No abstract

Plants have a wide range of active compounds crucial in treating various diseases. Most people consume plants and herbals as an alternative medicine to improve their health and abilities. A. angustiloba extract showed antinematodal activity against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, antitrypanosomal action against Trypanosoma brucei and anti-plasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain. Moreover, it has demonstrated growth inhibitory properties towards several human cancer cell lines, such as MDA-MB-231, SKOV-3, HeLa, KB cells and A431. DPPH and ABTS assays were carried out to determine the antioxidant activity of the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract of A. angustiloba leaves. Moreover, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified. The presence of potential active compounds was then screened using liquid chromatography coupled with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer (LC–MS) equipped with a dual electrospray ionisation (ESI) source. The EC50 values measured by DPPH for the 60% methanolic and aqueous extracts of A. angustiloba leaves were 80.38 and 94.11 µg/mL, respectively, and for the ABTS assays were 85.80 and 115.43 µg/mL, respectively. The 60% methanolic extract exhibited the highest value of total phenolic and total flavonoid (382.53 ± 15.00 mg GAE/g and 23.45 ± 1.04 mg QE/g), while the aqueous extract had the least value (301.17 ± 3.49 mg GAE/g and 9.73 ± 1.76 mg QE/g). The LC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 103 and 140 compounds in the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract, respectively. It consists of phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids, etc. It can be concluded that the therapeutic action of this plant is derived from the presence of various active compounds; however, further research is necessary to determine its efficacy in treating diseases.

No abstract

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer affecting women worldwide. This occurs despite having precancerous screening and HPV vaccination implemented vigorously as a definitive intervention. Natural plant like Streblus asper has been discovered to offer great hope in treating and preventing cancers. In this study, we explored the potential of S.asper to inhibit the growth of cervical cancer cell line by using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). Upon analysis, seventy-six proteins that are common to both untreated and treated groups were identified. Of this, 14 proteins are found differentially expressed more than 2-fold changes. Based on past literature, we selected 7 proteins that are closely associated with treatment effects. These include Dermcidin, Keratin, type I cytoskeletal 9, Tropomyosin alpha-4 chain, Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase (MARCKS), Tumour protein D52, Folate receptor alpha, and Parathymosin. Pathway enrichment analysis by Reactome revealed 9 related pathways which include metabolism of protein, post-translational protein modification, signalling by Rho GTPases, signalling by NOTCH, cell cycle, cellular senescence, signalling by WNT, transcriptional regulation by TP53, and cellular responses to stress. These findings may improve our understanding on the related significant mechanism involving anti-cancer effects of S.asper on the cervical cancer cell line.

Cervical cancer has been ranked as the third most common cancer among women worldwide. As an alternative to existing preventive and treatment measures, natural plants have been seen to carry potential therapeutic value against cancers. These include Streblus asper which proved to possess anti-cancer effects on several types of cancer. In the present study, we observed that S.asper is able to induce apoptosis on cervical cancer cells through the regulation of several apoptotic proteins. This analysis was performed using both in vitro and in vivo models. The protein expression was analysed using antibody array, 28 protein markers were found differentially expressed in both study models. Based on these findings, we propose that S.asper induces apoptosis on cervical cancer cells through TNF signaling which in turn triggers the activation of SMAC pathway and blockage of NF-κB cascade. It is also suggested that the apoptosis inducement is assisted by the HSP60 downregulation which subsequently results in p53 activation and survivin down-expression. Our study provides a preliminary understanding on selective apoptotic mechanism induced by S.asper on cervical cancer.