Elaeocarpus reticulatus fruit extracts reduce viability and induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.

Treatment options for pancreatic cancer (PC) are severely limited due to late diagnosis, early metastasis and the inadequacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to combat the aggressive biology of the disease. In recent years, plant-derived bioactive compounds have emerged as a source of novel, anti-cancer agents. Used in traditional medicine worldwide, Elaeocarpus species have reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. This study aimed to isolate and identify potential anti-PC compounds in the fruit of Elaeocarpus reticulatus Sm. A 50% acetone crude extract significantly decreased the viability of four pancreatic cell lines (≥ 10 µg/mL for BxPC-3 cells) and induced apoptosis in BxPC-3 and HPDE cells. Analysis by HPLC identified the triterpenoid Cucurbitacin I as a likely component of the extract. Furthermore, treatment with Cucurbitacin I significantly reduced the viability of HPDE and BxPC-3 cells, with results comparable to the same concentration of gemcitabine. Interestingly, attempts to isolate bioactive compounds revealed that the crude extract was more effective at reducing PC-cell viability than the fractionated extracts. This study provides initial insight into the bioactive constituents of E. reticulatus fruits.