Anticancer properties and phenolic contents of sequentially prepared extracts from different parts of selected medicinal plants indigenous to Malaysia

Different parts of four edible medicinal plants (Casearia capitellata, Baccaurea motleyana, Phyllanthus pulcher and Strobilanthus crispus), indigenous to Malaysia, were extracted in different solvents, sequentially. The obtained 28 extracts were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer properties, using the MTS assay, on four human cancer cell lines: colon (HT-29), breast (MCF-7), prostate (DU-145) and lung (H460) cancers. The best anticancer activity was observed for the ethyl acetate (EA) extract of Casearia capitellata leaves on MCF-7 cell lines with IC?? 2.0 μg/mL and its methanolic (MeOH) extract showed an outstanding activity against lung cancer cell lines. Dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Phyllanthus pulcher aerial parts showed the highest anticancer activity against DU-145 cell lines, while significant activity was exhibited by DCM extract of Phyllanthus pulcher roots on colon cancer cell lines with IC50 value of 8.1 μg/mL. Total phenolic content (TPC) ranged over 1-40 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g. For all the samples, highest yields of phenolics were obtained for MeOH extracts. Among all the extracts analyzed, the MeOH extracts of Strobilanthus crispus leaves exhibited the highest TPC than other samples (p < 0.05). This study shows that the nature of phenol determines its anticaner activity and not the number of phenols present.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Bicalutamide Analogues for the Potential Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The androgen receptor (AR) is a pivotal target for the treatment of prostate cancer (PC) even when the disease progresses toward androgen-independent or castration-resistant forms. In this study, a series of 15 bicalutamide analogues (sulfide, deshydroxy, sulfone, and O-acetylated) were prepared and their antiproliferative activity evaluated against four different human prostate cancer cell lines (22Rv1, DU-145, LNCaP, and VCap). Bicalutamide and enzalutamide were used as positive controls. Seven of these compounds displayed remarkable enhancement in anticancer activity across the four PC cell lines. The deshydroxy analogue (16) was the most active compound with IC₅₀ = 6.59–10.86 µM. Molecular modeling offers a plausible explanation of the higher activity of the sulfide analogues compared to their sulfone counterparts.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel arylpiperazine derivatives on human prostate cancer cell lines

A series of novel arylpiperazine derivatives was synthesized. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of all synthesized compounds against three human prostate cancer cell lines(PC-3, LNCa P, and DU145) were evaluated by a CCK-8 assay. Compounds 8, 10, 13, 17 and 20 exhibited strong cytotoxic activities against the tested cancer cell lines(IC_(50)3 μmol/L). In addition, these compounds exhibited weak cytotoxic effects on human epithelial prostate normal cells WPMY-1. The structure–activity relationship(SAR) of these arylpiperazine derivatives was also discussed based on the obtained experimental data.     

Tumor-specific and photodependent cytotoxicity of hypericin in the human LNCaP prostate tumor model

Hypericin (HYP) has been reported to have photodependent cytotoxic activity in a variety of cancer cell lines. However, this activity has yet to be rigorously tested in vivo in tumor models. In this study LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145 cells were used to test the cytotoxic effects of HYP in vitro, precursory to an in vivo study designed to investigate the effects of HYP in an established murine model for prostate cancer. Specifically, the model used employs immunocompromised nude mice bearing the LNCaP solid tumor xenograft. In vitro cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the dose causing 50% lethality for HYP in LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145 cells were 2.07, 2.15 and 2.23 microM, respectively, following irradiation with red light (590 nm) for 30 min at a fluence rate of 0.1 J/cm2/s. Cells treated with HYP in the absence of photoirradiation showed no signs of cytotoxicity. A tissue distribution study was also carried out using the LNCaP solid tumor model to determine whether or not HYP is distributed to the target tissue. HYP was broadly distributed in tissues studied, including LNCaP tumor xenograft tissue. Furthermore, tumor tissue eliminated HYP at a slower rate than any of the other tissues examined. Interestingly, HYP levels were maintained in serum 24 h after oral administration (5 mg/kg dose). A pilot study designed to examine the efficacy of HYP treatment in nude mice bearing LNCaP tumors conducted over 28 days suggested that HYP, in combination with photoirradiation, inhibits both tumor growth and the elevation of prostate-specific antigen levels. Although the results reported for the current studies are preliminary they do provide evidence for an application of HYP PDT to prostate cancer which warrants further investigation.     

Benzofuran–isatin Hybrids: Design,Synthesis, and In Vitro Anti‐cancer Activities

A series of novel benzofuran–isatin hybrids 6a – s tethered through propylene and butylene were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro anti‐cancer activities against HepG2 (liver carcinoma), Hela (cervical cancer), A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), DU145 (prostatic cancer), SKOV3 (ovarian carcinoma), MCF‐7 (breast cancer), and drug‐resistant MCF‐7/DOX (doxorubicin‐resistant MCF‐7) human cancer cell lines. The majority of the synthesized hybrids displayed weak to moderate in vitro activities against the tested seven cancer cell lines, but the enriched structure–activity relationship may pave the way for further optimization.     

Design,Synthesis, and In Vitro Anticancer Activities of Diethylene Glycol Tethered Isatin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐coumarin Hybrids

A series of novel diethylene glycol tethered isatin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐coumarin hybrids 9a – l were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activities against HepG2 (liver carcinoma), Hela (cervical cancer), A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), DU145 (prostatic cancer), SKOV3 (ovarian carcinoma), MCF‐7 (breast cancer), and drug‐resistant MCF‐7/DOX (doxorubicin‐resistant MCF‐7) human cancer cell lines. The results showed that most of the synthesized hybrids exhibited considerable in vitro activities against the tested seven cancer cell lines, and these hybrids can be acted as starting points for further investigation.     

Chemical modification and anticancer effect of prenylated flavanones from Taiwanese propolis

Our previous studies demonstrated that eight prenylated flavanones (1-8), isolated from Taiwanese propolis, were capable of a broad spectrum of biological activities. Among them, nymphaeol A (3), nymphaeol B (4) and nymphaeol C (7), abundant in Taiwanese propolis, exhibited cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines. It therefore seemed interesting to improve their activity via a semi-synthetic strategy. In this study, 12 novel prenylated flavanones were synthesised in our laboratory and their activities were assessed for two human prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3 and DU-145, and a human hepatoma cell line, Hep-3B. Of these compounds, 10c, 11 and 12 showed more potent cytotoxicity against the PC-3 cell line than 5-Fu. Using cytometric analysis followed by double staining with annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide, it was observed that these compounds induced apoptosis as well. This suggests that prenylated flavanones 10c, 11 and 12 may have anticancer potential for further development.     

The synthetic and biological studies of discorhabdins and related compounds

Various analogues of the marine alkaloids, discorhabdins, have been synthesized. The strategy contains spirocyclization with phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA), oxidative fragmentation of the β-amino alcohols with the hypervalent iodine reagent C(6)F(5)I(OCOCF(3))(2), the detosylation and dehydrogenation reaction of the pyrroloiminoquinone unit in the presence of a catalytic amount of NaN(3) and the bridged ether synthesis with HBr-AcOH as the key reactions. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated by in vitro MTT assay for cytotoxic activity against the human colon cancer cell line HCT-116. Furthermore, the discorhabdin A oxa analogues were also evaluated against four kinds of tumor model cells, a human colon cancer cell line (WiDr), a human prostate cancer cell line (DU-145) and murine leukemia cell lines (P388 and L1210). For the identification of the target, discorhabdin A and the discorhabdin A oxa analogue were evaluated by an HCC panel assay. In the test, discorhabdins could have a novel mode of action with the tumor cells.     

Cytotoxic and anti-oxidant activities of lanostane-type triterpenes isolated from Poria cocos

A new lanostane-type triterpene, 29-hydroxypolyporenic acid C (8), was isolated from the dried sclerotia of Poria cocos together with eight other known compounds pachymic acid (1), dehydropachymic acid (2), 3-acetyloxy-16alpha-hydroxytrametenolic acid (3), polyporenic acid C (4), 3-epi-dehydropachymic acid (5), 3-epi-dehydrotumulosic acid (6), tumulosic acid (7), and dehydrotumulosic acid (9). The compounds were identified by spectral analysis and comparison with spectroscopic data reported in the literatures. Although none of the nine (1 to 9) compounds showed promising antioxidant activity, 1 through 6 and 8 showed good cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cell line A549 and human prostate cancer cell line DU145. Interestingly, all these compounds exhibited better cytotoxicity towards A549 than DU145 cells.     

Colloidal Stability and Cytotoxicity of Polydopamine-Conjugated Gold Nanorods against Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Cell invasion is an important step in the process of cancer metastasis. Herein, gold nanorods (GNRs) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated GNRs were conjugated with polydopamine (PDA). The PDA-nanoconjugates demonstrated excellent colloidal stability upon lyophilization and dispersion in cell culture media with or without the addition of fetal bovine albumin (FBS), compared to unconjugated GNRs. PDA-nanoconjugates exhibited a considerable cytotoxicity against DU-145 and PC3 prostate cancer cell lines over a concentration range of 48 μg/mL–12 μg/mL, while they were biocompatible over a concentration range of 3.0 μg/mL–0.185 μg/mL. Furthermore, PDA-nanoconjugates demonstrated possible anti-invasion activity towards prostate cancer cell lines, particularly DU-145 cell line, by reducing cell migration and cell adhesion properties. The PDA-nanoconjugates could be considered a promising nano-platform toward cancer treatment by reducing the invasion activity; it could also be considered a drug delivery system for chemotherapeutic agents.     

In Vitro Phytochemical Screening,Cytotoxicity Studies of Curcuma longa Extracts with Isolation and Characterisation of Their Isolated Compounds

The Curcuma longa plant is endowed with multiple traditional and therapeutic utilities and is here explored for its phytochemical constituents and cytotoxic potential. Turmeric rhizomes were extracted from three different solvents and screened for the presence of different phytochemical constituents, observation of which indicated that the polar solvents favoured extraction of greater versatile phytochemical constituents. These extracts were investigated for their cytotoxic potential by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay on three different of cell lines including SCC-29B (oral cancer cell line), DU-145 (prostate cancer cell line) and the Vero cell line (healthy cell line/non-cancerous cell line). This assay was performed by taking three extracts from isolated curcuminoids and a pure bioactive compound bisdemethoxycurcumin (BD). Bisdemethoxycurcumin was isolated from curcuminoids and purified by column and thin-layer chromatography, and its structural characterisation was performed with different spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, NMR (¹H Proton and ¹³C Carbon-NMR) and LC-MS. Amongst the extracts, the ethanolic extracts exhibited stronger cytotoxic potential against the oral cancer cell line (SCC-29B) with an IC₅₀value of 11.27 μg/mL, and that this was too low of a cytotoxicity against the Vero cell line. Although, curcuminoids have also shown a comparable cytotoxic potential against SCC-29B (IC₅₀ value 16.79 μg/mL), it was not as potent against the ethanolic extract, and it was even found to be cytotoxic against healthy cell lines at a very low dose. While considering the isolated compound, bisdemethoxycurcumin, it also possessed a cytotoxic potential against the prostate cancer cell line (DU-145) (IC₅₀ value of 93.28 μg/mL), but was quite safe for the healthy cell line in comparison to doxorubicin.     

Syntheses and Antiproliferative Activities of Novel Diarylthiosemicarbazide Derivatives

A series of novel N-methylpicolinamide-moiety containing diarylthiosemicarbazide derivatives was prepared and evaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against three cancer cell lines(human alveolar epithelial cell A549, human lung cancer cell H460 and human colorectal cancer cell HT-29) by 3-(4,5-dimethyl)thiazolyl-diphenyltetrazoliumromide(MTT) assay. Six compounds(7b―7g) with halogen substituents exhibited preferable cytotoxicity against one or more cell lines in a low micromolar range. Especially, the most promising compound 7g exhibited remarkable antiproliferative activity with the IC50 values of 2.2, 1.8 and 5.2 μmol/L against A549, H460 and HT-29 cell lines respectively, which is comparable to sorafenib.     

Synthesis and anti-tumor activities of novel oxazinyl isoflavonoids

The design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel series of oxazinyl isoflavonoids is described. Several analogs were shown to exhibit growth inhibitory effects against SKOV-3, DU-145 and HL-60 human colon cancer cell lines with IC(50) values in the micromolar range. The cellular potency of compounds 7e and 12h were found to have greater in vitro inhibitory activities than phenoxodiol, the parental compound currently in late-stage clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. The results shown are suitable for further lead optimization.     

Kadsufolins A – D and Related Cytotoxic Lignans from Kadsura oblongifolia

Kadsufolins A–D ( 1 – 4 , resp.), four new dibenzocyclooctane‐type lignans, were isolated from the roots and stems of Kadsura oblongifolia, together with eleven known lignans. Their structures and configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 2D‐NMR techniques. The compounds were also evaluated for cytotoxic activity against human tumor cell lines A549 (lung carcinoma), DU145 (prostate carcinoma), KB (epidermoid carcinoma of the nasopharynx), and HCT‐8 (ileocecal carcinoma). Kadsufolin A ( 1 ), kadsufolin D ( 4 ), angeloylbinankadsurin A, and heteroclitin B were found to show cytotoxic activities against A549, DU145, KB and HCT‐8 with GI₅₀ values of 5.1–20.0 μg/ml.     

Cytotoxicity of new 5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazole analogues

A series of 5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazoles were synthesized and their cytotoxicity was examined against four human cancer cell lines, e.g. lung cancer (A549), ovarian cancer (SK-OV-3), skin cancer (SK-MEL-2), and colon cancer (HCT15). The title compounds were synthesized by condensation of thiosemicarbazide with substituted benzaldehydes, followed by cyclization with acetic anhydrides in good yields. Most of the compounds exhibited significant suppressive activity against the growth of all of the cancer cell lines. The 4-hydroxy analogue of 5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazole (2h) was most active in the inhibition of growth of the SK-MEL-2 cell line, with an IC(50) value of 4.27 μg/ml; followed by compound 2a (IC(50) 5.16 μg/ml). The compounds 2j, 2h, and 2b, bearing 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-, 4-hydroxy- and 4-methyl substituents in the C-5 phenyl ring respectively, exhibited the highest activity against the SK-OV-3 (IC(50) 7.35 μg/ml), HCT15 (IC(50) 8.25 μg/ml) and A549 (IC(50) 9.40 μg/ml) cell lines, respectively. A structure-activity relationship study revealed that an optimal electron density on the C-5 phenyl ring of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles is crucial for their cytotoxic activity against the human cancer cell lines used in the present study.     

Phytochemical and cytotoxic investigations of Curcuma mangga rhizomes

Investigations on the cytotoxic effects of the crude methanol and fractionated extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate) C. mangga against six human cancer cell lines, namely the hormone-dependent breast cell line (MCF-7), nasopharyngeal epidermoid cell line (KB), lung cell line (A549), cervical cell line (Ca Ski), colon cell lines (HCT 116 and HT-29), and one non-cancer human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) were conducted using an in-vitro neutral red cytotoxicity assay. The crude methanol and fractionated extracts (hexane and ethyl acetate) displayed good cytotoxic effects against MCF-7, KB, A549, Ca Ski and HT-29 cell lines, but exerted no damage on the MRC-5 line. Chemical investigation from the hexane and ethyl acetate fractions resulted in the isolation of seven pure compounds, namely (E)-labda-8(17),12-dien-15,16-dial (1), (E)-15,16-bisnor-labda-8(17),11-dien-13-on (2), zerumin A (3), β-sitosterol, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited high cytotoxic effects against all six selected cancer cell lines, while compounds 2 showed no anti-proliferative activity on the tested cell lines. Compound 1 also demonstrated strong cytotoxicity against the normal cell line MRC-5. This paper reports for the first time the cytotoxic activities of C. mangga extracts on KB, A549, Ca Ski, HT-29 and MRC-5, and the occurrence of compound 2 and 3 in C. mangga.     

A new series of titanocene dichloride derivatives bearing cyclic alkylammonium groups: Assessment of their cytotoxic properties

Ten new water soluble titanocene dichloride derivatives have been synthesized and characterized and their cytotoxicities against the human lung cancer cell line A549 have been assessed. The potencies of the compounds vary greatly, but dicationic 3-picolylium and 4-picolylium compounds exhibit IC₅₀ values that are unusually low for this class of compounds. In view of their potency against A549 cells, three of the new complexes were tested further on additional human cell lines including the small cell lung cancer cell line H69, the widely used cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa, the ovarian carcinoma cell line A2780 and its cisplatin resistant derivative A2780/CP. All three compounds exhibited potencies in all cell lines comparable to or better than those observed with the A549 cells, while one complex is actually more potent than cisplatin for HeLa cells.     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of a new series of 4,5-dihydro-1H-thiochromeno[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives

A new series of 4,5-dihydro-1H-thiochromeno[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives have been designed and synthesized.The antitumor activities of the target compounds have been evaluated in vitro against two human cancer cell lines including A549 (human alveolar adenocarcinoma cell) and H460 (human lung cancer) by MTT assay.Most of the target compounds exhibited significant antitumor activities against A549 and H460 cancer cell lines.The most potent compound 4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol5-yl)-8,9-difluoro-2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-thiochromeno[4,3-d]pyrimidine (CH05) (IC50=0.44 M,3.07 M) was 2.0 and 8.4 times more active than gefitinib (IC50=0.89 M,16.81 M) against A549 and H460 cell lines,respectively.     

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives based on benzisoselenazolone

A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives based on benzisoselenazolone has been prepared and tested for antiproliferative activity in vitro against the cells of human cancer cell lines: SSMC-7721 (human liver cancer cell), MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell) and A549 (human lung cancer cell). All the compounds obtained exhibited antiproliferative activity and showed selective cytotoxicity against different cancer cells. Compounds 7d and 7i showed significant antiproliferative activities against MCF-7 cells, with IC50 values of 1.07 and 1.76?μM respectively. Compound 7d were found to be the most potent compound against SSMC-7721 cells, with IC50 values 4.46?μM.     

Oak gum mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles under ultrasonic conditions: Characterization and evaluation of its antioxidant and anti-lung cancer effects

Herein, we represent the bio-synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) employing Oak gum as the green template, an efficient natural and non-toxic reductant and stabilizer based on its phytochemicals by using ultrasonic irradiation. The characterization of as-synthesized Ag NPs was performed through Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), elemental mapping, UV–Vis and X-ray diffraction (XRD). After the characterization, the synthesized Ag NPs/O. Gum was engaged in biological assays like study of anti-oxidant properties by DPPH mediated free radical scavenging test using MeOH and BHT as reference molecules. Thereafter, on having a significant IC₅₀ value in radical scavenging assay, we extended the bio-application of the desired nanocomposite in anticancer study of A549, Calu6 and H358 human lung cell lines in-vitro through MTT assay. They had very low cell viability and high anti-human lung cancer activities dose-dependently against the cell lines without any cytotoxicity on the normal cell line (MRC-5). The IC₅₀ of Ag NPs/O. Gum was found 161.25, 289.26 and 235.29 µg/mL against A549, Calu6 and H358 cell lines, respectively. Maybe significant anti-human lung cancer potentials of Ag NPs/O. Gum against common lung cancer cell lines are related to their antioxidant activities. So, these results suggest that synthesized Ag NPs/O. Gum as a chemotherapeutic nanomaterial have a suitable anticancer activity against lung cell lines.