Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry 'Scuola Medica Salernitana', University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy.
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 24;25(17):9183. doi: 10.3390/ijms25179183.
, a medicinal plant autochthonal to South America and South India, is widely used in the ethnomedicine of the indigenous peoples of these regions thanks to its alleged antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound-healing properties. The majority of studies have mainly analyzed organic extracts of the Indian plant's flowers and leaves, with limited research on its bark decoction, traditionally used in Amazonian shamanic medicine. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of the bark decoction and its main fractions obtained through chromatographic separation, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms in AGS gastric cancer cells. Viability, cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and protein expression related to these processes were evaluated. Both the bark decoction and fraction III significantly inhibited cell viability, and the cytotoxic effect was linked to cell cycle blockade and the induction of apoptosis also through an engulfment of the autophagic flux. Increased expression or activation of the key proteins (p53, p21, cdk2, Bak, caspases, pAMPK, pAkt, beclin, p62 and LC3BII) involved in these processes was observed. The results obtained confirmed an important anticancer effect of bark decoction, providing scientific validation for its use in traditional medicine and highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent against gastric cancer.
龙血竭，一种原产于南美洲和印度南部的药用植物，由于其具有抗菌、抗炎、抗氧化和伤口愈合的特性，在这些地区的土著民族传统医学中被广泛应用。大多数研究主要分析了该植物花和叶的有机提取物，而对其树皮煎剂的研究较少，这种树皮煎剂传统上用于亚马逊萨满教医学。在这项研究中，我们研究了树皮煎剂及其通过色谱分离获得的主要馏分的抗癌作用，以及在 AGS 胃癌细胞中潜在的分子机制。评估了细胞活力、细胞增殖、细胞周期、细胞凋亡以及与这些过程相关的蛋白质表达。树皮煎剂和馏分 III 均显著抑制细胞活力，细胞毒性作用与细胞周期阻滞和细胞凋亡诱导有关，也通过自噬通量的吞噬作用诱导细胞凋亡。观察到参与这些过程的关键蛋白（p53、p21、cdk2、Bak、caspases、pAMPK、pAkt、beclin、p62 和 LC3BII）的表达或激活增加。所获得的结果证实了树皮煎剂的重要抗癌作用，为其在传统医学中的应用提供了科学依据，并强调了其作为治疗胃癌的潜在治疗剂的潜力。
