title: In vitro antitumoral activity of compounds isolated from Artemisia gorgonum Webb.
abstract: Artemisia gorgonum (Asteraceae) is an endemic plant to the Cape Verde islands and plays an important role in traditional medicine. The chloroform extract of the plant aerial parts afforded six sesquiterpene lactones, two methoxylated flavonoids, two lignans, and one tetracyclic triterpene, which were isolated by chromatographic methods and their structure established by physical and spectroscopic techniques. The cytotoxic activity of the three major constituents, namely, arborescin, artemetin, and sesamin, was evaluated on neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y), hepatocarcinoma (HepG2), and nontumoral bone marrow stromal (S17) cell lines. The application of different concentrations of the compounds significantly decreased tumor cells viability at different extents, especially at the highest concentrations tested. Arborescin is the most promising compound as it was able to reduce tumoral cell viability with an IC50 significantly lower (229-233 μM; p < 0.01) than that of S17 cells (445 μM). Arborescin and artemetin were less toxic to nontumoral cells than the antitumoral drug tested, etoposide. Our results indicate that arborescin has a significant cytotoxic activity in vitro, more pronounced on the cancer cell lines, confirming A. gorgonum as a source of potential antitumoral molecules.
authors.affiliation: Departamento/Centro de Química e Bioquímica Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Rukmini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mignon
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Nuno R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Neng
authors.forename: José M F
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vizetto-Duarte
authors.forename: Luísa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Custódio
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.forename: Amélia P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Rauter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004149:Dioxoles / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D017705:Lignans / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045789:Sesquiterpenes, Guaiane / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004149:Dioxoles; D005419:Flavonoids; D017705:Lignans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D045789:Sesquiterpenes, Guaiane; C054132:artemetin; C000592744:arborescin; C054125:sesamin
keywords: Artemisia gorgonum; antitumor activity; arborescin; artemetin; sesamin