Cytotoxic Activity of Chalcones Isolated from Lonchocarpus Sericeus (Pocr.) Kunth

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 155 - 159
• Main Authors: Cunha, Geanne M. de Andrade, Fontenele, Juvenia Bezerra, Nobre Júnior, Hélio V., de Sousa, Francisco C. M., Silveira, Edilberto R., Nogueira, Nádia A. P., de Moraes, Manoel Odorico, Viana, Glauce S. B., Costa-Lotufo, Letícia V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-02-2003; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; antimitotic activity; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Candida albicans - drug effects; chalcones; Chalcones - administration & dosage; Chalcones - pharmacology; Chalcones - therapeutic use; derricin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Escherichia coli - drug effects; General pharmacology; Hemiterpenes - administration & dosage; Hemiterpenes - pharmacology; Hemiterpenes - therapeutic use; Hemolysis - drug effects; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; lonchocarpin; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Millettia; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Roots; Sea Urchins - drug effects; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Tumor Cells, Cultured - drug effects; South America; Brazil; America; Antineoplastic agent; chalcones; Root; Pharmacognosy; Cytotoxicity; lonchocarpin; derricin; Flavonoid; In vitro; Biological activity; Chalcone; Medicinal plant; Leguminosae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta; Antimitotic; antimitotic activity
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1096

In the present study, it was demonstrated that the hexanic extract obtained from the roots of Lonchocarpus sericeus and one of its major components, derricin, but not lonchocarpin, show cytotoxic activity to fertilized sea urchin eggs. Both inhibited the first cleavage of sea urchin eggs in a dose‐dependent manner with an IC50 of 30.4 (26.2–35.3) μg/mL for the crude extract and 51.2 (42.1–62.3) μg/mL for derricin (n = 6, in both cases). Furthermore, the hexanic extract of L. sericeus, and the isolated compounds, derricin and lonchocarpin showed cytotoxicity against CEM leukaemic cell line (IC50 = 17.6 (13.7–22.6), 13.0 (12.0–14.0) and 10.4 (5.6–19.1) μg/ml (n = 6), respectively). When these substances (6.25 to 125 μg/25 μL) were examined for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, none of them were found to be active. Neither the hexanic extract, nor the isolated compounds derricin and lonchocarpin (0.5 to 250 μg/mL) presented hemolytic activity. These results indicated a possible antimitotic activity of L. sericeus crude extract and their major constituents. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.