Anticancer mechanism of artonin E and related prenylated flavonoids from the medicinal plant Artocarpus elasticus

Abstract

Abstract. Bailly C. 2021. Anticancer mechanism of artonin E and related prenylated flavonoids from the medicinal plant Artocarpus elasticus. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 19: 44-56. Plants of the Artocarpus genus are largely distributed throughout tropical Asia and Oceania. Species such as A. altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg and A. heterophyllus Lam. are popular trees known as breadfruit and jackfruit, respectively. They contain a large structural diversity of bioactive prenylated flavonoids. Here we have focused on the less known species Artocarpus elasticus Reinw. ex Blume which is well distributed in southeast Asia, and used in traditional medicine to treat dysentery, tuberculosis, and other diseases. Numerous prenylated flavonoids have been isolated from the leaves and bark of A. elasticus, such as artocarpesin, artocarpin, artelastin, and many others. They are endowed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. A focus is made of the subgroup of compounds designated artonins, with the derivative artonin E as a lead anticancer agent. Art-E has revealed marked anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo, after oral administration. The mechanism of action of Art-E is discussed, to highlight the structural and functional analogy between Art-E and the antitumor natural product morusin. Both compounds trigger TRAIL-mediated apoptosis of cancer cells. They can be considered further for the development of novel anticancer agents.