title: Anti-austerity agents from Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii (Qianghuo).
abstract: During a search for potent anticancer agents from natural products based on an anti-austerity strategy, we found that a CHCl3 extract of Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii (Qianghuo), a Chinese crude drug, exhibited strong cytotoxicity against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells, with a PC₅₀ value of 17.5 µg/mL. Further fractionation and purification of this bioactive extract led to the isolation of 19 known compounds. The in vitro preferential cytotoxicity of the isolates was evaluated against two human pancreatic cancer cell lines, PANC-1 and PSN-1. Among the compounds isolated, ostruthin displayed the most potent activity against both PANC-1 (PC₅₀, 7.2 µM) and PSN-1 (PC₅₀, 7.8 µM) cells in nutrient-deprived medium (NDM) and may have induced necrotic nutrient-deprived PANC-1 cell death.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Dya Fita
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Dibwe
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awale
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tezuka
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019661:Apiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D027343:Rhizome / Q000737:chemistry; D014468:Umbelliferones / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D014468:Umbelliferones; C067415:qiang-huo; C008719:ostruthin