Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Cytotoxic Cycloartane Triterpenoid Glycosides from the Traditionally Used Medicinal PlantLeea indica

Yau Hsiung Wong,Habsah Abdul Kadir,Sui Kiong Ling

doi:10.1155/2012/164689

Abstract

Leea indica is a medicinal plant used traditionally to cure cancer. In this study, the cytotoxic compounds of L. indica were isolated using bioassay-guided approach. Two cycloartane triterpenoid glycosides, mollic acid arabinoside (MAA) and mollic acid xyloside (MAX), were firstly isolated from L. indica. They inhibited the growth of Ca Ski cervical cancer cells with IC50 of 19.21 μM (MAA) and 33.33 μM (MAX). MRC5 normal cell line was used to calculate selectivity index. MAA and MAX were about 8 and 4 times more cytotoxic to Ca Ski cells compared to MRC5. The cytotoxicity of MAA was characterized by both cytostatic and cytocidal effects. MAA decreased the expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigen, increased sub-G1 cells, and arrested cells in S and G2/M phases. This study provides the evidence for the ethnomedicinal use of L. indica and paves the way for future mechanism studies on the anticancer effects of MAA.

Highlights

Plants provide us with broad spectrum of biologically active compounds that have potential therapeutic effects on a myriad of diseases
We reported the further progress whereby the active fraction of L. indica was subjected to bioassay-guided approach in order to isolate the cytotoxic compounds from L. indica
We showed that mollic acid α-L-arabinoside (MAA) caused a conspicuous dose-dependent reduction of formazan formation in Ca Ski cells (Figure 4(a))

Summary

Introduction

Plants provide us with broad spectrum of biologically active compounds that have potential therapeutic effects on a myriad of diseases. F.) Merrill is a traditional Chinese medicine which belongs to the Leeaceae family. In our previous cytotoxicity screening, the crude ethanol extract and fractions (ethyl acetate, hexane, and water) were found to inhibit the growth of Ca Ski cervical cancer cell line [23]. This provides the evidence for the use of L. indica as folkloric treatment of cancer. We reported the further progress whereby the active fraction (ethyl acetate) of L. indica was subjected to bioassay-guided approach in order to isolate the cytotoxic compounds from L. indica

Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion