Anticancer activity of Momordica cochinchinensis (red gac) aril and the impact of varietal diversity

The Inhibitory Effect of KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM on Human Papillomavirus Infection and Cervical Cancer

Background and Objectives: Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of frequently found cancers in Thailand. One of the causative agents is the infection of the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18. Traditional medicines are rich sources of bioactive compounds which are a valuable source for the development of novel cancer therapies. In this study, the therapeutic effects of 3 traditional medicines, KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM, were studied on HeLa and CaSki cells. Materials and Methods: The effects of KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM on cancer cells were evaluated through cytotoxicity and cell death assays. The infection assay using HPV-16 pseudovirus was also carried out. Results: All traditional medicines efficiently suppressed cell growths of HeLa and CaSki, with KerraTM being the most potent anticancer agent followed by KSTM and MinozaTM. KerraTM at 158 µg/mL and 261 µg/mL significantly increases the percentage inhibition of the HPV-16 pseudovirus infection in a pre-attachment step in a dose-dependent manner, while KSTM at 261 µg/mL efficiently inhibited viral infection in both pre-attachment and adsorption steps. However, KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM at subtoxic concentrations could not reduce the viral E6 mRNA expressions of HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cell death assay by acridine orange/ethidium bromide showed that KerraTM increased population of dead cells in dose-dependent manner in both CaSki and HeLa. The percentage of secondary necrosis in KerraTM-treated CaSki was higher than that of HeLa cells, while the percentage of late apoptotic cells in HeLa was higher than that of CaSki, indicating that HeLa was more susceptible to KerraTM than CaSki. For KSTM and MinozaTM, these extracts at 250 µg/mL promoted autophagy over cell death. At 500 µg/mL, the percentage of dead cells in KerraTM was higher than that of KSTM and MinozaTM. Conclusions: KerraTM is a potent traditional medicine for promoting cancer cell death. KerraTM is possibly useful in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. Further investigation will be carried out to gain a better understanding of the biochemical mechanism and the pharmacological activity underlying this effect.

Anticancer and Antimutagenic Properties of Pogonatherum paniceum on Colorectal Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

Pogonatherum paniceum (P. paniceum) (Lam.) Hack. plays an important role in detoxification. However, its anticancer activity has not yet been elucidated. The aim of our study was to examine the suppressive proliferation, anti-migration and mutagenic/antimutagenic properties of P. paniceum. Moreover, we set out to determine the cellular mechanism underlying its antiproliferation.

METHODS

To investigate P. paniceum's anticancer ability, HCT116 and HT29 cell lines were treated with a water extract containing P. paniceum, and then the cell viability was examined using the trypan blue exclusion method which were compared to HEK293 (non-cancerous cells). The anticancer effects were investigated by MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) and colony formation assay. Apoptosis induction, cell cycle distribution, and migration abilities were assessed by cell death detection enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), flow cytometry, and wound healing assay. Finally, the mutagenicity and antimutagenicity were evaluated using the micronucleus assay.

RESULTS

Treatment with P. paniceum caused a loss of cell viability in HCT116 and HT29 cells (not found in HEK293), which had an IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of 1,156.2 and 1,207.0 µg/mL, respectively. We found that P. paniceum significantly inhibited the proliferative function of HCT116 and HT29 cells. To find the mechanism that exerts a suppressive proliferation effect on P. paniceum, we determined the DNA fragmentation and cell cycle distribution. We also found that P. paniceum treatment increased apoptosis and arrested of the cell cycle at G0/G1 remarkably when compared with the control group. Moreover, P. paniceum could decrease the migration of HCT116 and HT29 cancer cells. Finally, the treatment of P. paniceum did not induce micronucleus formation but did decrease the micronucleus frequency against mutagen-mitomycin C.

CONCLUSIONS

P. paniceum did not possess any toxicity (cytotoxic and mutagenic) but has the potential for anticancer activity against human colorectal cells by increasing apoptosis, which leads to the suppression of cell proliferation. P. paniceum also inhibits cell migration and exerts antimutagenicity, thereby suggesting that P. paniceum might be useful for colorectal cancer treatment.

Exploring the Apoptotic-Induced Biochemical Mechanism of Traditional Thai Herb (Kerra™) Extract in HCT116 Cells Using a Label-Free Proteomics Approach

Background and Objectives: Natural products have proven to be a valuable source for the discovery of new candidate drugs for cancer treatment. This study aims to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of "Kerra™", a natural extract derived from a mixture of nine medicinal plants mentioned in the ancient Thai scripture named the Takxila Scripture, on HCT116 cells. Materials and Methods: In this study, the effect of the Kerra™ extract on cancer cells was assessed through cell viability assays. Apoptotic activity was evaluated by examining the apoptosis characteristic features. A proteomics analysis was conducted to identify proteins and pathways associated with the extract's mechanism of action. The expression levels of apoptotic protein markers were measured to validate the extract's efficacy. Results: The Kerra™ extract demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the cells, with higher concentrations leading to decreased cell viability. Treatment with the extract for 72 h induced characteristic features of early and late apoptosis, as well as cell death. An LC-MS/MS analysis identified a total of 3406 proteins. The pathway analysis revealed that the Kerra™ extract stimulated apoptosis and cell death in colorectal cancer cell lines and suppressed cell proliferation in adenocarcinoma cell lines through the EIF2 signaling pathway. Upstream regulatory proteins, including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A) and MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor (MYC), were identified. The expressions of caspase-8 and caspase-9 were significantly elevated by the Kerra™ extract compared to the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin (Dox). Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence for the ability of the Kerra™ extract to induce apoptosis in HCT116 colon cancer cells. The extract's efficacy was demonstrated by its dose-dependent inhibitory effect, induction of apoptotic activity, and modulation of key proteins involved in cell death and proliferation pathways. This study highlights the potential of Kerra™ as a promising therapeutic agent in cancer treatment.

Momordica cochinchinensis (Gấc) Seed Extracts Induce Apoptosis and Necrosis in Melanoma Cells

Momordica cochinchinensis is a herbal medicine used throughout Asia and this study investigated the antimelanoma potentials and molecular mechanisms of M. cochinchinensis seed with emphasis on extraction to optimise bioactivity. Overall, the aqueous extract was superior, with a wider diversity and higher concentration of proteins and peptides that was more cytotoxic to the melanoma cells than other extraction solvents. The IC50 of the aqueous extract on melanoma cells were similar to treatment with current anticancer drugs, vemurafenib and cisplatin. This cytotoxicity was cancer-specific with lower cytotoxic effects on HaCaT epidermal keratinocytes. Cytotoxicity correlated with MAPK signalling pathways leading to apoptosis and necrosis induced by triggering tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1), reducing the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), and suppression of BRAF/MEK. This efficacy of M. cochinchinensis seed extracts on melanoma cells provides a platform for future clinical trials as potent adjunctive therapy for metastatic melanoma.

Sonicated Extract from the Aril of Momordica Cochinchinensis Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Migration in Aggressive Prostate Cancer Cells

Momordica cochinchinensis or gac fruit has been reported to have several biological activities, including antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. However, the effect on cancer cell metastasis has not been extensively studied. With this aim, the extract from the aril part was selected and investigated for prostate cancer cell migration. The aril extracts were prepared as boiled extract, sonicated extract, ethanol extract, and HAE (hexane:acetone:ethanol; 2 : 1 : 1) extract, while the prostate cancer cell models were PC-3 and LNCaP cells. An MTT assay was performed to compare the antiproliferative effect between prostate cancer cells and normal Vero cells. As a result, the sonicated extract had the highest efficiency in PC-3 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 2 mg/mL and 0.59 mg/mL for 48 and 72 h, respectively, while it had less of an effect in LNCaP cells and was not toxic to normal cells. Cell damage was further confirmed using LDH and cell cycle analysis. As a result, the sonicated extract did not cause cell damage or death and only inhibited cell proliferation. The effect on cancer metastasis was further examined by wound healing, transwell migration assays, and western blotting. The results demonstrated that the sonicated extract inhibited PC-3 cell migration and decreased MMP-9 but increased TIMP-1 expression. All these results support that gac fruit is a valuable source for further development as an anticancer agent for prostate cancer patients.

Stem Extract from Momordica cochinchinensis Induces Apoptosis in Chemoresistant Human Prostate Cancer Cells (PC-3)

Natural compounds have been recognized as valuable sources for anticancer drug development. In this work, different parts from Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng were selected to perform cytotoxic screening against human prostate cancer (PC-3) cells. Chromatographic separation and purification were performed for the main constituents of the most effective extract. The content of the fatty acids was determined by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC–FID). Chemical structural elucidation was performed by spectroscopic means. For the mechanism of the apoptotic induction of the most effective extract, the characteristics were evaluated by Hoechst 33342 staining, sub-G1 peak analysis, JC-1 staining, and Western blotting. As a result, extracts from different parts of M. cochinchinensis significantly inhibited cancer cell viability. The most effective stem extract induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells by causing nuclear fragmentation, increasing the sub-G1 peak, and changing the mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, the stem extract increased the pro-apoptotic (caspase-3 and Noxa) mediators while decreasing the anti-apoptotic (Bcl-xL and Mcl-1) mediators. The main constituents of the stem extract are α-spinasterol and ligballinol, as well as some fatty acids. Our results demonstrated that the stem extract of M. cochinchinensis has cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in PC-3 cells. These results provide basic knowledge for developing antiproliferative agents for prostate cancer in the future.