Antiproliferative Activities of Alkaloids from Crinum abyscinicum Hochst. ExA. Rich Bulb Extract
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Date
2019-08
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Publisher
Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Cancers are group of diseases that are distinguished by increased division of cells caused by
genetic changes. Globally, it accounted for 9.6 million deaths in 2015 and is increasing to be a
public health burden. Yet the treatment of cancer is mainly through chemotherapy that possesses
severe toxicities and facing multiple drug resistance. These problems have urged researchers to
look for safe and effective chemotherapeutic agents from natural products, especially from
plants. Thus, Crinum abyscinicum as one of such plants in Ethiopia that has been used
traditionally for treatment of cancer was evaluated for its antiproliferative activity.
In vitro antiproliferative activity of the bulb extract of C. abyscinicum was investigated using
MTT and resazurine assays on ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780) and leukemia cell line
(MV4-11) respectively. It is noted that the bulb extract possesses antiproliferative activity with
GI
of 8.289 ± 0.33µg/ml and 20.77 ± 0.354µg/ml against leukemia cell line (MV4-11) and
ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780) respectively.
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Further analysis of the bulb extract using preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) resulted
in the isolation of two alkaloids. The structure of the alkaloids were characterized as 6hydroxycrinamine
(BCA-1) and lycorine (BCA-2) using spectroscopic methods including HRTOF-MS,
1D-NMR (
1
H,
13
C-NMR and DEPT) and 2D-NMR (HMBC) spectral data, and by
comparison with reported spectroscopic data for the same compounds.
Among the isolated compounds, lycorine displayed antiproliferative activity in a dose-dependent
manner against MV4-11 and A2780 cell lines with GI
of 3.372 ± 0.26733µg/ml and 2.849 ±
0.139µg/ml respectively. Likewise, 6-hydroxycrinamine exhibited activity with growth
inhibition of 5.323 ± 0.455µg/ml and 2.925 ± 0.769µg/ml against MV4-11 and A2780
respectively. The activity observed for the bulb extract as well as isolated compounds of C.
abyscinicum support the traditional use of the plant against cancer.
Description
Keywords
Cancers, Crinum abyscinicum, hydroxycrinamine, lycorine, leukemia cell line, ovarian carcinoma cell line MTT, assay, resazurine assays