Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the anticancer potential of indigocarpan (1), a pterocarpan isolated from Indigofera aspalathoides, a plant found in India which has been used in Ayurveda for centuries for the treatment of oedematous tumours.
Methods: The antiproliferative activity in a panel of four human cancer cell lines was studied. The mechanism of its antiproliferative activity in human colorectal adenocarcinoma LS174T cells was investigated in detail.
Key findings: Indigocarpan (1) showed antiproliferative activity in a panel of four human cancer cell lines with IC50 s ranging from 180 to 250 μm. Indigocarpan induces p53-dependent p21 upregulation and apoptosis in LS174T cells, upregulates p53 and p21(WAF1) protein levels, enhances cleavage of caspase-3 and downregulates cyclin D1, cyclin B1 and PCNA protein levels, indicating its role in modulating cell cycle progression. Indigocarpan also exhibited a strong antioxidative effect in LS174T cells.
Conclusions: Along with the antiproliferative capacity, the strong antioxidative property of the compound makes it a promising candidate for further development as an anticancer and chemopreventive compound.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Indigofera aspalathoides; antioxidant; antiproliferative; indigocarpan.
© 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.