title: Xanthium strumarium extract inhibits mammalian cell proliferation through mitotic spindle disruption mediated by xanthatin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Xanthium strumarium L. is a member of the Asteraceae family popularly used with multiple therapeutic purposes. Whole extracts of this plant have shown anti-mitotic activity in vitro suggesting that some components could induce mitotic arrest in proliferating cells.
  Aim of the present work was to characterize the anti-mitotic properties of the X. strumarium whole extract and to isolate and purify active molecule(s).
  
  
  METHODS
  The capacity of the whole extract to inhibit mitotic progression in mammalian cultured cells was investigated to identify its anti-mitotic activity. Isolation of active component(s) was performed using a bioassay-guided multistep separation procedure in which whole extract was submitted to a progressive process of fractionation and fractions were challenged for their anti-mitotic activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results show for the first time that X. strumarium whole extract inhibits assembly of the mitotic spindle and spindle-pole separation, thereby heavily affecting mitosis, impairing the metaphase to anaphase transition and inducing apoptosis. The purification procedure led to a fraction with an anti-mitotic activity comparable to that of the whole extract. Chemical analysis of this fraction showed that its major component was xanthatin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present work shows a new activity of X. strumarium extract, i.e. the alteration of the mitotic apparatus in cultured cells that may be responsible for the anti-proliferative activity of the extract. Anti-mitotic activity is shown to be mainly exerted by xanthatin.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Laboratorio de Toxicología Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 25, No. 455, e/ I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba. Electronic address: alamar@fbio.uh.cu.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Lamar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Toxicología especial y antitumorales, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos (CIDEM), Avenida 26, No. 1605 e/ Puentes Grandes y Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piloto-Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Via degli Apuli 4, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi "Roma TRE", Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi "Roma TRE", Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cozzi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi "Roma TRE", Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tofani
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Via degli Apuli 4, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cundari
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Toxicología especial y antitumorales, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos (CIDEM), Avenida 26, No. 1605 e/ Puentes Grandes y Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Marbelis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francisco
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Toxicología especial y antitumorales, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos (CIDEM), Avenida 26, No. 1605 e/ Puentes Grandes y Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Aylema
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Toxicología especial y antitumorales, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos (CIDEM), Avenida 26, No. 1605 e/ Puentes Grandes y Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Via degli Apuli 4, 00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.degrassi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Degrassi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D016466:CHO Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003412:Cricetulus; D005663:Furans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000187:drug effects*; D031210:Xanthium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005663:Furans; D010936:Plant Extracts; C022186:xanthatin
keywords: Anti-mitotic drugs; Anticancer drug; Microtubules; Mitosis; Xanthatins; Xanthium strumarium L.