Growth inhibition of human liver carcinoma HepG2 cells and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Murdannia bracteata (C.B. Clarke) Kuntze ex J.K. Morton extracts

The Inhibitory Effect of KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM on Human Papillomavirus Infection and Cervical Cancer

Background and Objectives: Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of frequently found cancers in Thailand. One of the causative agents is the infection of the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18. Traditional medicines are rich sources of bioactive compounds which are a valuable source for the development of novel cancer therapies. In this study, the therapeutic effects of 3 traditional medicines, KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM, were studied on HeLa and CaSki cells. Materials and Methods: The effects of KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM on cancer cells were evaluated through cytotoxicity and cell death assays. The infection assay using HPV-16 pseudovirus was also carried out. Results: All traditional medicines efficiently suppressed cell growths of HeLa and CaSki, with KerraTM being the most potent anticancer agent followed by KSTM and MinozaTM. KerraTM at 158 µg/mL and 261 µg/mL significantly increases the percentage inhibition of the HPV-16 pseudovirus infection in a pre-attachment step in a dose-dependent manner, while KSTM at 261 µg/mL efficiently inhibited viral infection in both pre-attachment and adsorption steps. However, KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM at subtoxic concentrations could not reduce the viral E6 mRNA expressions of HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cell death assay by acridine orange/ethidium bromide showed that KerraTM increased population of dead cells in dose-dependent manner in both CaSki and HeLa. The percentage of secondary necrosis in KerraTM-treated CaSki was higher than that of HeLa cells, while the percentage of late apoptotic cells in HeLa was higher than that of CaSki, indicating that HeLa was more susceptible to KerraTM than CaSki. For KSTM and MinozaTM, these extracts at 250 µg/mL promoted autophagy over cell death. At 500 µg/mL, the percentage of dead cells in KerraTM was higher than that of KSTM and MinozaTM. Conclusions: KerraTM is a potent traditional medicine for promoting cancer cell death. KerraTM is possibly useful in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. Further investigation will be carried out to gain a better understanding of the biochemical mechanism and the pharmacological activity underlying this effect.

Recent Progress in Understanding the Action of Natural Compounds at Novel Therapeutic Drug Targets for the Treatment of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death following lung and stomach cancers. As a highly lethal disease, liver cancer is diagnosed frequently in less developed countries. Natural compounds extracted from herbs, animals and natural materials have been adopted by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices and reported to be effective in the development of new medications for the treatment of diseases. It is important to focus on the mechanisms of action of natural compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in terms of cell cycle regulation, apoptosis induction, autophagy mediation and cell migration and invasion. In this review, we characterize novel representative natural compounds according to their pharmacologic effects based on recently published studies. The aim of this review is to summarize and explore novel therapeutic drug targets of natural compounds, which could accelerate the discovery of new anticancer drugs.

Improved antioxidative and cytotoxic activities of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) florets fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11613P

Antioxidative and cytotoxic effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum were investigated to improve their biofunctional activities. Total polyphenol (TP) content was measured by the Folin-Denis method, and the antioxidant activities were assessed by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and β-carotene bleaching method. AGS, HeLa, LoVo, MCF-7, and MRC-5 (normal) cells were used to examine the cytotoxic effects by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assay. The TP content of fermented chamomile reduced from 21.75 to 18.76 mg gallic acid equivalent (mg GAE)/g, but the DPPH radical capturing activity of fermented chamomile was found to be 11.1% higher than that of nonfermented chamomile after 72 h of fermentation. Following the β-carotene bleaching, the antioxidative effect decreased because of a reduction in pH during fermentation. Additionally, chamomile fermented for 72 h showed a cytotoxic effect of about 95% against cancer cells at 12.7 mg solid/ml of broth, but MRC-5 cells were significantly less sensitive against fermented chamomile samples. These results suggest that the fermentation of chamomile could be applied to develop natural antioxidative and anticancer products.

Anticancer activity of Ashwagandha against human head and neck cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to determine the apoptotic activity of methanol extract of Ashwagandha (MEAG) and in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

We investigated the effects of MEAG on programmed cell death in HNSCC cells using a Live/Dead assay, detection of nuclear morphologic changes, Mitotracker, siRNA knockdown, and RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Treatment with MEAG showed dose-dependent growth-inhibitory activity that attribute to caspase-dependent apoptosis. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase 9 suggested that MEAG leads to activation of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. MEAG selectively upregulated the expression of Bim protein at the transcriptional level and induced the translocation of Bim into the mitochondria. Knockdown of Bim by siRNA partially blocked MEAG-mediated apoptosis. MEAG also caused an increase in truncated Bid (t-Bid), cleaved caspase-8, and death receptor 5 (DR5). Interestingly, withaferin A (WA), a bioactive component of MEAG, clearly induced apoptosis accompanied by upregulation of Bim, t-Bid, caspase-8, and DR5 similar to the effects of MEAG.

CONCLUSIONS

These suggest that MEAG and WA may be potential natural materials for the treatment of HNSCC.