title: Bioactivity-guided isolation of anticancer agents from Bauhinia kockiana Korth.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flowers of Bauhinia kockiana were investigated for their anticancer properties.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gallic acid (1), and methyl gallate (2), were isolated via bioassay-directed isolation, and they exhibited anticancer properties towards several cancer cell lines, examined using MTT cell viability assay. Pyrogallol (3) was examined against the same cancer cell lines to deduce the bioactive functional group of the phenolic compounds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the phenolic compounds could exhibit moderate to weak cytotoxicity towards certain cell lines (GI50 30 - 86 µM), but were inactive towards DU145 prostate cancer cell (GI50 > 100 µM).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was observed that pyrogallol moiety was one of the essential functional structures of the phenolic compounds in exhibiting anticancer activity. Also, the carboxyl group of compound 1 was also important in anticancer activity. Examination of the PC-3 cells treated with compound 1 using fluorescence microscopy showed that PC-3 cells were killed by apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University Kuala, Lumpur. Malaysia.
authors.forename: Yik Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: School of Science, Monash University Sunway Campus, Selangor, Darul Ehsan Malaysia.
authors.forename: Yau Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Pharmacotherapeutics Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia ; Laboratory of Natural Products, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Johnson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stanslas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Gwendoline Cheng Lian
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ee
authors.affiliation: School of Science, Monash University Sunway Campus, Selangor, Darul Ehsan Malaysia.
authors.forename: Joo Kheng
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Goh
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D036481:Bauhinia / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010636:Phenols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Bauhinia kockiana; Gallic acid; anticancer; apoptosis; pyrogallol