In vitro cytotoxic activity of certain succulent plants against human colon, breast and liver cancer cell lines

© 2020 SAAB Among the plants which are determined to be a promising source of anticarcenogenic agents are members of Agavaceae family which are common in tropical and subtropical regions such as Egypt. In this study, cytotoxic activity were assessed for the methanolic extracts and fractions from five members of Agavaceae family: Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer., Polianthes tuberosa L., Sansevieria trifasciata Prain., Yucca filamentosa L. and Furcraea watsoniana Hort. against MCF-7 (breast), HepG-2 (hepatoma), and Caco-2 (colon) cancer cell lines by MTT method. The n-hexane fraction of P. tuberosa leaves extract demonstrated strong cytotoxic potential against all three cancer cell lines (CC50<20 µg/ml). The ethyl acetate fractions of Y. filamentosa and F. watsoniana leaves significantly inhibited proliferation of hepatocellular HepG-2 (CC50 = 6.21 µg/ml and 19.07 µg/ml, respectively) and intestinal epithelium Caco-2 carcinoma cells (CC50 = 18.86 µg/ml and 23.25 µg/ml, respectively). Presumably, the cytotoxic activity exhibited by n-hexane fraction of P. tuberosa, ethyl acetate fractions of Y. filamentosa and F. watsoniana may be related to the steroidal saponins that are present in these samples

Plant materials as a potential source of antitumor agents

Many medicinal plants are used around the world to create new medicinal products. The effectiveness of these products is associated with a complex synergistic interaction of various plant components. In this study, we investigated the extract cytotoxicity of the following five plant species belonging to the Agavaceae (Asparagaceae) family: Sansevieria cylindrical, S. trifasciata, Polianthes tuberosa, Yucca filamentosa, and Furcraea gigantea (var. watsoniana). The plant material was collected in different regions of Egypt. For each plant species, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) in relation to the human lung adenocarcinoma cell culture (A549) was determined with the help of the IC50 calculator. For the MTT test, we used aqueous solutions of the methanol extracts of S. cylindrical and S. trifasciata in the concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 500, 900, 1300, 1700, and 2000 ?g/mL, as well as P. tuberosa, Y. filamentosa, and F. gigantea in the concentrations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1000, and 1500 μg/mL. We found that the extracts of S. trifasciata leaves and rhizomes cause no significant effect on the viability of A549 tumor cells in all the studied concentrations. The aqueous solutions of S. cylindrica leaves and rhizome methanol extracts of with increasing concentration reduced the survival of A549 tumor cells more than twice as compared with the control group. The lowest IC50 values were obtained for the extracts of P. tuberosa and F. gigantea leaves: 62.5 and 82 μg/mL, respectively. The results confirm anticarcinogenic potential of the extracts of P. tuberosa and F. gigantea leaves, which is important for development of new phytobiotechnologies aimed at the synthesis of effective medications based on the secondary metabolites of these plants

Гистиоцитоз из клеток Лангерганса у взрослой пациентки

Aim: to present a clinical case of a rare dermatosis — Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in an adult patient.Materials and methods. A clinical and laboratory examination of a 64-year-old woman who had complained of rashes on the skin of the scalp, neck, trunk and lower extremities accompanied by itching was carried out. A histological study of skin biopsy samples from the lesion area, as well as an immunohistochemical study of Langerhans cell markers — langerin and S-100 protein — were performed.Results. Clinical manifestations of the disease, the presence of histiocytic infiltrate in the epidermis and dermis during the histological study and immunohistochemical detection of langerin infiltrate cells and S-100 protein were all consistent with the diagnosis of LCH. The therapy with methotrexate subcutaneously significantly improved the patient’s condition.Conclusion. Verification of the LCH diagnosis requires a histological study of skin biopsy samples and an immunohistochemical study of Langerhans cell markers. The efficacy of methotrexate in the treatment of this disease has been confirmed.Цель: представление клинического случая редкого дерматоза — гистиоцитоза из клеток Лангерганса у взрослой пациентки.Материалы и методы. Проведено клинико-лабораторное обследование женщины 64 лет, обратившейся с жалобами на высыпания на коже волосистой части головы, шеи, туловища, нижних конечностей, сопровождавшиеся зудом. Выполнено гистологическое исследование биоптатов кожи из очага поражения и иммуногистохимическое исследование маркеров клеток Лангерганса — лангерина и белка S-100.Результаты. Клинические проявления заболевания, наличие гистиоцитарного инфильтрата в эпидермисе и дерме при гистологическом исследовании и иммуногистохимическое выявление экспрессии клетками инфильтрата лангерина и белка S-100 соответствовали диагнозу гистиоцитоза из клеток Лангерганса. Терапия метотрексатом подкожно привела к значительному улучшению состояния больной.Заключение. Для верификации диагноза гистиоцитоза из клеток Лангерганса необходимо проведение гистологического исследования биоптата кожи и иммуногистохимического исследования маркеров клеток Лангерганса. Показана эффективность метотрексата в лечении этого заболевания

Cytotoxic and Apoptosis-Inducing Activity of Plants from the Family Asparagaceae in Relation to Human Alveolar Adenocarcinoma Cells

Cancer is known as the second major mortality cause. The number of new cases is increasing every year. Thus, it is urgent for scientists to search for alternative drugs with selective antitumor action and minimal side effects. It is known that some plant metabolites exhibit antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antitumor activity, while at the same time being less toxic than modern allopathic drugs. In this work, we have investigated the cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing effects of extracts obtained from plants of the family Asparagaceae on A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. The analysis has been performed using flow cytofluorometry. If extracts showed cytotoxicity, the apoptosis-inducing action has been evaluated at the concentration of 50 μg/mL; in other cases, the analyzed concentration range was 50–300 μg/mL. On the basis of the experiments carried out, the following conclusions have been made. Extracts of the leaves and rhizomes of Sansevieria cylindrica and Sansevieria trifasciata do not possess antitumor activity. Extracts of the leaves of Polianthes tuberosa and Furcraea gigantea, which were cytotoxic at high concentrations, cause cell death at 50 μg/mL in the amount of 21.35 ± 1.86 and 15.6 ± 3.23, respectively. Extracts of Polianthes tuberosa bulbs and Yucca filamentosa leaves are able to induce apoptosis at higher concentrations. When the concentration reaches 100 μg/mL, the proportion of apoptotic cells for these plants is 45.76 ± 1.34 and 11.33 ± 0.07, respectively. The number of dead cells at the concentration of 300 μg/mL increased up to 73.33 ± 3.05 and 81.75 ± 4.07. The results have great importance for development of new drugs based on metabolites from these plant extracts

COMPOSITION OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND ANTIRADICAL ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS FROM FIVE SPECIES OF PLANTS OF THE ASPARAGACEAE FAMILY

Many members of the Asparagaceae family are used in traditional medicine in different countries and characterized by a high content of biologically active metabolites. In this work, the qualitative composition and quantitative content of the components of methanol extracts from leaves and underground organs of Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer ex Hook, Sansevieria trifasciata Prain, Polianthes tuberosa L., leaves of Yucca filamentosa L. and Furcraea gigantea var. watsoniana (Hort. Sander) Drumm. were determined. Extraction of plant leaves and underground organs using 80% methanol resulted in 5.2-16.7% and 16-25.1% of the total extractive substances consequently. The presence of steroidal saponins in the extracts was shown by thin layer chromatography. Spirostanol saponins were predominate in the extracts from leaves of Y. filamentosa, F. gigantea and underground organs of S. cylindrica, S. trifasciata, P. tuberosa, furastanol saponins - in the extracts from leaves of S. cylindrica and S. trifasciata. The content of terpenoid and phenolic compounds in the extracts established using spectrophotometry significantly differs depending on the plant species and their anatomical part. All the extracts tested exhibited inhibition of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical in dose-dependent manner. The highest antiradical activity demonstrated the extract from the leaves of Y. filamentosa (IC50 = 25.95 μg/ml) containing the largest amount of phenolic compounds, including flavonoids - 51.3 and 15.5% of the total extractive substances