title: [Search for biofunctional constituents from medicinal foods-elucidation of constituents with anti-proliferation effects and the target molecule from Citrullus colocynthis].
abstract: Many foods are known to have not only nutritive and taste values but also medicinal effects. In Egypt, many medicinal foods have been used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases since ancient. However, in most cases, their effective constituents as well as the mechanism of action remained uncharacterized. In the course of our characterization studies on Egyptian medicinal foods and plants, cucurbitane-type triterpene and related compounds such as cucurbitacin E from the fruit of Citrullus colocynthis and the roots of Bryonia cretica were found to show anti-proliferation effects. We therefore synthesized a biotin-linked cucurbitacin E to isolate target proteins based on affinity for the molecule. As a result, cofilin, which regulates the depolymerization of actin, was isolated and suggested to be a target.
authors.affiliation: Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto, Japan. naka@mb.kyoto-phu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Seikou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D029773:Citrullus / Q000737:chemistry*; D004534:Egypt; D006027:Glycosides / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D014315:Triterpenes; C514277:cucurbitane