Erythrina excelsa exhibits estrogenic effects in vivo and in vitro and is cytotoxic on breast and colon cancer cell lines

Metabolomic study of the estrogenic and anti-osteoporotic potential of Erythrina bidwillii leaf

Erythrina bidwillii Lindl., Leguminosae, constitutes a valuable crop for horticulture and medicine; however, it is rarely investigated. Menopause is a crucial transitional period in women's health. Women worldwide consider the use of phytoestrogens as a safe hormone replacement therapy to alleviate detrimental menopausal symptoms. Thus, the discovery of novel phytoestrogens is highly demanded. The present study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the metabolomic profile and the estrogenic potential of E. bidwillii Lindl. leaf. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling revealed the prevalence of alkaloids, flavonoids, isoflavonoids and fatty acids. Additionally, five erythrinan alkaloids, cristanine A (1), 8-oxoerythraline (2), (+)-erythrinine (3), (+)-erythraline (4) and 8-oxoerythrinine (5), along with the isoflavonoid genistin (6), were isolated. Erythrina bidwillii leaf extract exhibited significant in vivo estrogenic, anti-osteoporotic, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective activities, utilizing ovariectomized rat model. Moreover, ethyl acetate and hexane fractions possessed significant in vitro estrogeic potential on MCF-7 cell lines. An in silico study of the isolated metabolites revealed that (+)-erythrinine (3) and 8-oxoerythrinine (5) exhibited the highest affinity for ERα and ERβ, respectively, modeling them as potential estrogenic lead metabolites. Therefore, E. bidwillii leaf could be employed as promising hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women after thorough clinical trials.

Excelsanone, a new isoflavonoid from Erythrina excelsa (Fabaceae), with in vitro antioxidant and in vitro cytotoxic effects on prostate cancer cells lines

A new isoflavonoid, excelsanone (2), was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Erythrina excelsa stem bark, together with three known compounds namely 6,8-diprenylgenistein (3), β-sitosterol (1) and sitosteryl-β-D-glucopyranoside (4). Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods (HR-ESI-MS, NMR and IR) and by comparison with some literature data. The antioxidant activity of crude extracts and two isolated compounds was evaluated using free radical scavenging (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP) methods with catechin as standard. The results of the radical scavenging activity showed that excelsanone (2) has a moderate potential with an IC₅₀ of 1.31 mg/ml. The cytotoxicity of compounds 2 and 3 as well as the ethyl acetate extract was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in two prostate cancer cell lines (DU145 and PC3). Excelsanone (2) induced a greater cytotoxicity in all tested cell lines, with a significant inhibition of DU145 cells growth in a concentration-dependent manner.