Investigation of Vietnamese plants for potential anticancer agents

Higher plants continue to afford humankind with many new drugs, for a variety of disease types. In this review, recent phytochemical and biological progress is presented for part of a collaborative multi-institutional project directed towards the discovery of new antitumor agents. The specific focus is on bioactive natural products isolated and characterized structurally from tropical plants collected in Vietnam. The plant collection, identification, and processing steps are described, and the natural products isolated from these species are summarized with their biological activities.

Caeruleanone A, a rotenoid with a new arrangement of the D-ring from the fruits of Millettia caerulea

Caeruleanone A (1), a novel rotenoid with an unprecedented arrangement of the D-ring, was isolated with another two new analogues, caeruleanones B (2) and C (3), together with 11 known rotenoids from the fruits of Millettia caerulea. The structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic data analysis, with that of 1 being confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 2 and 3 displayed potent mitochondrial transmembrane potential inhibitory and quinone reductase induction activities.

Bioactive constituents of Indigofera spicata

Four new flavanones, designated as (+)-5″-deacetylpurpurin (1), (+)-5-methoxypurpurin (2), (2S)-2,3-dihydrotephroglabrin (3), and (2S)-2,3-dihydrotephroapollin C (4), together with two known flavanones (5 and 6), three known rotenoids (7-9), and one known chalcone (10) were isolated from a chloroform-soluble partition of a methanol extract from the combined flowers, fruits, leaves, and twigs of Indigofera spicata, collected in Vietnam. The compounds were obtained by bioactivity-guided isolation using the HT-29 human colon cancer, 697 human acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and Raji human Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines. The structures of 1-4 were established by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments, and the absolute configurations were determined by the measurement of specific rotations and CD spectra. The cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds were tested against the HT-29, 697, Raji, and CCD-112CoN human normal colon cells. Also, the quinone reductase induction activities of the isolates were determined using the Hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cell line. In addition, cis-(6aβ,12aβ)-hydroxyrotenone (7) was evaluated in an in vivo hollow fiber bioassay using HT-29, MCF-7 human breast cancer, and MDA-MB-435 human melanoma cells.

Potentiating effect of the flavonolignan (-)-hydnocarpin in combination with vincristine in a sensitive and P-gp-expressing acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line

The potentiating action of the flavonolignan, (-)-hydnocarpin, in combination with vincristine was evaluated in the 697 acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line and a P-gp-expressing variant, 697-R. Vincristine at 3 nM caused nearly complete growth inhibition in 697 cells versus a 17% growth inhibition in 697-R cells. When combined with (-)-hydnocarpin at concentrations of 10 and 5 μM, vincristine-mediated growth inhibition in the 697-R cells increased significantly over the sum of the individual agents to 72% (p ≤ 0.0001) and 41% (p = 0.0256), respectively. Vincristine at 1.5 nM (66% growth inhibition) and 0.75 nM (39% growth inhibition) combined with (-)-hydnocarpin at 10 μM (42% growth inhibition) in the 697 cells caused a significant increase in growth inhibition to 83% (p = 0.03) and to 61% (p < 0.0001), respectively, when compared to vincristine treatment as a single agent. To investigate the mechanism for the vincristine re-sensitization caused by (-)-hydnocarpin, the P-gp inhibitory effect of (-)-hydnocarpin was evaluated.

Effects of ILTG on DAPK1 promoter methylation in colon and leukemia cancer cell lines

AIMS

The aim of this study was to describe quantitatively the potential demethylating effects of the plant-derived compound isoliquritigenin (ILTG) on the death-associated protein kinase-1 (DAPK1) promoter region of colon cancer and leukemia cell lines.

METHODS

Methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction-melting curve analysis (MSP-MCA) was the primary method used. A simple cytotoxicity assay and an ethidium bromide displacement assay were used to evaluate the chemopreventive indices and account for any problems in fluorometric assessment caused by intercalating potential of the compound of interest.

RESULTS

ILTG was able to affect the melting curve significantly when using MSP-MCA. ILTG exhibited a demethylating activity on HT-29 colon cancer and HL-60 leukemia cells.

CONCLUSION

ILTG found in licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) may have the potential for being a cancer chemopreventive agent. From the specific assays performed in this experiment, ILTG appears to possess potential for development as a demethylating agent for either colon cancer or leukemia cancer prevention.

Potential of plant-derived natural products in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma

Hematologic malignancies account for a substantial percentage of cancers worldwide, and the heterogeneity and biological characteristics of leukemias and lymphomas present unique therapeutic challenges. Although treatment options exist for most of these diseases, many types remain incurable and the emergence of drug resistance is pervasive. Thus, novel treatment approaches are essential to improve outcome. Nearly half of the agents used in cancer therapy today are either natural products or derivatives of natural products. The enormous chemical diversity in nature, coupled with millennia of biological selection, has generated a vast and underexplored reservoir of unique chemical structures with biologic activity. This review will describe the investigation and application of natural products derived from higher plants in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma and the rationale behind these efforts. In addition to the approved vinca alkaloids and the epipodophyllotoxin derivatives, a number of other plant compounds have shown promise in clinical trials and in preclinical investigations. In particular, we will focus on the discovery and biological evaluation of the plant-derived agent silvestrol, which shows potential for additional development as a new therapeutic agent for B-cell malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukemia.