMed Central

    Nangia-Makker, Pratima; Raz, Tirza; Tait, Larry; Shekhar, Malathy P.V.; Li, Hong; Balan, Vitaly; Makker, Hemanckur; Fridman, Rafael; Maddipati, Krishnarao; Raz, Avraham

    2013-01-01

    Ocimum genus (a.k.a holy basil or tulsi) is a dietary herb used for its multiple beneficial pharmacologic properties including anti-cancer activity. Here we show that crude extract of Ocimum gratissimum (OG) and its hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions (HB and HL) differentially inhibit breast cancer cell chemotaxis and chemoinvasion in vitro and retard tumor growth and temporal progression of MCF10ADCIS.com xenografts, a model of human breast comedo-ductal carcinoma in situ (comedo-DCIS). OG-induced inhibition of tumor growth was associated with decreases in basement membrane disintegration, angiogenesis and MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities as confirmed by in situ gelatin zymography and cleavage of galectin-3. There was also decrease in MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in the conditioned media of OG-treated MCF10AT1 and MCF10AT1-EIII8 premalignant human breast cancer cells as compared with control. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 inhibitory activities of OG were verified in vitro using gelatin, a synthetic fluorogenic peptide and recombinant galectin-3 as MMP substrates. Mice fed on OG-supplemented drinking water showed no adverse effects compared with control. These data suggest that OG is non-toxic and that the anti-cancer therapeutic activity of OG may in part be contributed by its MMP inhibitory activity. PMID:23380593

  1. Green synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticle using insulin plant (Costus pictus D. Don) and investigation of its antimicrobial as well as anticancer activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suresh, Joghee; Pradheesh, Ganeshan; Alexramani, Vincent; Sundrarajan, Mahalingam; Hong, Sun Ig

    2018-03-01

    In this work we aim to synthesize biocompatible ZnO nanoparticles from the zinc nitrate via green process using leaf extracts of the Costus pictus D. Don medicinal plant. FTIR studies confirm the presence of biomolecules and metal oxides. X-ray diffraction (XRD) structural analysis reveals the formation of pure hexagonal phase structures of ZnO nanoparticles. The surface morphologies of ZnO nanoparticles observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) suggest that most ZnO crystallites are hexagonal. EDX analysis confirms the presence of primarily zinc and oxygen. TEM images show that biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles are hexagonal and spherical. The plausible formation mechanisms of zinc oxide nanoparticles are also predicted. The biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibit strong antimicrobial behavior against bacterial and fungal species when employing the agar diffusion method. Synthesized ZnO nanoparticles exhibit anticancer activity against Daltons lymphoma ascites (DLA) cells as well as antimicrobial activity against some bacterial and fungal strains.

  2. Quantum Mechanical Study of γ-Fe2O3 Nanoparticle as a Nanocarrier for Anticancer Drug Delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lari, Hadi; Morsali, Ali; Heravi, Mohammad Momen

    2018-05-01

    Using density functional theory (DFT), noncovalent interactions and four mechanisms of covalent functionalization of melphalan anticancer drug onto γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles have been studied. Quantum molecular descriptors of noncovalent configurations were investigated. It was specified that binding of melphalan onto γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles is thermodynamically suitable. Hardness and the gap of energy between LUMO and HOMO of melphalan are higher than the noncovalent configurations, showing the reactivity of drug increases in the presence of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Melphalan can bond to γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles through NH2 (k1 mechanism), OH (k2 mechanism), C=O (k3 mechanism) and Cl (k4 mechanism) groups. The activation energies, the activation enthalpies and the activation Gibbs free energies of these reactions were calculated. Thermodynamic data indicate that k3 mechanism is exothermic and spontaneous and can take place at room temperature. These results could be generalized to other similar drugs.

  3. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of asymmetric EF24 analogues as potential anti-cancer agents for lung cancer.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jianzhang; Wu, Shoubiao; Shi, Lingyi; Zhang, Shanshan; Ren, Jiye; Yao, Song; Yun, Di; Huang, Lili; Wang, Jiabing; Li, Wulan; Wu, Xiaoping; Qiu, Peihong; Liang, Guang

    2017-01-05

    The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway has been targeted for the therapy of various cancers, including lung cancer. EF24 was considered as a potent inhibitor of NF-κB signaling pathway. In this study, a series of asymmetric EF24 analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer activity against three lung cancer cell lines (A549, LLC, H1650). Most of the compounds exhibited good anti-tumor activity. Among them, compound 81 showed greater cytotoxicity than EF24. Compound 81 also possessed a potent anti-migration and anti-proliferative ability against A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, compound 81 induced lung cancer cells death by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway, and activated the JNK-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation resulting in apoptosis. In summary, compound 81 is a valuable candidate for anti-lung cancer therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction (TRF) Suppresses the Growth of Human Colon Cancer Xenografts in Balb/C Nude Mice by the Wnt Pathway

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Jing-Shu; Zhang, Shu-Jing; Li, Qian; Liu, Ying-Hua; He, Ning; Zhang, Jing; Zhou, Peng-Hui; Li, Min; Guan, Tong; Liu, Jia-Ren

    2015-01-01

    Tocotrienols have been shown many biologic functions such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, maintaining fertility and regulating the immune system and so on. In this study, after feeding with tocotrienol-rich fraction from palm oil (TRF) for 2 weeks, Balb/c nude mice were inoculated human colon SW620 cancer cell and then continued to feed TRF for 4 weeks. At termination of experiments, xenografts were removed and determined the expression of Wnt-pathways related protein by immunohistochemistry or western blotting. Liver tissues were homogenated for determining the levels of antioxidative enzymes activity or malondialdehyde (MDA). The results showed that TRF significantly inhibited the growth of xenografts in nude mice. TRF also affected the activity of antioxidative enzymes in the liver tissue of mice. These changes were partly contributed to activation of wnt pathways or affecting their related protein. Thus, these finding suggested that the potent anticancer effect of TRF is associated with the regulation of Wnt signal pathways. PMID:25807493

  5. Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) suppresses the growth of human colon cancer xenografts in Balb/C nude mice by the Wnt pathway.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jing-Shu; Zhang, Shu-Jing; Li, Qian; Liu, Ying-Hua; He, Ning; Zhang, Jing; Zhou, Peng-Hui; Li, Min; Guan, Tong; Liu, Jia-Ren

    2015-01-01

    Tocotrienols have been shown many biologic functions such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, maintaining fertility and regulating the immune system and so on. In this study, after feeding with tocotrienol-rich fraction from palm oil (TRF) for 2 weeks, Balb/c nude mice were inoculated human colon SW620 cancer cell and then continued to feed TRF for 4 weeks. At termination of experiments, xenografts were removed and determined the expression of Wnt-pathways related protein by immunohistochemistry or western blotting. Liver tissues were homogenated for determining the levels of antioxidative enzymes activity or malondialdehyde (MDA). The results showed that TRF significantly inhibited the growth of xenografts in nude mice. TRF also affected the activity of antioxidative enzymes in the liver tissue of mice. These changes were partly contributed to activation of wnt pathways or affecting their related protein. Thus, these finding suggested that the potent anticancer effect of TRF is associated with the regulation of Wnt signal pathways.

  6. Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of Perillyl Alcohol and Its Biotransformation Metabolite on A549 and HepG2 Cancer Cell Lines.

    PubMed

    Oturanel, Ceren E; Kıran, İsmail; Özşen, Özge; Çiftçi, Gülşen A; Atlı, Özlem

    2017-01-01

    A monoterpene, perillyl alcohol, has attracted attention in medicinal chemistry since it exhibited chemo-preventive and therapeutic properties against a variety of cancers. In the present work, it was aimed to obtain derivatives of perillyl alcohol through microbial biotransformation and investigate their anticancer activities against A549 and HepG2 cancer cell lines. Biotransformation studies were carried out in a α-medium for 7 days at 25oC. XTT assay was performed to investigate the anticancer activities of perillyl alcohol and its biotransformation metabolite, dehydroperillic acid, against A549 and HepG2 cell lines and their selectivity using healthy cell line, NIH/3T3. Cell proliferation ELISA, BRDU (colorimetric) assay was used for measurement of proliferation in replicative cells in which DNA synthesis occurs. Flow cytometric analyses were also carried out for measuring apoptotic cell percentages, caspase 3 activation and mitochondrial membrane potential. Biotransformation of perillyl alcohol with Fusarium culmorum yielded dehydroperillic acid in a yield of 20.4 %. In in vitro anticancer studies, perillyl alcohol was found to exert cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell line with an IC50 value of 409.2 μg/mL. However, this effect was not found to be selective because of its higher IC50 (250 μg/mL) value against NIH/3T3 cell line. On the other hand, dehydroperillic acid was found to be effective and also selective against A549 cell line with an IC50 value of 125 μg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) value of 400. Apoptosis inducing effects of dehydroperillic acid was better in A549 cell line. Dehydroperillic acid may be a good candidate for therapy of lung adenocarcinoma and may show this anticancer activity by inducing apoptosis. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  7. Combination of Osthole and Cisplatin Against Rhabdomyosarcoma TE671 Cells Yielded Additive Pharmacologic Interaction by Means of Isobolographic Analysis.

    PubMed

    Jarząb, Agata; Łuszczki, Jarogniew; Guz, Małgorzata; Skalicka-Woźniak, Krystyna; Hałasa, Marta; Smok-Kalwat, Jolanta; Polberg, Krzysztof; Stepulak, Andrzej

    2018-01-01

    Osthole is a simple coumarin that has been found to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticoagulant, anticonvulsant and antiallergic activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the combined anti-proliferative effect of cisplatin (CDDP) and osthole on a rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, and assess the pharmacology of drug-drug interaction between these drugs using isobolographic analysis. The anticancer actions of osthole in combination with CDDP were evaluated using the tetrazolium dye-based MTT cell proliferation assay. Osthole and CDDP applied together augmented their anti-cancer activities and yielded an additive type of pharmacologic interaction by means of isobolographic analysis. Combined therapy using osthole and cisplatin could be suggested as a potential chemotherapy regimen against rhabdomyosarcoma. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  8. Gold-Based Medicine: A Paradigm Shift in Anti-Cancer Therapy?

    PubMed

    Yeo, Chien Ing; Ooi, Kah Kooi; Tiekink, Edward R T

    2018-06-11

    A new era of metal-based drugs started in the 1960s, heralded by the discovery of potent platinum-based complexes, commencing with cisplatin [(H₃N)₂PtCl₂], which are effective anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. While clinical applications of gold-based drugs largely relate to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, attention has turned to the investigation of the efficacy of gold(I) and gold(III) compounds for anti-cancer applications. This review article provides an account of the latest research conducted during the last decade or so on the development of gold compounds and their potential activities against several cancers as well as a summary of possible mechanisms of action/biological targets. The promising activities and increasing knowledge of gold-based drug metabolism ensures that continued efforts will be made to develop gold-based anti-cancer agents.

  9. Characterization of the biochemical, physiological, and medicinal properties of Streptomyces hygroscopicus ACTMS-9H isolated from the Amazon (Brazil).

    PubMed

    Lima, Sandrine M A; Melo, Janaína G S; Militão, Gardênia C G; Lima, Gláucia M S; do Carmo A Lima, Maria; Aguiar, Jaciana S; Araújo, Renata M; Braz-Filho, Raimundo; Marchand, Pascal; Araújo, Janete M; Silva, Teresinha G

    2017-01-01

    Actinomycetes are known to produce numerous secondary bioactive metabolites of pharmaceutical interest. The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize, and investigate the antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities of metabolites produced by Actinobacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Paullinia cupana. The Actinobacteria was identified as Streptomyces hygroscopicus ACTMS-9H. Based on a bioguided study, the methanolic biomass extract obtained from submerged cultivation had the most potent antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities. This extract was partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and 2-butanol. Elaiophylin was isolated from the methanolic biomass extract, and its molecular formula was determined (C 54 H 88 O 18 ) based on 1 H and 13 C NMR, IR and MS analyses. The 2-butanol phase was fractionated into four fractions (EB1, EB2A, EB2B, and EB3M). Chemical prospecting indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, and reducing sugars in the methanolic extract and 2-butanol phase. The elaiophylin displayed anticancer activity in HEp-2 and HL-60 cells with an IC 50 of 1 μg/mL. The EB1 fraction was selectively toxic to HL-60 cells with IC 50 of 9 ng/mL. Bioautography showed that the EB1 fraction contained an alkaloid with antibacterial and antifungal activities (MIC values ≤1.9 and <3.9 μg/mL, respectively). In conclusion, the EB1 fraction and elaiophylin of S. hygroscopicus have potent antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticancer activities.

  10. Anticancer property of sediment actinomycetes against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.

    PubMed

    Ravikumar, S; Fredimoses, M; Gnanadesigan, M

    2012-02-01

    To investigate the anticancer property of marine sediment actinomycetes against two different breast cancer cell lines. In vitro anticancer activity was carried out against breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines. Partial sequences of the 16s rRNA gene, phylogenetic tree construction, multiple sequence analysis and secondary structure analysis were also carried out with the actinomycetes isolates. Of the selected five actinomycete isolates, ACT01 and ACT02 showed the IC50 value with (10.13±0.92) and (22.34±5.82) µg/mL concentrations, respectively for MCF-7 cell line at 48 h, but ACT01 showed the minimum (18.54±2.49 µg/mL) level of IC50 value with MDA-MB-231 cell line. Further, the 16s rRNA partial sequences of ACT01, ACT02, ACT03, ACT04 and ACT05 isolates were also deposited in NCBI data bank with the accession numbers of GQ478246, GQ478247, GQ478248, GQ478249 and GQ478250, respectively. The phylogenetic tree analysis showed that, the isolates of ACT02 and ACT03 were represented in group I and III, respectively, but ACT01 and ACT02 were represented in group II. The multiple sequence alignment of the actinomycete isolates showed that, the maximum identical conserved regions were identified with the nucleotide regions of 125 to 221st base pairs, 65 to 119th base pairs and 55, 48 and 31st base pairs. Secondary structure prediction of the 16s rRNA showed that, the maximum free energy was consumed with ACT03 isolate (-45.4 kkal/mol) and the minimum free energy was consumed with ACT04 isolate (-57.6 kkal/mol). The actinomycete isolates of ACT01 and ACT02 (GQ478246 and GQ478247) which are isolated from sediment sample can be further used as anticancer agents against breast cancer cell lines.

  11. Design, synthesis and characterization of novel quinacrine analogs that preferentially kill cancer over non-cancer cells through the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax and Bad.

    PubMed

    Solomon, V Raja; Almnayan, Danah; Lee, Hoyun

    2017-09-08

    Both quinacrine, which contains a 9-aminoacridine scaffold, and thiazolidin-4-one are promising anticancer leads. In an attempt to develop effective and potentially safe anticancer agents, we synthesized 23 novel hybrid compounds by linking the main structural unit of the 9-aminoacridine ring with the thiazolidin-4-one ring system, followed by examination of their anticancer effects against three human breast tumor cell lines and matching non-cancer cells. Most of the hybrid compounds showed good activities, and many of them possessed the preferential killing property against cancer over non-cancer cells. In particular, 3-[3-(6-chloro-2-methoxy-acridin-9-ylamino)-propyl]-2-(2,6-difluoro-phenyl)-thiazolidin-4-one (11; VR118) effectively killed/inhibited proliferation of cancer cells at IC 50 values in the range of 1.2-2.4 μM. Furthermore, unlike quinacrine or cisplatin, compound 11 showed strong selectivity for cancer cell killing, as it could kill cancer cells 7.6-fold (MDA-MB231 vs MCF10A) to 14.7-fold (MCF7 vs MCF10A) more effectively than matching non-cancer cells. Data from flow cytometry, TUNEL and Western blot assays showed that compound 11 kills cancer cells by apoptosis through the down-regulation of Bcl-2 (but not Bcl-X L ) survival protein and up-regulation of Bad and Bax pro-apoptotic proteins. Thus, compound 11 is a highly promising lead for an effective and potentially anticancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  12. Novel prodrugs of tegafur that display improved anticancer activity and antiangiogenic properties.

    PubMed

    Engel, Dikla; Nudelman, Abraham; Tarasenko, Nataly; Levovich, Inesa; Makarovsky, Igor; Sochotnikov, Segev; Tarasenko, Igor; Rephaeli, Ada

    2008-01-24

    New and more potent prodrugs of the 5-fluorouracyl family derived by hydroxymethylation or acyloxymethylation of 5-fluoro-1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione (tegafur, 1) are described. The anticancer activity of the butyroyloxymethyl-tegafur derivative 3 and not that of tegafur was attenuated by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, suggesting that the increased activity of the prodrug is in part mediated by an increase of reactive oxygen species. Compound 3 in an in vitro matrigel assay was found to be a more potent antiangiogenic agent than tegafur. In vivo 3 was significantly more potent than tegafur in inhibiting 4T1 breast carcinoma lung metastases and growth of HT-29 human colon carcinoma tumors in a mouse xenograft. In summary, the multifunctional prodrugs of tegafur display selectivity toward cancer cells, antiangiogenic activity, and anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo, superior to those of tegafur. 5-fluoro-1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-2,4(1 H,3 H)-pyrimidinedione (tegafur, 1), the oral prodrug of 5-FU, has been widely used for treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies with modest efficacy. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize new and more potent prodrugs of the 5-FU family derived by hydroxymethylation or acyloxymethylation of tegafur. Comparison between the effect of tegafur and the new prodrugs on the viability of a variety of cancer cell lines showed that the IC50 and IC90 values of the novel prodrugs were 5-10-fold lower than those of tegafur. While significant differences between the IC50 values of tegafur were observed between the sensitive HT-29 and the resistant LS-1034 colon cancer cell lines, the prodrugs affected them to a similar degree, suggesting that they overcame drug resistance. The increased potency of the prodrugs could be attributed to the antiproliferative contribution imparted by formaldehyde and butyric acid, released upon metabolic degradation. The anticancer activity of the butyroyloxymethyl-tegafur derivative 3 and not that of tegafur was attenuated by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, suggesting that the increased activity of the prodrug is in part mediated by an increase of reactive oxygen species. Compound 3 in an in vitro matrigel assay was found to be a more potent antiangiogenic agent than tegafur. In vivo 3 was significantly more potent than tegafur in inhibiting 4T1 breast carcinoma lung metastases and growth of HT-29 human colon carcinoma tumors in a mouse xenograft. In summary, the multifunctional prodrugs of tegafur display selectivity toward cancer cells, antiangiogenic activity and anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo, superior to those of tegafur.

  13. New Pyrrole Derivatives with Potent Tubulin Polymerization Inhibiting Activity As Anticancer Agents Including Hedgehog-Dependent Cancer

    PubMed Central

    La Regina, Giuseppe; Bai, Ruoli; Coluccia, Antonio; Famiglini, Valeria; Pelliccia, Sveva; Passacantilli, Sara; Mazzoccoli, Carmela; Ruggieri, Vitalba; Sisinni, Lorenza; Bolognesi, Alessio; Rensen, Whilelmina Maria; Miele, Andrea; Nalli, Marianna; Alfonsi, Romina; Di Marcotullio, Lucia; Gulino, Alberto; Brancale, Andrea; Novellino, Ettore; Dondio, Giulio; Vultaggio, Stefania; Varasi, Mario; Mercurio, Ciro; Hamel, Ernest; Lavia, Patrizia; Silvestri, Romano

    2014-01-01

    We synthesized 3-aroyl-1-arylpyrrole (ARAP) derivatives as potential anticancer agents having different substituents at the pendant 1-phenyl ring. Both the 1-phenyl ring and 3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)carbonyl moieties were mandatory to achieve potent inhibition of tubulin polymerization, binding of colchicine to tubulin, and cancer cell growth. ARAP 22 showed strong inhibition of the P-glycoprotein-overexpressing NCI-ADR-RES and Messa/Dx5MDR cell lines. Compounds 22 and 27 suppressed in vitro the Hedgehog signaling pathway, strongly reducing luciferase activity in SAG treated NIH3T3 Shh-Light II cells, and inhibited the growth of medulloblastoma D283 cells at nanomolar concentrations. ARAPs 22 and 27 represent a new potent class of tubulin polymerization and cancer cell growth inhibitors with the potential to inhibit the Hedgehog signaling pathway. PMID:25025991

  14. Azide derivatized anticancer agents of Vitamin K 3: X-ray structural, DSC, resonance spectral and API studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badave, Kirti; Patil, Yogesh; Gonnade, Rajesh; Srinivas, Darbha; Dasgupta, Rajan; Khan, Ayesha; Rane, Sandhya

    2011-12-01

    Compound 1 [1-imino (acetyl hydrazino)-Vitamin K 3], displays valence tautomerically related electronic isomers as Form I and Form II. Form I exhibits 2D packing fragment with 1D ribbon chains of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and shows EPR silent features. While Form II is EPR active and exhibits biradical nature with double quantum transitions at g = 2.0040. 1H NMR of compound 2, [1-imino (hydrazino carboxylate)-Vitamin K 3] and Form II exhibit π delocalization via resonance assisted H-bonding [RAHB] effect compared to Form I. Molecular interactions in Form I and II are visualized by DSC. The electronic structures of compounds 1 and 2 have been correlated to their API values by measuring anticancer activities, mitochondrial potentials and DNA shearing patterns. Form II and compound 2 indicate mitochondria mediated apoptosis (˜75% cell death) while Form I causes 35% cell death.

  15. Vorinostat-eluting poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) nanofiber-coated stent for inhibition of cholangiocarcinoma cells

    PubMed Central

    Song, Yeon Hui; Kim, Chan; Kim, Jungsoo; Seo, Sol-Ji; Jeong, Young-Il; Kang, Dae Hwan

    2017-01-01

    Purpose The aim of this study was to fabricate a vorinostat (Zolinza™)-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated gastrointestinal (GI) stent and to study its antitumor activity against cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods Vorinostat and poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) dissolved in an organic solvent was sprayed onto a GI stent to make a nanofiber-coated stent using an electro-spinning machine. Intact vorinostat and vorinostat released from nanofibers was used to assess anticancer activity in vitro against various CCA cells. The antitumor activity of the vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membrane-coated stent was evaluated using HuCC-T1 bearing mice. Results A vorinostat-incorporated polymer nanofiber membrane was formed on the surface of the GI stent. Vorinostat was continuously released from the nanofiber membrane over 10 days, and its release rate was higher in cell culture media than in phosphate-buffered saline. Released vorinostat showed similar anticancer activity against various CCA cells in vitro compared to that of vorinostat. Like vorinostat, vorinostat released from nanofibers induced acetylation of histone H4 and inhibited histone deacetylases 1⋅3⋅4/5/7 expression in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, vorinostat nanofibers showed a higher tumor growth inhibition rate in HuCC-T1 bearing mice than vorinostat injections. Conclusion Vorinostat-eluting nanofiber membranes showed significant antitumor activity against CCA cells in vitro and in vivo. We suggest the vorinostat nanofiber-coated stent may be a promising candidate for CCA treatment. PMID:29089762

  16. Restrained management of copper level enhances the antineoplastic activity of imatinib in vitro and in vivo.

    PubMed

    Hassan, Iftekhar; Khan, Azmat Ali; Aman, Shazia; Qamar, Wajhul; Ebaid, Hossam; Al-Tamimi, Jameel; Alhazza, Ibrahim M; Rady, Ahmed M

    2018-01-26

    The present study was designed to investigate if elevated copper level can be targeted to enhance the efficacy of a significant anticancer drug, imatinib (ITB). The antineoplastic activity of this drug was assessed in the HepG2, HEK-293, MCF-7 and MDA-MD-231 cells targeting elevated copper level as their common drug target. The cell lines were treated with the different doses of copper chloride (Cu II) and disulfiram (DSF) alone as well as in their combinations with the drug for 24 h in standard culture medium and conditions. The treated cells were subjected to various assays including MTT, PARP, p-53, caspase-7, caspase-3, LDH and single cell electrophoresis. The study shows that DSF and Cu (II) synergizes the anticancer activity of ITB to a significant extent in a dose-specific way as evidenced by the combinations treated groups. Furthermore, the same treatment strategy was employed in cancer-induced rats in which the combinations of ITB-DSF and ITB-Cu II showed enhanced antineoplastic activity as compared to ITB alone. However, DSF was more effective than Cu (II) as an adjuvant to the drug. Hence, restrained manipulation of copper level in tumor cells can orchestrate the redox and molecular dispositions inside the cells favoring the induction of apoptosis.

  17. Synthesis, characterization and biological activities of some Ru(II) complexes with substituted chalcones and their applications as chemotherapeutics against breast cancer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Ashok K.; Saxena, Gunjan; Dixit, Shivani; Hamidullah; Singh, Sachin K.; Singh, Sudheer K.; Arshad, M.; Konwar, Rituraj

    2016-05-01

    Four new Ru(II) DMSO complexes with substituted chalcone ligands viz. (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (HL1), (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (HL2), (E)-3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (HL3) and (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(4-Chlorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (HL4) have been synthesized, and characterized by micro-analyses, IR, 1H NMR, UV-Vis and ESI-MS and screened for anti-cancer activity against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA MB-231). Compounds HL4 and [Ru(HL1) (O-DMSO)3(S-DMSO)]Cl (M1R) showed significant anti-breast cancer activity as evident from cytotoxicity, morphological and nuclear changes, DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells. UV-Vis and CD-spectra analysis showed HL4 and M1R interfered with DNA absorption spectra possibly due to DNA binding whereas these compounds were devoid of DNA topoisomerase inhibiting activity. Thus, these Ru(II) compounds have been established as new leads for future optimization by improving anti-cancer potency and safety.

  18. Synthesis of Thymoquinone derivatives and its activity analysis: In-silico approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ulfa, Siti Mariyah; Sholikhah, Shoimatus; Utomo, Edi Priyo

    2017-03-01

    Thymoquinone derivatives which synthesized in this research is bromoalkylquinones with alkyl chain consist of seven carbons (C7) and ten carbons (C10). The synthesis was carried out by oxidation of 2,3-dimethylhydroquinone followed by alkylation using reflux for 1.5 hours. The alkylation products were successfully characterized as 5-(7-bromoheptyl)-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (C7) and 5-(10-bromodecyl)-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (C10) in 31.93 and 16.89%, respectively. These compounds were fully characterized using FT-IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. Thus, the activity of C7 and C10 was analyzed by in silico approach with molecular docking using macromolecule model extracted from Protein Data Bank (PDB). Macromolecules used in this research is mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) as an antioxidant receptor, glycogen phosphorylase (GPA) as antidiabetic receptor and phosphatase tensin homolog (PTEN) as an anticancer agent. The result showed that C7 and C10 has a very good activity as antioxidant and antidiabetic agents with IC50 2.03 and 1.02 ppm (TSPO) and 16.98 and 14.88 ppm (GPA) compared with Thymoquinone. While the activity of C7 and C10 against PTEN gave the IC50 23.13 and 18.31 ppm showed a good candidate for an anticancer agent.

  19. In Vivo Anticancer Efficacy and Toxicity Studies of a Novel Polymer Conjugate N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG)-PEG-Doxorubicin for Targeted Cancer Therapy.

    PubMed

    Pawar, Smita; Mahajan, Ketan; Vavia, Pradeep

    2017-11-01

    A novel polymer-drug conjugate, polyethylene glycol-N-(acetyl)-glucosamine-doxorubicin (PEG-NAG-DOX) was evaluated in this study for its in vivo potential for treatment of tumours demonstrating improved efficacy and reduced toxicity. The proposed polymer-drug conjugate comprised of polyethylene glycol-maleimide (mPEG-MAL, 30000 Da) as a carrier, doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug and N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) as a targeting moiety as well as penetration enhancer. Doxorubicin has a potent and promising anticancer activity; however, severe cardiotoxicity limits its application in cancer treatment. By modifying DOX in PEG-NAG-DOX prodrug conjugate, we aimed to eliminate this limitation. In vivo anticancer efficacy of the conjugate was evaluated using BDF mice-induced skin melanoma model by i.v. administration of DOX conjugates. Anticancer efficacy studies were done by comparing tumour volume, body weight, organ index and percent survival rate of the animals. Tumour suppression achieved by PEG-NAG-DOX at the cumulative dose of 7.5 mg/kg was two-fold better than that achieved by DOX solution. Also, the survival rate for PEG-NAG-DOX conjugate was >70% as compared to <50% survival rate for DOX solution. In addition, toxicity studies and histopathological studies revealed that while maintaining its cytotoxicity towards tumour cells, PEG-NAG-DOX conjugate showed no toxicities to major organs. Therefore, PEG-NAG-DOX conjugate can be suggested as a desirable candidate for targeted cancer therapy.

  20. Targeting Brain Tumors with Nanomedicines: Overcoming Challenges of Blood Brain Barrier.

    PubMed

    Ningaraj, Nagendra S; Reddy, Polluru L; Khaitan, Divya

    2018-04-12

    This review elucidates ongoing research, which show improved delivery of anticancer drugs alone and/ or enclosed in carriers collectively called nanomedicines to cross the Blood brain barrier (BBB) / blood-brain tumor barrier (BTB) to kill tumor cells and impact patient survival. We highlighted various advances in understanding the mechanism of BTB function that impact on anticancer therapeutics delivery. We discussed latest breakthroughs in developing pharmaceutical strategies, including nanomedicines and delivering them across BTB for brain tumor management and treatment. We highlight various studies on regulation of BTB permeability regulation with respect to nanotech-based nanomedicines for targeted treatment of brain tumors. We have reviewed latest literature on development of specialized molecules and nanospheres for carrying pay load of anticancer agents to brain tumor cells across the BBB/ BTB and avoid drug efflux systems. We discuss identification and development of distinctive BTB biomarkers for targeted anti-cancer drug delivery to brain tumors. In addition, we discussed nanomedicines and multimeric molecular therapeutics that were encapsulated in nanospheres for treatment and monitoring of brain tumors. In this context, we highlight our research on calcium-activated potassium channels (KCa) and ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP) as portals of enhanced antineoplastic drugs delivery. This review might interest both academic and drug company scientists involved in drug delivery to brain tumors. We further seek to present evidence that BTB modulators can be clinically developed as combination drug or/ and as stand-alone anticancer drugs. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

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