Eurycoma Longifolia Research Articles

Supplementation with Eurycoma longifolia Extract Modulates Diurnal Body Temperature Fluctuation and Sleep Rhythm in Mice.

Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali; TA) is a traditional medicinal herb, commonly known as Malaysian ginseng. The root tea has been traditionally applied to treat fevers, aches, sexual dysfunction and other ailments. We evaluated the effects of TA extract supplementation on diurnal core body temperature (BT) and sleep architecture in model mice. Dietary supplementation with TA extract for 4 wk resulted in significantly and moderately reduced BT during the rest and active phases, respectively. A high dose delayed the onset of BT elevation at the start of the active phase, indicating that the effect was dose-dependent. Electroencephalography findings revealed that dietary supplementation with TA extract changed sleep rhythms and delta power during the inactive phase of NREM sleep, indicating improved sleep quality. Our findings suggested that dietary TA extract could be a promising natural aid that alleviates sleep problems via thermoregulation.

Several Medicinal Plant Species Need Enrichment Planting

Pulai (Alstonia scholaris), kayu manis/cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanii, Cinnamomum iners), pakanangi/kisereh (Cinnamomum parthenoxylon/Cinnamomum porrectum), kulilawang (Cinnamomum halmaherae), agarwood (Aquilaria sp., Gyrinops versteeghii, and Gyrinopsis cumingiana), and pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia) are some medicinal plants species that grow in plantations or natural forests. The exploitation of these species causes their existence to be scarce or almost not known, with the result that is needed the policy to save the existence of medicinal plants species. Industries of herbal medicine which exploit the raw material from nature need to build seedlings and enrichment areas. The collaboration between medicinal industries with local people to build medicinal plant species plantations can be developed. This study informs a field review of some medicinal plant species from several regions during the research activities from 2005 to 2009.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory properties of Eurycoma longifolia Jack and Eurycoma harmandiana Pierre in vitro cultures and their constituents

ABSTRACT Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) has been used for treating erectile dysfunction, in which inflammation plays a major role. EL tissue cultures can overcome the shortage of material; however, the anti-inflammatory property of such cultures has not been investigated. Herein, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of root and callus cultures of EL and of a related species, Eurycoma harmandiana Pierre (EH), on lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Eurycomalactone and 9-methoxycanthin-6-one were the predominant compounds in EL calli. Eurycomanone content was 0.283 mg/g in EL root culture and 0.348 mg/g in intact roots. The extracts of the root and callus cultures significantly inhibited nitric oxide production, and inhibited the expression of iNOS, IL-6, and COX-2 genes. Overall, the tissue cultures of EH and EL produced eurycomanone, chaparinone, eurycomalactone, 9-hydroxycanthin-6-one, canthin-6-one, and 9-methoxycanthin-6-one, which exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. These tissue cultures may be a valuable and sustainable source of active ingredients effective against inflammatory conditions.

Incorporation of catechin extracts from gambier products and pasak bumi in the production of functional instant green robusta coffee

The research was used to produce functional instant green coffee through gambier catechin extract and pasak bumi powder. This involved using a non-factorial completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments consist of 5 formulations (F), including the instant green coffee (%), gambir catechin extract (%), and pasak bumi powder (%) where F1 was at 100:0:0, F2 was 80:15:5, F3 was 70:20:10, F4 was 60:25:15, and F5 was 50:30:20. The results showed the functional instant green coffee produced has a water content of 3.84 – 4.81%, soluble speed of 26.78 – 29.33 seconds, and total phenol of 16.79 – 169.48 mg/L, and IC50 of 44.68- 207.59 ppm. The addition of gambier catechin extract and pasak bumi powder to the formulation was observed to have significantly increased the functional properties and water content. Moreover, the soluble speed of the instant coffee fulfils the quality requirements of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) number 2983 of 2014.

A Quassinoid Diterpenoid Eurycomanone from Eurycoma longifolia Jack Exerts Anti-Cancer Effect through Autophagy Inhibition

Eurycomanone (EN) is one of the representative quassinoid diterpenoids from roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack, a natural medicine that is widely distributed in Southeast Asia. Previous studies showed that EN induces cancer cell apoptosis and exhibits anti-cancer activity, but the molecular mechanism of EN against cancer has still not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the regulatory effect of EN on autophagy to reveal the mechanism of EN-mediated colon cancer growth inhibition. First, we found that EN is able to inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and colony formation. The angiogenesis level in cancer cells was inhibited as well. Next, the treatment of EN led to the suppression of autophagy, which was characterized by the downregulation of the LC3-II level and the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta under EN treatment in colon cancer. Moreover, we revealed that the mTOR signaling pathway was activated by EN in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Finally, autophagy induction protected colon cancer cells from EN treatment, suggesting that autophagy improves cell survival. Taken together, our findings revealed the mechanism of EN against colon cancer through inhibiting autophagy and angiogenesis in colon cancer, supporting that the autophagy inhibitor EN could be developed to be a novel anti-cancer agent.

A Systematic Review on Antimicrobial and Antiparasitic Activity of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali).

Eurycoma longifolia or Tongkat Ali (family: Simaroubaceae) has the potential to be utilised as an antimicrobial and antiparasitic agent that correlated with its traditional use to treat jaundice, malaria, antiseptic agent, and many more. This review is aimed at systematically sieving through articles regarding the antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity of E. longifolia. A total of 123 studies have been found using suitable keywords and manually searched from previous studies through the four databases. After title screening and abstract examination, 56 articles were excluded due to duplication and not meeting the acceptance criteria. 67 articles were assessed on full-text accessibility, 31 studies remained, and this number decreased to 20 articles after a careful examination of the full-text articles. Among the 20 articles selected, 17 articles proved the potential of E. longifolia as an antimicrobial and antiparasitic agent efficiently. 2 selected articles showed partial positive results, which specified specific microorganisms tested. In contrast, another 1 article gave a completely negative result. As for the conclusion, current studies highlighted by this review may shed light on the future direction of studies concerning E. longifolia as a novel antimicrobial and antiparasitic agent. However, more research should be done in the future focusing on the efficiency of E. longifolia for veterinary medicine utilisation.

Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitory Activity of Canthin-6-One Alkaloids and the Roots of Eurycoma longifolia and Eurycoma harmandiana.

Eurycoma longifolia (EL) and Eurycoma harmandiana (EH) are natural medicinal plants belonging to the Simaroubaceae family, and are well-known for their ability to enhance male sexual performance. The present study investigated the phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitory activity of intact roots of EL and EH. Additionally, canthin-6-one alkaloids, β-carboline alkaloids, and quassinoids were also screened for PDE-5 inhibitory activity. We developed in vitro root and callus cultures of EL and EH to determine their PDE-5 inhibitory activity. Our results indicated that canthin-6-one alkaloids, which include canthin-6-one-9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 9-methoxycanthin-6-one, canthin-6-one, and 9-hydroxycanthin-6-one, exhibited PDE-5 enzymatic inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 2.86±0.23, 3.30±1.03, 4.31±0.52, and 4.66±1.13 μM, respectively. The ethanolic extract of the intact roots of EL and EH, and the in vitro root culture of EH had large amounts of canthin-6-one alkaloids (1.50±0.04, 2.12±0.03, and 3.48±0.08 mg/g dry weight, respectively), and showed potent PDE-5 inhibition. Our findings indicate that in vitro root cultures of EH may be used to replace intact plants, and canthin-6-one-9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside should be further investigated for development as a health supplement.

Cytotoxic Evaluation of <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> Jack Root Extract on Chromosome Aberrations in Human Lymphocytes <i>In vitro</i>

This study aimed to investigate chromosomal aberrations of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) root extract in human lymphocytes in vitro. Human whole blood was cultured in medium solution that treated with distilled water, 20% DMSO, extract of EL roots at the concentration of 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 µg/mL (extracted with distilled water and ethanol), and nontreated (blank: only culture medium and whole blood). All experiments were cultured for 72 hours in the 37°C incubator. The effects of EL roots extract on cytotoxicity were compared with the control groups including the blank, distilled water, and 20% DMSO. This study found that EL root extract significantly decreased metaphase cell number and increased chromosome aberrations dose dependent manner (p<0.01). The 7 types of chromosome aberration that were observed consisted of dicentric chromosome, single chromatid breaks, isochromatid break, isochromatid gap, single chromatid gap, fragmentation, and deletion. The dicentric chromosome was the most common chromosomal aberrations type that was treated with EL root extract both distilled water and ethanol. Moreover, the ethanolic extract of EL root was more effective to stimulate chromosome aberrations compared to the water extract of EL root (the deletion and fragmentation were not found in the water extract of EL root). This study demonstrated that the phytochemicals of EL root extract had cytotoxicity effect (decreased metaphase cells and increase cells death) and genotoxic effect (increased chromosomal aberrations. The use of EL root crude extract with distilled water is therefore safer for cells. However, when EL is used at high levels, it may lead to the inhibition of cell division process and cause side effects (toxicity). EL extracts consist of various phytochemicals with different properties and dosages, thus more studies should be conducted on the effect of those substances on cytotoxicity, especially their effects on genotoxicity humans.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Picrasma quassioides (D. Don) Benn. 1844 (Simaroubaceae)

Picrasma quassioides is a member of the Simaroubaceae family and is widely used as a medicinal plant. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of P. quassioides. The chloroplast genome is 160,015 bp in length, with a large single-copy region of 87,136 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,069 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 27,405 bp. It contains a total of 110 unique genes, including 77 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. quassioides clustered well with Simaroubaceae plants, Eurycoma longifolia, Leitneria floridana, and Ailanthus latissimus.

The Effect of Eurycoma longifolia Jack Tongkat Ali Hydrogel on Wound Contraction and Re-Epithelialization in In Vivo Excisional Wound Model

BACKGROUND: Wound management is one of the significant health problems throughout the world. Medicinal plants have been used widely in wound management. Eurycoma longifolia Jack which is known as Tongkat Ali (TA) is a tropical medicinal plant in South East Asian countries. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of (TA) hydrogel on wound contraction and re-epithelialization in excisional wound model in rats. METHODS: Twenty male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups each group contained five rats (n = 5). Animal treatment groups are formed as: Untreated (−ve) control, Hydrocyn® aqua gel (+ve), vehicle hydrogel, and (TA) hydrogel. A full-thickness circular excisional wound was created on the dorsal back of each rat. The wounded area was measured and photographed on days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 post wounding to determine the percentage of wound contraction and re-epithelialization. RESULTS: (TA) hydrogel showed significant increase in the percentage of wound contraction by 43.38% compared with the other groups (p = 0.032, p < 0.050) during the first interval (inflammatory phase). Although in the later healing stages (proliferative and remodeling) and re-epithelialization, our test group (TA) hydrogel did not show statistically difference with the other groups yet it was comparable to medically certified wound healing agent. CONCLUSION: (TA) hydrogel significantly accelerated the wound healing process during the early stage, the inflammatory stage. Whereas during the later healing stages and re-epithelialization, it showed almost the same effect of Hydrocyn® aqua gel.

Antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of dichloromethane fraction of extracts from adventitious roots of Eurycoma longifolia against Staphylococcus aureus

Adventitious root (AR) cultures of Eurycoma longifolia are the alternative plant materials. However, the biological effects of the ARs are rarely investigated, leading to a delay in their practical application. In this study, antibacterial activities of sub-fractions of E. longifolia ARs extracted by different organic solvents were examined. Furthermore, antibacterial mechanism and antibiofilm effect of the dichloromethane fraction (DCM) against Staphylococcus aureus were explored. Results showed that petroleum ether, DCM, ethyl acetate, and n-butyl alcohol fractions inhibited growth of the tested bacterial species, and the highest inhibitory effect was observed in DCM against S. aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.25 mg/mL. DCM promoted the leakage of cell contents of S. aureus, indicating cell permeability increased. After DCM treatment, S. aureus respiration was inhibited, and the activity of a key enzyme in hexose monophophate pathway (HMP) decreased, suggesting an involvement of DCM in regulating the HMP. DCM possessed the ability of scavenging S. aureus biofilm; nearly 50% biofilm was scavenged at 0.5 mg/mL DCM, at which the extracellular polysaccharides and proteins of the biofilm structure were reduced. The findings of this study indicate that DCM can be expected to be used in the production of food or pharmaceutical products.

Transport mechanism of eurycomanone from Eurycoma longifolia Jack across Caco-2 cells model

Eurycomanone is the main active ingredient of Eurycoma longifolia Jack with anti-cancer, anti-malaria, improving male sexual dysfunction and other effects.The poor lipid solubility of eurycomanone is potential reason for its low bioavailability. However, the transmembrane absorption mechanism has not been reported. In this study, the Caco-2 cell monolayer model was used to investigate the influence of different factors on the eurycomanone transmembrane absorption, including time, concentration, temperature, P-glycoprotein inhibitors (verapamil or cyclosporin A) and collateral transport enhancer (sodium desoxycholate or EDTA).The results showed that the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) of eurycomanone was lower than 10-6 cm/s with poor oral absorption. The Papp was not dependent on concentrations or temperatures. The addition of paracellular transport enhancer promoted the absorption of eurycomanone(P < 0.05), whereas p-glycoprotein inhibitors had no effect.Taken together, this study indicated that absorption of eurycomanone may undergo passive transmembrane transport and paracellular transport.

The Potential at Phytochemical Compounds from the Indonesian Kalimantan Plant as Covid-19 Immunomodulators

Herbal plants are alternative medicine and immunity boosters related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Typical Kalimantan plants that have the potential are dayak onion (Eleutherine americana Merr.), karamunting (Rhodomyrtus tematosa (Aiton) Hassk), pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack), and tigaron (Crataeva adansonii DC). This study aims to determine the potential of phytochemical compounds from Indonesian Kalimantan plants as Covid-19 immunomodulators. Descriptive research with cross-sectional study design by testing the typical plants of Kalimantan, which were extracted first through the maceration method and then carried out qualitative and quantitative phytochemical tests. Qualitative and quantitative results showed that the four positive plants contained phytochemical alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins in certain levels. Quantitative results on dayak onion (Eleutherine americana Merr.) obtained alkaloid content; flavonoids; saponins; tannins were 74.540%; 22.125 mg/mL; 58.350%; 0.342 mg/mL. karamunting fruit (Rhodomyrtus tematosa (Aiton) Hassk) 72.815%; 20,500 mg/mL; 78.225%; 0.541 mg/mL. pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) 68.575%; 12,250 mg/mL; 53.930%; 0.383 mg/mL; and tigaron (Crataeva adansonii DC) 82.330%; 40,750 mg/mL; 75.395%; 0.609 mg/mL. The four phytochemical compounds have the potential as Covid-19 immunomodulators. This study concludes that the typical plant from Kalimantan that has been studied has the potential. This research can be continued by testing the effectiveness of phytochemicals as Covid-19 immunomodulators in experimental animals.

Ethnomedicinal Plants in Herbal Remedies Used for Treatment of Skin Diseases by Traditional Healers in Songkhla Province, Thailand.

Skin disorders are a worldwide health problem that normally affect human life. A traditional healer is an important expert in researching notable medicinal plants for skin disease treatment. This study aimed to determine the traditional knowledge and the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of skin diseases among traditional healers in the Songkhla province, Thailand. The ethnobotanical information was collected from experienced traditional healers by semi-structured interviews and participant observations. Plant specimens were also collected and identified using the standard taxonomic method. The data were analyzed by interpretation and descriptive statistics. Twenty-five polyherbal formulations for the treatment of skin diseases were obtained from traditional healers with at least 10 years of experience. A total of 66 plant species in 38 families were documented. Leaves and trees were the most commonly employed plant parts and plant habits included in the herbal remedies, respectively. Fabaceae, Rubiaceae, and Zingiberaceae were the majority of the cited families. Oryza sativa L. and Zingiber montanum (J. Koenig) Link ex A.Dietr. were the most preferred plants combined in the prescriptions, which had the highest use value (UV = 0.83). The highest relative frequency of citation was represented by Curcuma longa L., Eurycoma longifolia Jack, Knema globularia (Lamk.) Warb, and Senna siamea (Lam.) Irwin & Barneby. (0.55 each). This research suggests the importance of traditional healers in the healing of skin diseases with herbal remedies. A variety of medicinal plants are used in the prescriptions for the treatment of skin disorders in the Songkhla province, in the south of Thailand. Pharmacological and toxicological activities as well as phytochemical constituents of polyherbal remedies should be further investigated to scientifically verify further applications of widely practiced herbal medicines.

NEURO PROGENITOR CELLS (NPCS) AND PPARγ EXPRESSION IN THE BRAIN OF PROTEIN-DEFICIENT RATS AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF PASAK BUMI (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) EXTRACT

Abstract: Malnutrition due to protein deficiency disrupts the neurogenesis process that affects cell development and brain function. One of the efforts to overcome the matter is to use the pasak Bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) which has compounds believed to increase the process of neurogenesis. The aim of study to analyze the effect of pasak bumi extract on the expression of NPCs (Tuj-1) and PPARγ cell in the brains of malnourished rats. Groups of experimental animals that were were divided into 5 groups, namely (P1) malnourished rats + placebo (aquades); (P2) malnourished rats + pasak bumi extract (EPB) 7,5 mg/kg BW; (P3) malnourished rats + EPB 15 mg/kg BW; (P4) malnourished rats + EPB 22,5 mg/kg BW; (P5) malnourished rats + EPB 30 mg/kg BW. As a control, normal rats were used which were given a placebo. Parameters examined include Tuj-1 and PPARγ using immunohistochemistry procedure. The results showed that the P3 group (15 mg/kg BW) had more cells expressing Tuj-1 than the other doses. There was a significant difference between the KP and the P3, P4, and P5 groups. There was no significant difference in the expression of PPARγ in all malnourished groups with EPB and KN intervention. Conclusion: extract of pasak bumi was able to improve the neurogenesis process in malnutrition but not PPARγ. Keywords: Malnutrition, pasak bumi extract, NPCs, Tuj-1, PPARγ

Molecular identification of Eurycoma longifolia Jack from Sumatra, Indonesia using trnL-F region

Abstract. Yulita KS, Susilowati A, Rachmat HH, Susila, Hidayat A, Dwiyanti FG. 2022. Molecular identification of Eurycoma longifolia Jack from Sumatra, Indonesia using trnL-F region. Biodiversitas 23: 1374-1382. Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae) or pasak bumi is a popular medicinal plant from Southeast Asia’s rainforests that is used as an aphrodisiac, antimicrobial, anti-malaria antidiabetic, antiulcer, and anticancer agent. However, the increasing demand for this species for medicinal industries has led to illegal export in Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the specific genetic variation and develop DNA barcode using trnL-Fregion for E. longifolia originating from Sumatra, Indonesia. Twenty-two samples of the species were collected from four locations in Sumatra. An aligned sequence of the trnL-Fwas 960 bp with an A/T rich region (A: 30.2%, T: 34.5%, C: 16.7%, and G: 18.7%). The homology search using BLASTn of the GenBank NCBI showed that the nucleotide composition of the species was similar (99.9%) to the partial trnL-Fregion of E. longifolia MH751519 and E. apiculata GU593014. Close examination of the gene structure and composition showed that the DNA sequences have five nucleotides variations that were not possessed by the reference E. longifolia, and other taxa used. The obtained variations occurred mostly in the trnL intron region, and the phylogenetic analysis showed that the correct identity of the species of the samples by their position was at a similar clade as the other accessions of E. longifolia.

POTENTIAL OF PASAK BUMI (E. LONGIFOLIA JACK) ROOT AS AN ANTICANCER AGENT FOR PROSTATE ADENOCARCINOMA CELLS PC3

The article describes the potential of Pasak Bumi root as an anticancer agent for the prostate by inhibiting proliferation of PC3 cells. Using the roots of Pasak Bumi E. longifolia extracted with ethanol solvent. Prostate cancer PC-3 cell culture was obtained from independent androgen prostate adenocarcinoma that had bone metastases as the research subject. This study was an in vitro experimental study with a post-test control group design. Analysis of PC3 cell viability used the MTT assay method. ANOVA test results showed that p-value (Sig.) at 0.011 and smaller than α = 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference in the viability of adenocarcinoma cells in the administration of ethanol extract Pasak Bumi root with different concentrations. Our research showed the result that ethanol extract of Pasak Bumi root has the ability to inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 prostate cancer cells. The higher the ethanol extract concentration of the Pasak Bumi root, the lower the viability of PC-3 cells. Our research proposed the ethanol extract of Pasak Bumi root can be used as an anticancer agent for the prostate through a proliferation inhibition mechanism.

Biological and Cultural Ecotourism Interpretation of Mekar Utama Village, Kendawangan District, West Kalimantan

Mekar Utama Village, located in the Ketapang Industrial Forest Area (Hutan Ketapang Industri-HKI), is a unique and attractive ecotourism site with various natural resources. This village's three hamlets have the potential for biological and cultural ecotourism. The study aims to obtain potential data and interpret the biological and socio-cultural ecotourism in Mekar Utama village. The method used was a survey with observation and interview approaches. Three interpretive tracks and 18 biological and cultural ecotourism potential were available at the study site. Nine potential plants found were kantung semar (Nepenthes sp. ), bamboo (Bambusa sp. ), bajakah (Spatholobus littoralis Hassk), pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack), ulin (Eusideroxylon zwageri), meranti (Shorea smithiana), gaharu (Aquilaria malaccensis), ketatai (Antiaris toxicaria) and pulai (Alstonia scholaris). Ulin, meranti, and gaharu are protected species. Kura-kura hutan (Dogania suplana), owa kelawat (Hylobates albibarbis), and honey bee (Apis koschevnikovi and Trigona sp.) were three unique animal species. Six potential cultures were found, i.e. ethnic, traditions, traditional rituals, arts, special foods, historical/sacred places, and folklore/myths. All the potentials were found in three interpretation tracks, i.e., the Gantang river hamlet, which was 6.5 km long and took 26 minutes to reach, the Sukaria hamlet, which was 5.3 km long and took 21

Extraction methods effect on antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of ‘pasak bumi’ (Eurycoma longifolia Jack.) root

Pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack.) has various benefits, such as the root of E. longifolia is often used as an anti-microbial, anti-malarial, anti-inflammatory, dysentery and aphrodisiac. The antioxidant activity is closely related to the ability of E. longifolia root to maintain a fit condition. The benefits of the medicinal plants can be felt by the general public after going through both traditional and modern processing processes. One of the modern processing methods is to isolate secondary metabolites in plants or known as extraction. This study aims to determine the antioxidant activity of the roots of extracted E. longifolia using 96% ethanol solvent with different extraction methods. Extraction was performed by maceration, percolation, reflux, and soxhletation methods. The antioxidant activity test was carried out using the DPPH(1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) method. The results shows that the antioxidant activity of E. longifolia extract using various extraction methods in the order soxhletation > reflux > percolation > maceration. From this research, it can be concluded that the percolation can be developed as extraction method of E. longifolia roots.

The In Vitro Anti-Cancer Activities and Mechanisms of Action of 9-Methoxycanthin-6-one from Eurycoma longifolia in Selected Cancer Cell Lines.

An alkaloid compound from the hairy root culture of Eurycoma longifolia has been isolated and characterised as 9-methoxycanthin-6-one. The aims of these studies were to investigate the in vitro anti-cancer activities of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one against ovarian cancer (A2780, SKOV-3), breast cancer (MCF-7), colorectal cancer (HT29), skin cancer (A375) and cervical cancer (HeLa) cell lines by using a Sulphorhodamine B assay, and to evaluate the mechanisms of action of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one via the Hoechst 33342 assay and proteomics approach. The results had shown that 9-methoxycanthin-6-one gave IC50 values of 4.04 ± 0.36 µM, 5.80 ± 0.40 µM, 15.09 ± 0.99 µM, 3.79 ± 0.069 µM, 5.71 ± 0.20 µM and 4.30 ± 0.27 µM when tested in A2780, SKOV-3, MCF-7, HT-29, A375 and HeLa cell lines, respectively. It was found that 9-methoxycanthin-6-one induced apoptosis in a concentration dependent manner when analysed via the Hoechst 33342 assay. 9-methoxycanthine-6-one were found to affect the expressions of apoptotic-related proteins, that were proteins pyruvate kinase (PKM), annexin A2 (ANXA2), galectin 3 (LGAL3), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNP1A1), peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from the differential analysis of 2-DE profiles between treated and non-treated 9-methoxycanthine-6-one. Proteins such as acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2), aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1A1), capping protein (CAPG), eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 (EEF1A1), malate dehydrogenase 2 (MDH2), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), and triosephosphate isomerase 1 (TPI1) were also identified to be associated with A2780 cell death induced by 9-methoxycanthine-6-one. These findings may provide a new insight on the mechanisms of action of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one in exerting its anti-cancer effects in vitro.