on 2D- and 3D-Human Lung Cancer Cells (A549) Model

Since lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, research is being conducted to discover anticancer agents as its treatment. Eleutherine bulbosa, a Dayak folklore medicine, exhibited anticancer effects against several cancer cells; however, its anticancer potency against lung cancer cells has not been explored yet. This study aims to determine the anticancer potency of E. bulbosa bulbs against lung cancer cells (A549) using 2D and 3D culture models, as well as determine its active compounds using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Three fractions of E. bulbosa bulbs, namely chloroform, n-hexane, and ethyl acetate, were tested for cytotoxicity using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT) and CellTiter-Glo. The antiproliferative effects of the most cytotoxic fraction against the 2D culture model were determined by a clonogenic survival assay and propidium iodide/Hoechst 33342 double staining, whereas the effects against the 3D culture model were determined by microscopy, flow cytometry, and gene expression analysis. The chloroform fraction is the most cytotoxic against A549 cells than other fractions, and it inhibited colony formation and induced apoptosis of A549 cells. The chloroform fraction also inhibited the growth of the A549 spheroid by suppressing the spheroid size, inducing apoptosis, reducing the proportion of CD44 lung cancer stem cells, causing arrest at the S phase of the cell cycle, and suppressing the expression of the SOX2 and MYC genes. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis detected 20 active compounds in the chloroform fraction, including the major compounds of eleutherine and isoeleutherine. In conclusion, the chloroform fraction of E. bulbosa bulbs exhibit its antiproliferative effect on 2D and 3D culture models of A549 cells, suggesting it could be a lung cancer chemopreventive agent.

Assessment of toxicity and anti-plasmodial activities of chloroform fractions of Carapa procera and Alchornea cordifolia in murine models

Background: Plant as a source of medicine has gained international popularity in recent times because of its natural origin, availability in local communities, cheaper to purchase, ease of administration, and its usefulness as an alternative treatment in case of numerous side effects and drug resistance. However, the use of herbal formulations can also result in short-term and long-term organ damage or dysfunction to the host. In this study, chloroform fractions of the leaves of two medicinal plants, Alchornea cordifolia (ACL) and Carapa procera (CPL), were investigated for their toxicological and anti-malarial effects in murine models. Method: Acute (14-day) and sub-acute (28-day) studies were conducted based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines in Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats respectively. A dosage of 2000 mg/kg body weight was administered orally to each ICR mouse during the acute study and 100, 300, and 1000 mg/kg body weight to each SD rat during the sub-acute study. A 5-day curative anti-plasmodial activity was assessed in ICR mouse model. Results: The assessment of toxicity revealed that all three fractions did not influence mortality, clinical appearance, body weight gain, or necropsy at the various doses. Hematological and serum biochemical analysis indicated no significant elevations in liver and renal function parameters. Histopathological examinations of the liver indicated reversible liver degeneration with the chloroform fraction of the 100% ethanol extract of Carapa procera leaves (CPL100%) at 1000 mg/kg. Anti-plasmodial assessments showed CPL100% exhibiting dose-dependent anti-plasmodial activity from 16% to 26.67%. On the other hand, chloroform fraction of the 100% ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia leaves (ACL100%) showed declining anti-plasmodial activity from 21.1% to 15.1%. Conclusion: These preliminary findings demonstrate that chloroform fractions of the leaves of Carapa procera and Alchornea cordifolia may be safe agents for treating malaria hence further development for drug discovery must be pursued.

[Chemical constituents in chloroform fraction of Houttuynia cordata]

Nine compounds were isolated from chloroform fraction of Houttuynia cordata,and the isolates were identified as follows:( S)-5,6,6 a,7-tetrahydro-2,10-dimethoxy-4 H-dibenzo [DE,G] quinoline-1,9-diol( 1),( +)-isoboldine β-N-oxide( 2),liriotulipiferine( 3),telitoxinone( 4),isoboldine( 5),(-)-clovane-2β,9α-diol( 6),benzoic acid( 7),acantrifoside E( 8),and dibutyl phthalate( 9). Among them,compound 1 was new,and compounds 2-9 were reported from this species for the first time.

Bio-guided isolation of Centaurea bruguierana subsp. belangerana cytotoxic components

Centaurea bruguierana subsp. belangerana was extracted by 80% ethanol. The total extract was then partitioned into four fractions including chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. Cytotoxic effect of fractions was examined by MTT assay in K562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia), AGS (gastric adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) and SW742 (colon adenocarcinoma) cell lines. The Chloroform fraction, with the lowest LC₅₀ against K-562 cell lines, was partitioned into 14 subfractions and subjected to further purification by reversed-phase (C18) silica gel and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Three flavonoids including cirsimaritin, cirsilinelol and eupatilin were isolated for the first time from the species and the structures were confirmed by spectroscopic data. The high selectivity index of the purified flavonoids indicates valuable components with potential few side effects for normal cell lines. However, solubility tests for isolated components indicates the need for novel pharmaceutical dosage forms, in the case for using natural flavonoids as chemotherapeutic agents.