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Ferula communis L. (Apiaceae) Root Acetone-Water Extract: Phytochemical Analysis, Cytotoxicity and In Vitro Evaluation of Estrogenic Properties. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11151905. [PMID: 35893609 PMCID: PMC9329896 DOI: 10.3390/plants11151905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Ferula communis L. (F. communis) belongs to the Apiaceae family and is a herbaceous plant with various pharmaceutical properties, due to the different contents of bioactive compounds extracted mainly from its roots, as well as its leaves and rhizome. To date, this plant extract has demonstrated estrogenic, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, cytotoxic, antimicrobial and anti-neoplastic properties. Its estrogenic activity is justified by the presence of ferutinin, an ester of a sesquiterpenic alcohol that acts as an agonist for estrogen receptors, with a chemical formula equal to C22H3O4. The component present in F. communis responsible for the toxicity of the plant is ferulenol, a prenylated coumarin with the chemical formula C24H30O3. This compound is capable of inducing mortality via its strong anti-coagulant properties, leading to a lethal hemorrhagic syndrome, ferulosis, in animals that feed on a chemotype of F. communis containing a high amount of ferulenol. The removal of the component ferulenol makes extracts of Ferula non-toxic. In fact, the remaining prenylated coumarins are not present in concentrations sufficient to induce toxicity. The intake of high concentrations of the extract of this plant leads a double dose-dependent effect that is typical of sesquiterpenes such as ferutinin. Here, we assessed the cytotoxicity and the estrogenic properties of the F. communis phytocomplex obtained through extraction using a mixture of acetone and water. Among the active constituents of F. communis, the identification of ferutinin and ferulenol was performed using HPLC. The effects of the extract were evaluated, following the removal of ferulenol, on three cell lines: human breast cancer MCF-7, human cervical cancer HeLa and human osteoblastic sarcoma Saos-2. The choice of these cell lines was justified by the need to mimic certain processes which may occur in vivo and which are estrogen-dependent. The obtained results demonstrated that F. communis extract, in addition to possessing an estrogenic-like property, showed a dose-dependent effect. Low concentrations (0.1–0.8 μM) demonstrated a hyperproliferative effect, whereas higher concentrations (1.6–50 μM) were toxic. Therefore, this extract could be an excellent candidate to make up for a reduction or lack of estrogen.
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Pedersen CA, Cao MD, Fleischer T, Rye MB, Knappskog S, Eikesdal HP, Lønning PE, Tost J, Kristensen VN, Tessem MB, Giskeødegård GF, Bathen TF. DNA methylation changes in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy are associated with breast cancer survival. Breast Cancer Res 2022; 24:43. [PMID: 35751095 PMCID: PMC9233373 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-022-01537-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Locally advanced breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with respect to response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and survival. It is currently not possible to accurately predict who will benefit from the specific types of NACT. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism known to play an important role in regulating gene expression and may serve as a biomarker for treatment response and survival. We investigated the potential role of DNA methylation as a prognostic marker for long-term survival (> 5 years) after NACT in breast cancer. METHODS DNA methylation profiles of pre-treatment (n = 55) and post-treatment (n = 75) biopsies from 83 women with locally advanced breast cancer were investigated using the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. The patients received neoadjuvant treatment with epirubicin and/or paclitaxel. Linear mixed models were used to associate DNA methylation to treatment response and survival based on clinical response to NACT (partial response or stable disease) and 5-year survival, respectively. LASSO regression was performed to identify a risk score based on the statistically significant methylation sites and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was used to estimate survival probabilities using ten years of survival follow-up data. The risk score developed in our discovery cohort was validated in an independent validation cohort consisting of paired pre-treatment and post-treatment biopsies from 85 women with locally advanced breast cancer. Patients included in the validation cohort were treated with either doxorubicin or 5-FU and mitomycin NACT. RESULTS DNA methylation patterns changed from before to after NACT in 5-year survivors, while no significant changes were observed in non-survivors or related to treatment response. DNA methylation changes included an overall loss of methylation at CpG islands and gain of methylation in non-CpG islands, and these changes affected genes linked to transcription factor activity, cell adhesion and immune functions. A risk score was developed based on four methylation sites which successfully predicted long-term survival in our cohort (p = 0.0034) and in an independent validation cohort (p = 0.049). CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that DNA methylation patterns in breast tumors change in response to NACT. These changes in DNA methylation show potential as prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Aaserød Pedersen
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Maria Dung Cao
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Department of Nursing, Health and Laboratory Science, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway.
| | - Thomas Fleischer
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Morten B Rye
- Clinic of Surgery, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Clinic of Laboratory Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.,BioCore - Bioinformatics Core Facility, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Stian Knappskog
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Genome-Directed Cancer Therapy, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Hans Petter Eikesdal
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Genome-Directed Cancer Therapy, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Per Eystein Lønning
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Genome-Directed Cancer Therapy, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Oncology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jörg Tost
- Laboratory for Epigenetics and Environment, Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine, CEA - Institut de Biologie François Jacob, Université Paris Saclay, 91000, Evry, France
| | - Vessela N Kristensen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - May-Britt Tessem
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Clinic of Surgery, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Guro F Giskeødegård
- Clinic of Surgery, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, and Nursing, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Tone F Bathen
- Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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