Chemical constituents from Artemisia vulgaris and their antiausterity activities against the PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cell line

Phytochemical analysis of carotenoid profile in Mentha piperita and Artemisia vulgaris: cytotoxicity in tumoral cells and evaluation of plasmid DNA cleavage

Several medicinal plants have been administered to cancer patients attributed to their anticarcinogenic and chemoprotective properties, in addition to lower toxicity compared to traditional therapies. The aim was to investigate the antioxidant properties and carotenoid composition of aqueous extracts of Mentha piperita or Artemisia vulgaris which were previously found to exert beneficial effects on human health through diet. aqueous extracts exhibited potent antioxidant activity. A diversity of carotenoids was identified in these extracts using HPLC-PDA-MS/MS. Both extracts contained predominantly all-trans-lutein as the main component within this class. In order to investigate antioxidant properties, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) techniques were used. The (3-4,5 dimethylthiazol-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) (MTT) and Crystal Violet assays assessed cellular cytotoxicity. Assessments of presence of reactive species were carried out following exposure of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line (SCC-4) to various aqueous extracts of M piperita or A vulgaris utilizing dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and nitric oxide (NO) assays. Exposure to these extracts induced severe cytotoxic effects, which led to investigation of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying this observed effect. Data demonstrated that both solutions induced oxidative stress and DNA damage, especially at higher concentrations using agarose gel subjected to electrophoresis. It is known that exposure to excess amounts of antioxidants results in a prooxidant effect which is beneficial in cancer therapy. Further, the extracts were found to reduce viability of SCC-4 in culture, indicating that this antitumoral activity may be of therapeutic importance and requires further study.

Chlorine-containing guaianolide sesquiterpenoids from Achillea millefolium L. with inhibitory effects against LPS-induced NO release in BV-2 microglial cells

Chlorine-containing guaianolide sesquiterpenoids are rare natural compounds that are mainly derived from plants of the Asteraceae family. Our previous investigations on the whole plant of Achillea millefolium L. resulted in the discovery of two chlorine-containing guaianolide sesquiterpenoids. In the present study, a LC‒MS tracking strategy based on the characteristic isotropic peak of atomic chlorine was employed to isolate nine undescribed chlorine-containing guaianolide sesquiterpenoids, Millefolactons B1-B9, from A. millefolium L.. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis, and the corresponding absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography and ECD data analysis. Millefolactons B2-B7 displayed inhibitory activities against LPS-induced NO release in BV-2 microglial cells.

Sesquiterpene Lactones as Promising Candidates for Cancer Therapy: Focus on Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive disease which confers to patients a poor prognosis at short term. PDAC is the fourth leading cause of death among cancers in the Western world. The rate of new cases of pancreatic cancer (incidence) is 10 per 100,000 but present a 5-year survival of less than 10%, highlighting the poor prognosis of this pathology. Furthermore, 90% of advanced PDAC tumor present KRAS mutations impacting in several oncogenic signaling pathways, many of them associated with cell proliferation and tumor progression. Different combinations of chemotherapeutic agents have been tested over the years without an improvement of significance in its treatment. PDAC remains as one the more challenging biomedical topics thus far. The lack of a proper early diagnosis, the notable mortality statistics and the poor outcome with the available therapies urge the entire scientific community to find novel approaches against PDAC with real improvements in patients' survival and life quality. Natural compounds have played an important role in the process of discovery and development of new drugs. Among them, terpenoids, such as sesquiterpene lactones, stand out due to their biological activities and pharmacological potential as antitumor agents. In this review, we will describe the sesquiterpene lactones with in vitro and in vivo activity against pancreatic tumor cells. We will also discuss the mechanism of action of the compounds as well as the signaling pathways associated with their activity.

Two new eudesmane sesquiterpene glucosides from the aerial parts of Artemisia vulgaris

Using combined chromatographic methods, two new sesquiterpene glucosides, vulgarosides A (1) and B (2), and two known analogs ainsliaside E (3) and pumilaside A (4) were isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia vulgaris. Their chemical structures were established by spectroscopic methods, including one and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (1 D and 2 D-NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). In addition, their cytotoxicity on five human cancer cell lines, including KB (epidermoid carcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocarcinoma), MCF7 (breast carcinoma), SK-Mel-2 (melanoma), and LNCaP (prostate cancer) was also evaluated by the SRB assay. However, none of the tested eudesmane sesquiterpene glycosides showed significant cytotoxicity (IC₅₀>100 µM).

A pharmacognostic approach for mitigating pancreatic cancer: emphasis on herbal extracts and phytoconstituents

Background

Pancreatic cancer is studied as one of the most lethal cancers with currently no control of its lethality, mainly due to its late diagnosis and lack of foolproof treatment processes. Despite continuous efforts being made in looking for therapies to deal with cancer, it keeps on being a labyrinth for the researchers. Efforts like discovering new treatment options, repurposing existing drugs, are continuously made to deal with this cancer.

Main body

With the urge to get answers and the fact that nature has all roots of therapeutics, efforts are made in the direction of finding those answers for providing ministrations for pancreatic cancer from plant products. Plant products are used as treatment options either directly in the form of extracts or an alternative to them is individual phytochemicals that are either isolated from the plants or are commercially synthesized for various purposes. In this review, we put forward such pharmacognostic initiatives made in combating pancreatic cancer, focusing mainly on plant extracts and various phytochemicals; along with the mechanisms which they triggered to fulfill the need for cytotoxicity to pancreatic cancer cells (in vitro and in vivo).

Conclusion

This study will thus provide insights into new combination therapy that can be used and also give a clue on which plant product and phytoconstituent can be used in dealing with pancreatic cancer.

Graphical abstract

Benzophenones from Betula alnoides with Antiausterity Activities against the PANC-1 Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line

The antiausterity strategy is a promising approach for the discovery of lead compounds with unprecedented anticancer activities by targeting the tolerance of cancer cells to nutrition starvation. These agents are selectively cytotoxic under the tumor microenvironment-mimicking condition of nutrition starvation, without apparent toxicity in the normal nutrient-rich condition. In this study, an ethanol extract of Betula alnoides showed antiausterity activity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under nutrient-deprived conditions, with a PC₅₀ value of 13.2 μg/mL. Phytochemical investigation of this active extract led to the isolation of eight benzophenones (1-8), including six new compounds, named betuphenones A-F (2-7), and three known xanthones (9-11). The structure elucidation of the new compounds was achieved by HRFABMS, NMR, and ECD spectroscopic analyses. A plausible biogenetic pathway of the new compounds was proposed. Compounds 1-7 displayed antiausterity activity with PC₅₀ values of 4.9-8.4 μM. Moreover, compounds 2 and 7 induced alterations in PANC-1 cell morphology under nutrient-deprived conditions and also inhibited PANC-1 colony formation under nutrient-rich conditions.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. petals with antiausterity activities against the HeLa human cervical cancer cell line

Ethanolic extract of Nelumbo nucifera petals showed preferential cytotoxic activity against HeLa human cervical cancer cell line with a PC₅₀ value of 10.4 μg/mL. This active extract was subjected to a phytochemical investigation study which led to the isolation of nine benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (1-9). The isolated compounds exhibited potent antiausterity activities. Moreover, under nutrient-deprived conditions, (-)-lirinidine (8) induced remarkable alterations in HeLa cell morphology including cell shrinkage and plasma blebbing leading to total cell death within 10 h. Mechanistically, 8 was found to inhibit Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. It also induced apoptosis by promoting caspase-3 activation and inhibiting Bcl-2 expression. Therefore, benzylisoquinoline alkaloids skeleton can be considered as a promising scaffold for the anticancer drug development against cervical cancer.

Chemical constituents of Thai Piper ribesoides and their antiausterity activities against the PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cell line

A methanolic extract of Thai Piper ribesoides showed preferential cytotoxicity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells under a nutrient-deprived condition, with a PC₅₀ value of 24 μg/mL. Phytochemical investigation of this bio-active extract led to the isolation of six compounds (1-6), including two new polyoxygenated cyclohexane derivatives, named ribesoidones A and B (1 and 2). The structural elucidation of the new compounds was achieved by a combination of HREIMS, NMR, and circular dichroism spectroscopic analyses. Isolated compounds were tested for their antiausterity activity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cell line. Among these, compounds 1, 3, and 4 displayed potent preferential cytotoxic activity with PC₅₀ values of 5.5-7.2 μM. Ribesoidone A (1) was also found to inhibit PANC-1 colony formation under normal nutrient-rich conditions.