Cytotoxic compounds from the fruits of Vitex rotundifolia against human cancer cell lines

Phytochemicals in Cancer Treatment and Cancer Prevention-Review on Epidemiological Data and Clinical Trials

Phytochemicals are a non-nutritive substances that are present in plants and contribute significantly to their flavor and color. These biologically active compounds are classified into five major groups, namely phenolics, carotenoids, organosulfur compounds, nitrogen-containing compounds, and alkaloids, and are known for their potential health benefits in the prevention of various diseases, including cancer. The purpose of this review article is to explore the potential therapeutic benefits of the dietary phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytosterols, carotenoids, and stilbenes, in cancer treatment and prevention based on the epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Although the majority of epidemiological studies report a significant advantage of the heightened phytochemical consumption and increased serum levels of these compounds, linking increased exposure with a lower cancer risk across most cancer types, these effects could not be replicated in the most available clinical trials. In fact, many of these trials were withdrawn early due to a lack of evidence and/or risk of harm. Despite the strong anticancer effect of phytochemicals, as well as their proven efficacy in multiple epidemiological studies, there is still a great need for human studies and clinical trials, with great caution regarding the safety measures. This review article provides an overview of the epidemiological and clinical evidence supporting the potential chemopreventive and anticancer properties of phytochemicals, with a focus on the need for further research in this area.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Compounds Derived from Vitex rotundifolia

The objective of this study is to describe the separation and identification of one new phenolic and 19 known compounds from Vitex rotundifolia. Their structures were determined based on spectroscopic (NMR, CD, and MS) data analysis or Mosher's method, and were compared with those reported in the literature. These isolates were then evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities based on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin (IL)-8 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells (RAW264.7 and HT-29) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities, respectively. In the NO assay, compounds 12-14 showed strong inhibition with compounds 10 and 15 displaying significant inhibition. In the IL-8 assay, compounds 8, 9, 13, 14, 19, and 20 exhibited potential to inhibit IL-8 production and other compounds displayed moderate inhibition. An in silico docking approach also revealed strong binding affinities for protein-ligand complexes of these active compounds against IL-8 production. The docking results were correlated with the experimental data of the IL-8 assay. Thus, these active compounds should be considered as candidates for further in vivo studies. This study implies the potential of new and active chemicals isolated from V. rotundifolia and provides evidence to support the development of active fractions and constituents into functional products targeting inflammatory diseases the future.

An Overview of the Potential Antineoplastic Effects of Casticin

Cancer persists as one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide, contributing to approximately 9.6 million deaths per annum in recent years. Despite the numerous advancements in cancer treatment, there is still abundant scope to mitigate recurrence, adverse side effects and toxicities caused by existing pharmaceutical drugs. To achieve this, many phytochemicals from plants and natural products have been tested against cancer cell lines in vivo and in vitro. Likewise, casticin, a flavonoid extracted from the Vitex species, has been isolated from the leaves and seeds of V. trifolia and V. agnus-castus. Casticin possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, antiasthmatic and antineoplastic activities. Several studies have been conducted on the anticancer effects of casticin against cancers, including breast, bladder, oral, lung, leukemia and hepatocellular carcinomas. The compound inhibits invasion, migration and proliferation and induces apoptosis (casticin-induced, ROS-mediated and mitochondrial-dependent) and cell cycle arrest (G0/G1, G2/M, etc.) through different signaling pathways, namely the PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, STAT3 and FOXO3a/FoxM1 pathways. This review summarizes the chemo-preventive ability of casticin as an antineoplastic agent against several malignancies.

Casticin from Vitex species: a short review on its anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties

This short review provides an update of the anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties of casticin from Vitex species. Casticin is a polymethylflavone with three rings, an orthocatechol moiety, a double bond, two hydroxyl groups and four methoxyl groups. Casticin has been isolated from various tissues of plants in the Vitex genus: fruits and leaves of V. trifolia, aerial parts and seeds of V. agnus-castus and leaves of V. negundo. Studies have reported the antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of casticin from Vitex species. The compound is effective against many cancer cell lines via different molecular mechanisms. Studies have also affirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of casticin, with several molecular mechanisms identified. Other pharmacological properties include anti-asthmatic, tracheospasmolytic, analgesic, antihyperprolactinemia, immunomodulatory, opioidergic, oestrogenic, anti-angiogenic, antiglioma, lung injury protection, rheumatoid arthritis amelioration and liver fibrosis attenuation activities. Clinical trials and commercial use of the casticin-rich fruit extract of V. agnus-castus among women with premenstrual syndrome were briefly discussed.

A new iridoid glycoside from the fruits of Vitex rotundifolia

One new iridoid glycoside, 6',10-di-O-(4-hydroxybenzoyl) aucubin (1), together with ten known compounds, including five diterpenoids (2-6), two triterpene glucosides (7-8) and three methoxylated flavonoids (9-11) were isolated from the fruits of Vitex rotundifolia. Compounds (3, 4, 7, and 8) were reported for the first time from this plant. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis and by comparison with literature data. Furthermore, some of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against A549 and HepG-2 cell lines using MTT assay, and only compounds 9 and 10 exhibited potent cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values of 13 ± 4 and 35 ± 10 μM against HepG-2 cell lines.

Coniferaldehyde inhibits LPS-induced apoptosis through the PKC α/β II/Nrf-2/HO-1 dependent pathway in RAW264.7 macrophage cells

Coniferaldehyde (CA) exerts anti-inflammatory properties by inducing heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). To define the regulation mechanism by which CA induces a cytoprotective function and HO-1 expression, the up-stream regulations involved in the activation of nuclear transcription factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf)-2/HO-1 pathway were investigated. CA dramatically increased the Nrf-2 nuclear translocation and HO-1 expression. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and cell death were down-regulated by CA, which were reversed by inhibition of HO-1 activity. Furthermore, CA specifically enhanced the phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) α/β II. Selective inhibition of PKC α/β II using Go6976 or siRNA abolished the CA-induced Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling, and consequently suppressed the cytoprotective activity of CA on the LPS-induced cell death. Together, our results elucidate the regulatory mechanism of PKC α/β II as the upstream molecule of Nrf-2 required for HO-1 expression during CA-induced anti-inflammatory cytoprotective function in LPS stimulated macrophages.

Isolation, Chemical Fingerprinting and Simultaneous Quantification of Four Compounds from Tanacetum gracile Using a Validated HPLC-ESI-QTOF-Mass Spectrometry Method

The present study was conducted to carry out the phytochemical investigation of Tanacetum gracile Hook. f. & Thomson and to develop a method for the simultaneous quantification of the isolated compounds in the extracts ofT. gracile growing in different locations. Cluster analysis rectangular similarity matrix was performed to understand the chemical fingerprinting variations in the extracts. High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to quantify four bioactive compounds, and separation of the compounds was achieved on a reverse-phase C8 column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile: 0.1% formic acid in water with a gradient elution by maintaining the flow rate of 300 μL/min. The QTOF-MS was operated using the electro-spray ionization technique with the positive ion polarity mode. The calibration curves of four marker compounds were linear over the concentration range of 3.12-100 ng/µL (R(2)> 0.996). A specific, accurate and precise HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS method was optimized for the determination of kaempferol, ketoplenolide, tetramethoxyflavone and artemetin both individually and simultaneously. Quantification of these chemical markers in different extracts was carried out using this validated method. Kaempferol was isolated for the first time from T. gracile.

5,3'-Dihydroxy-6,7,4'-trimethoxyflavanone exerts its anticancer and antiangiogenesis effects through regulation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in human lung cancer cells

5,3'-Dihydroxy-6,7,4'-trimethoxyflavanone (DHTMF) is one of the constituents of Vitex rotundifolia, a medicinal herb that is used for the treatment of various disorders in China and Korea. In this study we evaluated the antitumor and antiangiogeneic activities of DHTMF. DHTMF significantly suppressed growth and induced apoptosis in lung carcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by a decrease in Bcl-2 levels and increases in Bax and cleaved caspase-3 levels. In addition, DHTMF treatment significantly reduced the phosphorylation of Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), accompanied by reductions in the protein level of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are key angiogenic molecules in H522 lung cancer cells. Furthermore DHTMF inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis, as indicated by reduced expression of CD34, tube formation and migration in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as well as reduced neovascularization in an in vivo mouse Matrigel plug assay. DHTMF also inhibited phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, and p70S6K in HUVECs and lung cancer cells. Taken together, our finding indicated that DHTMF inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling and reduces the expression of HIF-1 α and VEGF in tumor cells, which in turns inhibits endothelial cell-mediated angiogenesis. These results suggest that DHTMF inhibits angiogenesis as well as induces apoptosis via the Akt/mTOR pathway and might elicit pharmacological effects that are useful for treatment of lung cancer.