title: Cytotoxicity of cashew flavonoids towards malignant cell lines.
abstract: The leaves of the Cashew plant (Anacardium occidentale L.) are used by the folk medicine in South America and West Africa. This plant is rich in flavonoids, which are polyphenolic compounds widespread in plants, and that have diverse physiological effects. In a sub-acute toxicity assay it was found that an ethanolic extract of Cashew leaves elicited lymphopenia in rats. The extract was also found to be cytotoxic and to induce apoptosis in Jurkat (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) cells. The crude ethanolic extract was fractionated and resolved by HPLC. One of the four fractions obtained led to the isolation of the biflavonoid agasthisflavone. [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation assays and flow cytometry analysis showed that the isolated compound displayed a high anti-proliferative effect in Jurkat cells with an IC(50) of 2.4 μg/ml (4.45 μM). The effect of agathisflavone on the acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL60, Burkitt lymphoma Raji cells and Hep-2 laryngeal carcinoma cells was also tested. The two latter ones were only mildly affected by agathisflavone. It is also shown that agathisflavone induces apoptosis in Jurkat cells and it this proposed that this is the likely mechanism of agathisflavone specific cytotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nzi André
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Konan
authors.forename: Nilton
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lincopan
authors.forename: Ingrit Elida Collantes
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Fátima Jacysyn
authors.forename: Mirtes Midori Tanae
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tiba
authors.forename: João Gustavo Pessini
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Amarante Mendes
authors.forename: Elfriede Marianne
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bacchi
authors.forename: Beny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spira
mesh_terms: D031021:Anacardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D044946:Biflavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D044946:Biflavonoids; D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C079168:agathisflavone