Lithocarpus Polystachyus Rehd Leaf Aqueous Extract Inhibits Human Breast Cancer Growth In Vitro and In Vivo

Dihydrochalcones from the leaves of Lithocarpus litseifolius

Three new phlorizin derivatives, 6"-O-vanilloylphlorizin (1), 6"-O-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)phlorizin (2), 6"-O-feruloylphlorizin (3), along with four known dihydrochalcones, phlorizin (4), 3-hydroxyphlorizin, trilobatin, and 6"-O-acetylphlorizin were isolated from the leaves of Lithocarpus litseifolius. Their structures were established by analysis of extensive spectroscopic data. The new compounds were shown to be non-cytotoxic when tested against A549, HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-7 cell lines.

Evaluation of Two Parts of Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. from Different Chinese Areas by Multicomponent Content Determination and Pattern Recognition

The purpose of this work is to establish a new method using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) with chemometrics analysis to determine the content of catechin, isoquercetin, astragalin, phloridzin, trilobatin, and phloretin for one flavanol and five flavonoids, filter out the key compounds, and evaluate the quality of 26 batches of tender leaves and flower spikes of Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. (LP) from ten areas in China. The result showed that the HPLC-DAD method had excellent performance for accurate quantification analysis. S3 (tender leaf from Lushan, Sichuan) had the highest contents for six measured chemicals with trilobatin content of up to 27.82% in dry weight. S22 (flower spike from Liangping, Chongqing) had the highest content of phloridzin (up to 7.28%). All samples were divided into three types based on spatial distribution using principal component analysis. The result showed that the tender leaves and flower spikes from the same areas had many similar properties, and there were significant differences between the samples from different regions. Furthermore, phloridzin and trilobatin were identified as chemical markers for quality evaluation of two parts with different tender leaves and flower spikes of LP from geographical areas by orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis. These results will be helpful to establish an effective and comprehensive evaluation system of the development and utilization of LP resources.

Effects of Microwave-Assisted Extraction Conditions on Antioxidant Capacity of Sweet Tea (Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd.)

In this study, the effects of microwave-assisted extraction conditions on antioxidant capacity of sweet tea (Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd.) were studied and the antioxidants in the extract were identified. The influences of ethanol concentration, solvent-to-sample ratio, microwave power, extraction temperature and extraction time on Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) value, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value and total phenolic content (TPC) were investigated by single-factor experiments. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study the interaction of three parameters which had significant influences on antioxidant capacity including ethanol concentration, solvent-to-sample ratio and extraction time. The optimal conditions for the extraction of antioxidants from sweet tea were found as follows—ethanol concentration of 58.43% (v/v), solvent-to-sample ratio of 35.39:1 mL/g, extraction time of 25.26 min, extraction temperature of 50 ℃ and microwave power of 600 W. The FRAP, TEAC and TPC values of the extract under the optimal conditions were 381.29 ± 4.42 μM Fe(II)/g dry weight (DW), 613.11 ± 9.32 μM Trolox/g DW and 135.94 ± 0.52 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g DW, respectively. In addition, the major antioxidant components in the extract were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), including phlorizin, phloretin and trilobatin. The crude extract could be used as food additives or developed into functional food for the prevention and management of oxidative stress-related diseases.

The PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways are involved in the protective effects of Lithocarpus polystachyus (sweet tea) on APAP-induced oxidative stress injury in mice

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute liver injury (ALI) is a health issue that has gradually attracted attention, and is often regarded as a model of drug-induced hepatotoxicity. The leaves of Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. (named as “sweet tea”, ST) usually serve as tea drink and folk medicine for healthcare in the southwest part of China. In previous reports, it has been proven to protect various animal models, except for APAP-induced liver injury model. Therefore, this study initially explored the protective effect of ST leaf extract (STL-E) on hepatotoxicity induced by APAP in ICR mice. STL-E of 50 and 100 mg kg⁻¹ were given to each group for 7 days. ALI was intraperitoneally induced by APAP treatment (i.p. 250 mg per kg body weight). Biochemical markers, levels of inflammatory factors, histopathological staining and western blotting were used to analyze the inflammation and apoptosis of liver tissues. Interestingly, the treatment with STL-E significantly attenuated APAP-induced liver injury (p < 0.05). Moreover, STL-E partially mitigated APAP-induced liver injury by effectively activating the PI3K/Akt pathway and inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. In a word, STL-E protected liver against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt-mediated apoptosis signal pathway and inhibiting the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathway.

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute liver injury (ALI) is a health issue that has gradually attracted attention, and is often regarded as a model of drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

Cratoxylum formosum Extracts Inhibit Growth and Metastasis of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells by Modulating the NF-κB and STAT3 Pathways

Cratoxylum formosum Dyer has been used in Southeast Asian countries both for food and folk medicine. In this study, the leaf extracts of C. formosum were evaluated for anticancer effects on human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) KKU-M156 cells. The results showed that the plant extracts possessed potent cytotoxicity against CCA cells. The cytotoxic activity was associated with an induction of cell apoptosis. Moreover, the colony forming ability of CCA cells was also inhibited by C. formosum extracts. Consistent with growth inhibitory effects, the plant extracts induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and downregulated cyclin A and Cdc25A protein expression. The extracts potently suppressed the migration and invasion properties of CCA cells. The effects were associated with the suppression of NF-κB and STAT3 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity, and downregulation of genes involving in cancer progression and metastasis. Furthermore, the possible bioactive compounds in the extracts were analyzed by HPLC. Taken together, the potent anticancer activity of C. formosum against CCA indicates the plant promising use for CCA prevention and therapy.