title: Preliminary evaluation for cancer chemopreventive and cytotoxic potential of naturally growing ethnobotanically selected plants of Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural products are a very productive source of leads for the development of medicines. Six Pakistani plants were chosen for study based on ethnobotanical data.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Exploration of important medicinal plants of Pakistan for cancer treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The crude extracts of the six plants and their fractions were tested for inhibition of nuclear factor κB (NFκB), aromatase, and nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, induction of quinone reductase 1 (QR1), agonism of retinoid X receptor, and growth inhibition with MCF-7, LU-1 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two samples of Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal (Solanaceae) demonstrated inhibition of TNF-α induced activity of NFκB with IC₅₀ values of 2.6 and 4.3 µg/mL, respectively. Two fractions from W. coagulans and Euphorbia wallichii Hook F. (Euphorbiaceae) aerial parts inhibited aromatase with IC₅₀ values of 17.0 and 17.7 µg/mL, respectively. A total of 13 samples (five from E. wallichii, one from Acer oblongifolium Hort. ex Dippel (Aceraceae), one from Aster thomsonii C. B. Clarke (Asteraceae) and six from W. coagulans aerial parts with fruits) inhibited NO production with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.3 to 15.6 µg/mL. Fourteen samples demonstrated induction of QR1 with CD ranging from 1.0 to 20.6 µg/mL, and a total of eight extracts and fractions inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells in culture with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.2 to 7.8 µg/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Selected plants can be a valuable source of chemopreventive and anticancer products. W. coagulans aerial parts showed the strongest activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.lastname: Ihsan-ul-Haq
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Tamara P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Kondratyuk
authors.forename: Eun-Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Brittany E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pezzuto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D055808:Drug Discovery; D019448:Ethnobotany; D028481:Euphorbia / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D010154:Pakistan; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D032341:Withania / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D010936:Plant Extracts