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Abstract
The present study investigated the magnitude and mechanism of the cytotoxic effect on selected cancer cell lines of 3,4-seco-urs-4(23),20(30)-dien-3-oic acid (1), 3,4-seco-olean-4(24)-en-19-oxo-3-oic acid (2), and 3,4-seco-urs-4(23),20(30)-dien-19-ol-3-oic acid (3) isolated from downy birch (Betula pubescens) buds by carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction and gradient column chromatography. Cell viability in six human cancer lines exposed to these compounds was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis was quantified by annexin V/propidium iodide staining of gastric cancer AGS and colorectal cancer DLD-1 cells. To evaluate the mechanism of apoptosis, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins was analyzed by Western blot. Compound 1 exhibited non-specific toxicity, while compounds 2 and 3 were specifically toxic to colon and stomach cancer cells. The toxicity of compounds 2 and 3 against these two cell lines was greater than for compound 1. Cleavage of caspase-8, -9, and -3 was found in AGS and DLD-1 cells treated with all three seco-acids, indicating the induction of apoptosis via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Therefore, triterpene seco-acids (1–3) decreased cell viability by apoptosis induction. AGS and DLD-1 cells were more susceptible to seco-acids with an oxidized C19 than normal fibroblasts. Hence, it made them a new group of triterpenes with potential anticancer activity.
Highlights
Birch trees are deciduous hardwood species from the Betulaceae family and are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere
The genus Betula is a rich source of triterpenes that exert cytotoxic activity and are considered as potential anticancer agents, with betulinic acid being a well-known example [18]
Less-active compounds such as betulin, which is the major constituent of the outer bark of birch trees, are used for obtaining semi-synthetic derivatives with promising activity [19,20]
Summary
In Russia, a birch bud preparation, Gemmae Betulae, is a standardized medicine used mainly to treat urinary tract diseases [7]. A number of studies have been conducted on the anti-cancer activity of birch buds [8,9,10,11]. It was found that various extracts from the buds of two species of white birch exhibited distinct time- and concentration-dependent cytotoxicity with respect to many human cancer cell lines [10,11]. The highest cytotoxic activity was demonstrated by extracts obtained by carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction (SFE).
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