Antiangiogenic activity of sophorolipids extracted from refined bleached deodorized palm olein.

OBJECTIVES: Sophorolipids (SLs) are a group of surface-active glycolipids produced by a type of nonpathogenic yeast Candida bombicola in the presence of vegetable oil through fermentation technology. SLs have shown antitumor activity; however, the mechanism of action underlying the anticancer activity of SLs is poorly understood. This work evaluated the anticancer activity of SLs fermented from palm oil by exploring its antiangiogenic activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The SLs that were fermented and further characterized for their biochemical activities. Cytotoxicity study was performed to assess cytostatic properties. A series of in vitro and ex vivo angiogenesis assay was also carried out. The relative fold change in the expression of p53 mRNA by SLs was also studied. RESULTS: Altogether, the data show that SLs derived from palm oil fermentation process inhibited neovascularization in the ex vivo tissue segments and also the endothelial cell proliferation between 50% and 65% inhibition as a whole. The palm oil derived SLs also caused downregulation of the suppression level of vascular endothelial growth factor and also upregulate the p53 mRNA level. The analytical studies revealed the presence of high amount of phenolic compounds but with relatively weak antioxidant activity. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry studies revealed abundant amount of palmitic and oleic acid, the latter an established antiangiogenic agent, and the former being proangiogenic. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it can be concluded from this study that SLs derived from fermented palm oil have potent antiangiogenic activity which may be attributed by its oleic acid component.

Establishment of in vitro and in vivo anti-colon cancer efficacy of essential oils containing oleo-gum resin extract of Mesua ferrea.

Proven the great potential of essential oils as anticancer agents, the current study intended to explore molecular mechanisms responsible for in vitro and in vivo anti-colon cancer efficacy of essential oil containing oleo-gum resin extract (RH) of Mesua ferrea. MTT cell viability studies showed that RH had broad spectrum cytotoxic activities. However, it induced more profound growth inhibitory effects towards two human colon cancer cell lines i.e., HCT 116 and LIM1215 with an IC50 values of 17.38 ± 0.92 and 18.86 ± 0.80 µg/mL respectively. RH induced relatively less toxicity in normal human colon fibroblasts i.e., CCD-18co. Cell death studies conducted, revealed that RH induced characteristic morphological and biochemical changes in HCT 116. At protein level it down-regulated expression of multiple pro-survival proteins i.e., survivin, xIAP, HSP27, HSP60 and HSP70 and up-regulated expression of ROS, caspase-3/7 and TRAIL-R2 in HCT 116. Furthermore, significant reduction in invasion, migration and colony formation potential was observed in HCT 116 treated with RH. Chemical characterization by GC-MS and HPLC methods revealed isoledene and elemene as one the major compounds. RH showed potent antitumor activity in xenograft model. Overall, these findings suggest that RH holds a promise to be further studied for cheap anti-colon cancer naturaceutical development.

Mesua ferrea stem bark extract induces apoptosis and inhibits metastasis in human colorectal carcinoma HCT 116 cells, through modulation of multiple cell signalling pathways.

Considering the great potential of natural products as anticancer agents, the present study was designed to explore the molecular mechanisms responsible for anticancer activities of Mesua ferrea stem bark extract against human colorectal carcinoma. Based on MTT assay results, bioactive sub-fraction (SF-3) was selected for further studies using HCT 116 cells. Repeated column chromatography resulted in isolation of less active α-amyrin from SF-3, which was identified and characterized by GC-MS and HPLC methods. α-amyrin and betulinic acid contents of SF-3 were measured by HPLC methods. Fluorescent assays revealed characteristic apoptotic features, including cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, and marked decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential in SF-3 treated cells. In addition, increased levels of caspases-9 and -3/7 levels were also observed in SF-3 treated cells. SF-3 showed promising antimetastatic properties in multiple in vitro assays. Multi-pathway analysis revealed significant down-regulation of WNT, HIF-1α, and EGFR with simultaneous up-regulation of p53, Myc/Max, and TGF-ß signalling pathways in SF-3 treated cells. In addition, promising growth inhibitory effects were observed in SF-3 treated HCT 116 tumour spheroids, which give a hint about in vivo antitumor efficacy of SF-3 phytoconstituents. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that anticancer effects of SF-3 towards colon cancer are through modulation of multiple molecular pathways.

Isoledene from Mesua ferrea oleo-gum resin induces apoptosis in HCT 116 cells through ROS-mediated modulation of multiple proteins in the apoptotic pathways: A mechanistic study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common human malignant tumors worldwide. Arising from the transformation of epithelial cells in the colon and/or rectum into malignant cells, the foundation of CRC pathogenesis lies in the progressive accumulation of mutations in oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, such as KRAS and APC. Resistance to apoptosis is one of the key mechanisms in the development of CRC as it is for any other kind of cancer. Natural products have been shown to induce the expression of apoptosis regulators that are blocked in cancer cells. In the present study, a series of in vitro assays were employed to study the apoptosis-inducing attributes of Isoledene rich sub-fraction (IR-SF) collected from the oleo-gum resin of M. ferrea. Data obtained, showed that IR-SF inhibited cell proliferation and induced typical apoptotic changes in the overall morphology of all the CRC cell lines tested. Fluorescent staining assays revealed characteristic nuclear condensation, and marked decrease in mitochondrial outer membrane potential in the treated cells. In addition, an increment in the levels of ROS, caspase-8, -9 and -3 was observed. Proteomic analysis revealed that IR-SF up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, i.e., Bid, Bim and cytochrome c. Cytochrome c in turn activated caspases cascade resulting in the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, IR-SF significantly down-regulated Bcl-2, Bcl-w, survivin, xIAP and HSPs pro-survival proteins and induced DNA fragmentation and G0/G1-phase arrest in HCT 116 cells. Chemical characterization of IR-SF by GC-MS and HPLC methods identified Isoledene as one of the major compounds. Altogether, results of the present study demonstrate that IR-SF may induce apoptosis in human colorectal carcinoma cells through activation of ROS-mediated apoptotic pathways.

Mutagenicity and preclinical safety assessment of the aqueous extract of Clinacanthus nutans leaves.

CONTEXT: Clinacanthus nutans (CN) is used traditionally for treating various illnesses. Robust safety data to support its use is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adverse effects of aqueous extract of CN leaves (AECNL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The oral toxicity of the AECNL was tested following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines. Mutagenicity (Ames test) of AECNL was evaluated using TA98 and TA100 Salmonella typhimurium strains. RESULTS: No mortality or morbidity was found in the animals upon single and repeated dose administration. However, significant body weight loss was observed at 2000 mg/kg during sub-chronic (90 d) exposure. In addition, increased eosinophil at 500 mg/kg and decreased serum alkaline phosphatase levels at 2000 mg/kg were observed in male rats. Variations in glucose and lipid profiles in treated groups were also observed compared to control. Ames test revealed no evidence of mutagenic or carcinogenic effects at 500 µg/well of AECNL. CONCLUSION: The median lethal dose (LD50) of the AECNL is >5000 mg/kg and the no-observed-adverse-effect level is identified to be greater than 2000 mg/kg/day in 90-d study.