Cytotoxic and Pro-Apoptotic Properties of Ethyl-p-Methoxycinnamate and Its Hydrophilic Derivative Potassium-p-Methoxycinnamate

Cytotoxic Activity of Ethyl-para-methoxycinnamate from Kaempferia galanga L. on A549 Lung Cancer and B16 Melanoma Cancer Cells

Kaempferia galanga L. belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae, an endangered medicinal plant with pharmacology activities. Ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EPMC) is an essential phytoconstituent of K. galanga rhizomes. Several studies have reported that EPMC has anticancer activities in several cancer cells, including CL-6 gallbladder cancer cells, HepG2liver cancer cells, MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and Raji lymphoma cancer cells. However, studies on A549 lung cancer and B16 melanoma cancer cells have not been reported. This study aimed to determine the anticancer activity of EPMC against A549 lung cancer and B16 melanoma cancer cells. EPMC was obtained by extraction using n-hexane, then recrystallized with chloroform. The isolate was then analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and the structure was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Cytotoxic activity was determined under Presto Blue assay. Based on the result, EPMC from K. galanga showed the cytotoxic effect on B16 cells with an IC50 value of 97.09 μg/mL, whereas EPMC showed no significant cytotoxic effect on A549 with an IC50 value of 1407.75 μg/mL. It was concluded that EPMC has potential cytotoxic on B16 melanoma cancer cells, but it showed inactive activity against A549 lung cancer cells. Further molecular mechanism underlying EPMC cytotoxic activity needs to be conducted.

Interesterification of Egg-Yolk Phosphatidylcholine with p-Methoxycinnamic Acid Catalyzed by Immobilized Lipase B from Candida Antarctica

The p-methoxycinnamic acid (p-MCA) is one of the most popular phenylpropanoids, the beneficial impact of which on the human health is well documented in the literature. This compound has shown many valuable activities including anticancer, antidiabetic, and neuro- and hepatoprotective. However, its practical application is limited by its low bioavailability resulting from rapid metabolism in the human body. The latest strategy, aimed at overcoming these limitations, is based on the production of more stability in systemic circulation bioconjugates with phospholipids. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop the biotechnological method for the synthesis of phospholipid derivatives of p-methoxycinnamic acid, which can play a role of new nutraceuticals. We developed and optimized enzymatic interesterification of phosphatidylcholine (PC) with ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (Ep-MCA). Novozym 435 and a binary solvent system of toluene/chloroform 9:1 (v/v) were found to be the effective biocatalyst and reaction medium for the synthesis of structured p-MCA phospholipids, respectively. The effects of the other reaction parameters, such as substrate molar ratio, enzyme dosage, and reaction time, on the degree of incorporation of p-MCA into PC were evaluated by use of an experimental factorial design method. The results showed that substrate molar ratio and biocatalyst load have significant effects on the synthesis of p-methoxycinnamoylated phospholipids. The optimum conditions were: Reaction time of three days, 30% (w/w) of Novozym 435, and 1/10 substrate molar ratio PC/Ep-MCA. Under these parameters, p-methoxycinnamoylated lysophosphatidylcholine (p-MCA-LPC) and p-methoxycinnamoylated phosphatidylcholine (p-MCA-PC) were obtained in isolated yields of 32% and 3% (w/w), respectively.

Techniques in the synthesis of organometallic compounds of tungsten

Tungsten is an elegant substance, and its compounds have great significance because of their extensive range of applications in diverse fields such as in gas sensors, photocatalysis, lithium ion batteries, H2production, electrochromic devices, dyed sensitized solar cells, microchip technology, and liquid crystal displays. Tungsten compounds exhibit a more efficient catalytic behavior, and tungsten-dependent enzymes generally catalyze the transfer of an oxygen atom to or from a physiological donor/acceptor with the metal center. Furthermore, tungsten has an n-type semiconductor band gap. Tungsten forms complexes by reacting with several elements such as H, C, N, O, and P as well as other numerous inorganic elements. Interestingly, all tungsten reactions occur at ambient temperature, usually with tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane under vacuum. Tungsten has extraordinarily high-temperature properties, making it very useful for X-ray production and heating elements in furnaces. Tungsten coordinates with diverse nonmetallic elements and ligands and produces interesting compounds. This article describes an overview of the synthesis of various organometallic compounds of tungsten.