Adlay Testa (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. Ma-yuen Stapf.) Ethanolic Extract and Its Active Components Exert Anti-Proliferative Effects on Endometrial Cancer Cells via Cell Cycle Arrest

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignant tumors of gynecologic neoplasms in Western society. In recent years, the incidence of endometrial cancer has increased, and it has become the third most common female gynecological cancer (after ovarian and cervical cancer) in Taiwan. Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. Ma-yuen Stapf.) has been demonstrated to have bioactive polyphenols, flavonoids, phytosterols, and essential nutrients for health benefits, including anticancer effects in humans. However, little is known about the effect of adlay seeds on endometrial cancer. Our study aimed to investigate the potential growth inhibitory effects of several adlay seed fractions, including ethyl acetate (ATE-EA) and its bioactive constituents, separately on endometrial cancer cells—HEC-1A (phosphatase and tensin homolog-positive) and RL95-2 (phosphatase and tensin homolog-negative)—and identify related active ingredients. In addition, the potential active fractions and the phytochemical compounds were elucidated. The results demonstrate superior activity of ATE-EA with significant in vitro cell proliferation inhibitory capacity, particularly its C.D.E.F-subfraction. Moreover, HPLC- and GC/FID-based quantification of ATE-EA subfractions showed that phenolic compounds (caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde), flavonoids, steroids, and fatty acid compounds exert anti-proliferative effects in the cell model. Finally, it was shown that cell growth and cell cycle arrest most significantly occurred in the in G1 or G2/M phase under ATE-EA treatment. Collectively, our results demonstrate an antiproliferative effect of ATE-EA on endometrial cancer cells that suggest a positive health outcome for women from consumption of these compounds.

Rhododendron molle G. Don Extract Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Migration in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells and Potential Anticancer Components Analysis

“…The proportion of late apoptotic cells treated with different concentration of RLE was higher than that of the control group, and the inhibition degree increased as the concentration grew, thus indicating that RLE could bring HT-29 cell apoptosis. Promoting apoptosis is the way that many natural products play an anticancer role, and R. molle has a lower effective drug concentration compared with other Chinese herbal medicines [ 11 , 29 ].…”

Adlay Seed (Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. Ma-yuen Stapf.) Ethanolic Extract Fractions and Subfractions Induce Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Human Breast and Cervical Cancer Cell Lines

“…Following our previous study using HPLC and GC/FID, ATE-EA was found to contain phenolic compounds, including protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, syringic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. Therefore, ATE-EA showed promising antitumor effects on endometrial cancer cells [8]. The effects of AHE-Ea-K, AHE-Ea-L, ATE-Ea-E and ATE-Ea-F on MCF-7 cells could be related to the presence of active flavonoids in the effective subfraction layer, such as naringenin.…”

“…The Coix seeds were processed by a dehulling machine to obtain the outer shell (35.8% of the weight of the Coix seeds) and then the skin and Coix seeds were air-sieved to obtain the testa (6.8% of the weight of the Coix seeds). The Coix seeds were further divided into Coix bran (4.3% of the weight of the Coix seeds) and refined white Coix seed (53.1% of the weight of the Coix seeds) [8]. Dehulled adlay, consisting of bran and endosperm, is regarded as a healthy cereal material, while the adlay hull and testa are treated as waste.…”

“…Traditional Chinese medicine for cancer has been increasingly studied and has shown different anticancer mechanisms, including cell apoptosis induction and cell viability inhibition [8]. Coix is one of the major compounds that is currently being utilized in the research and development of health foods.…”

“…Coix has been among the first-class materials used as medicinal and dietary supplements since ancient times. Recent studies have also pointed out that Coix has antitumor [8], anti-allergic [9], hypolipidemic [10], hypoglycemic [11], anti-oxidant [12] and ovulation-inducing effects [13].…”