Cytotoxic Fractions from
Hechtia glomerata Extracts and
p-Coumaric Acid as MAPK Inhibitors.
Molecules 2021;
26:molecules26041096. [PMID:
33669666 PMCID:
PMC7922350 DOI:
10.3390/molecules26041096]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Preliminary bioassay-guided fractionation was performed to identify cytotoxic compounds from Hechtia glomerata, a plant that is used in Mexican ethnomedicine. Organic and aqueous extracts were prepared from H. glomerata’s leaves and evaluated against two cancer cell lines. The CHCl3/MeOH (1:1) active extract was fractionated, and the resulting fractions were assayed against prostate adenocarcinoma PC3 and breast adenocarcinoma MCF7 cell lines. Active fraction 4 was further analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight–mass spectrometry analysis to identify its active constituents. Among the compounds that were responsible for the cytotoxic effects of this fraction were flavonoids, phenolic acids, and aromatic compounds, of which p-coumaric acid (p-CA) and its derivatives were abundant. To understand the mechanisms that underlie p-CA cytotoxicity, a microarray assay was performed on PC3 cells that were treated or not with this compound. The results showed that mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that regulate many cancer-related pathways were targeted by p-CA, which could be related to the reported effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS). A molecular docking study of p-CA showed that this phenolic acid targeted these protein active sites (MAPK8 and Serine/Threonine protein kinase 3) at the same binding site as their inhibitors. Thus, we hypothesize that p-CA produces ROS, directly affects the MAPK signaling pathway, and consequently causes apoptosis, among other effects. Additionally, p-CA could be used as a platform for the design of new MAPK inhibitors and re-sensitizing agents for resistant cancers.
Collapse