Lupane Triterpenoids and New Derivatives as Antiproliferative Agents Against Prostate Cancer Cells.

Abstract

This study examined the potential role of natural triterpenoids lupeol, calenduladiol and heliantriol B2, and a set of 19 derivatives, as antiproliferative and antimetastatic agents against prostate cancer cells. Natural triterpenoids were isolated from Chuqiraga erinaceae. Analogs were obtained by transformations of lupeol and calenduladiol. The effects of compounds on PC-3 and LNCaP cells were determined using the MTT assay. Compounds with half-maximal inhibitory concentration <70 μM were evaluated as antimetastatic agents by a wound-healing assay. Lupeol-3β-sulfate, a new semisynthetic lupane, was the most active compound. In general, sulfated derivatives displayed higher activity than the lead against both cell lines. A new analog, calenduladiol-3β-monosulfate, inhibited the migration of PC-3 cells; heliantriol B2 and 3β-aminolupane inhibited the migration of LNCaP cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Our study provides novel agents with cytotoxic effects on prostate cancer cells, which may represent a potential new therapeutic approach for prostate cancer.