Induction of Apoptosis by Korean Medicine Gagam-whanglyun-haedoktang Through Activation of Caspase-3 in Human Leukemia Cell Line, HL-60 Cells

Anti-psoriatic potential of Solanum xanthocarpum stem in Imiquimod-induced psoriatic mice model

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The plant Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad. & Wendl. (Solanaceae) is one of the members of the dashamula (ten roots) in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The stem and fruits are used as an antipyretic, antiasthmatic and is prescribed in skin infections and for relief in burning sensation in the feet accompanied by vesicular eruptions.

OBJECTIVE

To scientifically validate the anti-psoriatic potential of Solanum xanthocarpum stem in Imiquimod-induced psoriatic mice model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethanolic stems extract of Solanum xanthocarpum (ESX) was first subjected to phytochemical screening and quantification of identified phytoconstituents, which was further standardized with the help of HPTLC using chlorogenic acid as a marker. The extract was then subjected to acute oral toxicity and skin irritability study for determining the safety profile of the extract. Imiquimod-induced psoriatic mouse model was then performed to check the efficacy of extract against psoriasis, where treatment was carried out for 15 days both topically (Gel at 2.5%, 5% and 10%) as well as orally (at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg p.o.) and their Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) was calculated. The study also included determination of levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17 in the animal tissues, which further included biochemical evaluations such as total collagen, hexosamine, hyaluronic acid DNA, protein antioxidant profiles such as lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase and catalase along with histopathological studies of the tissues.

RESULT

ESX showed the presence of mainly phenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and carbohydrates, while chlorogenic acid was reported to be 3.49% w/w. The Imiquimod-induced psoriatic mouse model, depicted a potent anti-psoriatic activity of the extract both topical (10%) and oral (200 and 400mg/kg p.o., as evident through PASI grading The effect was found to be more prominent in case of topically treated as compared to orally treated mice. The results also showed a significant inhibition in the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17 in treated animal tissues and also showed significant restoration of the altered biochemical parameters along with reduced hyperkeratinisation as observed through histopathology.

CONCLUSION

The study scientifically justified the anti-psoriatic activity of the ESX, which may be attributed to inhibition in the expression of cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17. Further, the observed antioxidant, antimicrobial and cellular proliferative activities may act as a contributing factor in treatment of psoriasis, which may be attributed to the presence of chlorogenic acid along with other phytochemicals in combination.

Free radical scavenging potential and HPTLC analysis of Indigofera tinctoria linn (Fabaceae)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the free radical scavenging potential and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting of Indigofera tinctoria (I. tinctoria). Phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard methods, and free radical scavenging activity of the plant was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazy (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion ([Formula: see text]) radical scavenging capacities. HPTLC plate was kept in CAMAG TLC Scanner 3 and the Rf values at fingerprint data were recorded by WINCATS software. Aqueous extract of I. tinctoria reliably showed the total phenolics (267.2±2.42 mg/g), flavonoids (75.43±3.36 mg/g) and antioxidants (349.11±8.04 mg/g). The extract was found to have DPPH (52.08%), NO (23.12%) and [Formula: see text] (26.79%) scavenging activities at the concentration of 250 μg/mL and the results were statistically significant compared with ascorbic acid standard (p<0.05). HPTLC results confirmed that the extract contained several potential active components such as phenols, flavonoids, saponins and terpenoids as the slides revealed multi-colored bands of varying intensities. This study confirmed that the plant had multipotential antioxidant and free radicals scavenging activities.

Cyclamen exerts cytotoxicity in solid tumor cell lines: a step toward new anticancer agents?

Cyclamen coum is a traditional medicinal plant in the Turkey. Its anticancer properties and whether cyclamen extract induces any cytotoxicity in solid cancer cell lines have not been thoroughly investigated previously. Therefore we examined cytotoxic effects on cervical cancer, HeLa, and non small cell lung cancer cell, H1299, lines. Cyclamen extract induced cellular death of both HeLa and H1299 cells in a dose dependent manner. We also analyzed the capacity of cyclamen extract to induce apoptosis by the TUNEL method. Here, we for the first time report that the extract of Cyclamen coum, an endemic plant for Turkey, can induce cytotoxicity via apoptosis in HeLa and H1299 cells. These results imply that cyclamen extract can be further analyzed to potentially find novel anticancer compounds.

G1 arrest and caspase-mediated apoptosis in HL-60 cells by dichloromethane extract of Centrosema pubescens

Cell division and apoptosis are two crucial components of tumor biology and the importance of increased cell proliferation and reduced cell death have made them valid therapeutic targets. The plant kingdom is a relatively underexploited cache of novel drugs, and crude extracts of plants are known for their synergistic activity. The present study assessed the anti-proliferative activity of the medicinal plant Centrosema pubescens Benth. Centrosema pubescens dichloromethane extract (CPDE) inhibited the proliferation of HL-60 (promyelocytic acute leukaemia) cells with an IC₅₀ value of 5 μg/ml. Further studies also showed that CPDE induces growth arrest at the G1 phase and specifically down-regulates the expressions of cyclin E and CDK2 and up-regulates p27(CKI) levels. These events apparently lead to the induction of apoptosis, which was demonstrated qualitatively by a DNA fragmentation assay and propidium iodide staining. Quantitative assessment of the effective arrest of the cell cycle and of apoptosis was confirmed by flow cytometry. CPDE exhibited negligible cytotoxicity even at the highest dose tested (100 μg/ml) in both normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in an in vitro model (HL-60). Our results strongly suggest that CPDE arrests the cell cycle at the G1 phase and triggers apoptosis by caspase activation.

Apoptotic action of ursolic acid isolated from Corni fructus in RC-58T/h/SA#4 primary human prostate cancer cells

Ursolic acid (3β-hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid) is a major biological active component of Corni fructus that is known to induce apoptosis. However, the apoptotic mechanism of ursolic acid using primary malignant tumor (RC-58T/h/SA#4)-derived human prostate cells is not known. In the present study, ursolic acid significantly inhibited the growth of RC-58T/h/SA#4 cells in dose- and time-dependent manners. Ursolic acid induced cell death as evidenced by an increased proportion of cells in sub-G1 phase, the formation of apoptotic bodies, nuclear condensation, and DNA fragmentation. After ursolic acid treatment at concentrations above 40 μM, the activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9 were significantly increased compared that of control. Ursolic acid modulated the upregulation of Bax (pro-apoptotic) as well as the downregulation of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic). Ursolic acid also stimulated Bid cleavage, which indicates that the apoptotic action of caspase-8-mediated Bid cleavage leads to the activation of caspase-9. Thus, the apoptotic effect of ursolic acid was involved in extrinsic and intrinsic signaling pathways. In addition, ursolic acid increased the expression of the caspase-independent mitochondrial apoptosis factor (AIF) in RC-58T/h/SA#4 cells. The present results suggest that ursolic acid from Corni fructus activated apoptosis in RC-58T/h/SA#4 cells via both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways.

Antitumor Activity of the Methanol Extract of Hypericum hookerianum Stem Against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma in Swiss Albino Mice

A large number of plants belonging to the Hypericum family are known to possess strong antitumor properties. The methanol extract of H. hookerianum Wight and Arnott stem (MEHH) exhibited potent in vitro cytotoxic activity against various cancerous cell lines. In the present study, the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) standardized MEHH was tested for in vivo antitumor properties against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor bearing mice at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight doses given orally once daily for 14 days. The results indicate that administration of the extract not only increased the survival of animals with ascites tumor, decreased the body weight induced by the tumor burden, and reduced packed cell volume and viable tissue cell count, but also altered many hematological parameters changed during tumor progression, indicating the potent antitumor nature of the extract. Among the three doses tested, the 200 mg/kg body weight dose was found to be the most potent.

Antitumor Activity and Antioxidant Status of the Methanol Extract of Careya arborea Bark Against Dalton’s Lymphoma Ascites-Induced Ascitic and Solid Tumor in Mice

Based on the ethnomedical use of Careya arborea Roxb bark in the treatment of tumors, the present study was carried out to evaluate the anticancer potentials against Dalton's lymphoma ascites (DLA)-induced ascitic and solid tumors. The methanol extract of its bark given orally to mice at the dose of 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight for 10 days caused significant reduction in percent increase in body weight, packed cell volume, and viable tumor cell count when compared to the mice of the DLA control group. Restoration of hematological and biochemical parameters towards normal was also observed. Histological observations of liver and kidney also indicated repair of tissue damage caused by tumor inoculation. The extract at the dose of 5 or 25 mg/kg body weight given i.p. daily for 14 days significantly reduced the solid tumor volume induced by DLA cells.

HeLa cells treated with phytoglycoprotein (150 kDa) were killed by activation of caspase 3 via inhibitory activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1

The Solanum nigrum Linne (SNL) has been traditionally used as a herbal agent in folk medicine for various cancers in Korea. We found that the SNL glycoprotein consists of carbohydrate (69.74%) and protein content (30.26%), which has mainly the hydrophobic amino acids containing glycine and proline. With respect to its characters, we evaluated the apoptotic effects of glycoprotein isolated from SNL in human cervical cancer cell. In the activity of the apoptotic related proteins [cytochrome c, caspase 8, 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)], the results showed that SNL glycoprotein (50 microg/ml) has a stimulatory effect on cytochrome c release into cytosol, caspase 8, 3 activation and PARP cleavage in HeLa cells. To verify the possible mechanism for apoptotic activity of SNL glycoprotein in HeLa cells, the binding activities of transcription factors (NF-kappaB and AP-1) and nitric oxide (NO) production was evaluated. The activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1 significantly decreased after SNL glycoprotein (50 microg/ml) treatment for 4 h, compare to the control. Interestingly, there was no difference of the DNA binding activity between NF-kappaB and AP-1. Also, nitric oxide (NO) production was significantly declined at 50 microg/ml SNL glycoprotein for 4 h. Therefore, we speculated that SNL glycoprotein exhibits inhibitory effect on HeLa cells via apoptosis, and it may be a potential candidate in field of anticancer drug discovery.