Anticancer activity of chamaejasmine: effect on tubulin protein

Molecules. 2011 Jul 25;16(8):6243-54. doi: 10.3390/molecules16086243.

Abstract

In this work, the anticancer activity of chamaejasmine was studied by evaluating its in vitro cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A549, SGC-7901, HCT-8, HO-4980, Hela, HepG2, PC-3, LNCap, Vero and MDCK) using the MTT assay. Results indicated chamaejasmine showed more notable anticancer activity than taxol against PC-3 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 2.28 and 3.98 µM, respectively. Furthermore, Western blot analysis showed that chamaejasmine was able to increase the expression of β-tubulin, but not α-tubulin. In silico simulations indicated that chamaejasmine specifically interacts with the active site which is located at the top of β-tubulin, thanks to the presence of strong hydrophobic effects between the core templates and the hydrophobic surface of the TB active site. The binding energy (E(inter)) was calculated to be -164.77 kcal·mol⁻¹. Results presented here suggest that chamaejasmine possesses anti-cancer properties relating to β-tubulin depolymerization inhibition, and therefore is a potential source of anticancer leads for the pharmaceutical industry.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / therapeutic use
  • Biflavonoids / pharmacology*
  • Biflavonoids / therapeutic use
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects*
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Dogs
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Models, Molecular
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Paclitaxel / pharmacology
  • Protein Binding
  • Thermodynamics
  • Tubulin / biosynthesis*
  • Tubulin / chemistry
  • Tubulin / metabolism
  • Vero Cells

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Biflavonoids
  • Tubulin
  • chamaejasmine
  • Paclitaxel