title: Triterpenoid saponins from Acacia victoriae (Bentham) decrease tumor cell proliferation and induce apoptosis.
abstract: This report describes the isolation and partial purification of novel triterpenoid saponins [Fraction 35 (F035)] and two pure biologically active derivatives (termed avicins D and G) from Acacia victoriae, an Australian desert tree of the Leguminosae family. F035 and the avicins markedly inhibited the growth of several tumor cell lines with minimum growth inhibition in human foreskin fibroblasts, mouse fibroblasts, and immortalized breast epithelial cells at similar concentrations. F035 and the avicins induced cell cycle (G1) arrest of the human MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cell line and apoptosis of the Jurkat (T-cell leukemia) and the MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cell line. The triterpenoid saponins also partially inhibited phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity in Jurkat T cells in a time-dependent manner and phosphorylation in the downstream protein Akt, whereas no affect was seen on the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. These observations as well as other work from our laboratory demonstrating mitochondrial perturbation, chemoprevention, and inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB suggest that triterpenoid saponins from A. victoriae have potential as novel anticancer agents. Recent work linking Akt signaling with glucose metabolism, stress resistance, and longevity suggests other potential applications of these compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Therapeutics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mujoo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haridas
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wächter
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Hutter
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Jayatilake
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Gutterman
mesh_terms: D000045:Acacia / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000737:chemistry; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D020298:U937 Cells
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins; D014315:Triterpenes; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases