Agents from amphibians with anticancer properties

Abstract

Amphibians have been found to be a source of agents with anticancer properties. Bufalin, for example, is an anticancer agent that may induce apoptosis by its interaction with other genes and cellular components. Certain peptides with anticancer activities have been found in amphibian skin; they include magainins, aureins, citropin 1.1 and gaegurins. These peptides may exert a cytotoxic effect on human cancer cells through various mechanisms. Onconase, amphinase, cSBL (sialic acid-binding lectin purified from Rana catesbeiana eggs) and jSBL (sialic acid-binding lectin purified from Rana japonica eggs), which belong to the RNase A family, were purified from the oocyte cells and eggs of three amphibians, and they induce cytotoxicity by degrading cellular RNA. This paper discusses the medical and pharmaceutical significance of products derived from amphibians.

Traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of cancer and cancer metastasis

“…Bufadienolides, including bufalin, cinobufagin, resibufogenin and telocinobufagin, are the major active constituents derived from Chan Su (32). Chan Su and its constituents have been reported to be able to suppress cellular growth and promote apoptosis in leukaemia, liver, lung and prostate cancers (19). The Chinese medicine preparation, Hua Chan Su, contains bufalin, resibufogenin and cinobufagin, which are derived from Chan Su (33,34).…”

“…These include single herbs, traditional herbal formulations and Chinese medicine preparations. A number of single herbs have been individually adopted for cancer treatment, including Radix Astragali (Huang Qi) (16), ginseng (Ren Shen) (17), blister beetle (also known as Mylabris; Ban Mao) (18), toad venom (Chan Su) (19), garlic (Da Suan) (20) and turmeric (Jiang Huang) (21). Chinese traditional herbal formulations were usually developed by ancestors of TCM, and were based on Chinese medicine theories, including yin and yang, the five elements and meridians.…”

Apoptosis-inducing activity of compounds screened and characterized from cinobufacini by bioassay-guided isolation

“…Bufadienolides, including resibufogenin, cinobufagin, bufalin, bufotalin and arenobufagin, are a type of steroidal cardiac glycosides (17) that exhibit a variety of biological effects, including cardiotonic, anesthetic and antineoplastic activities (18). Bufalin, as a major active compound of bufadienolide, has been demonstrated to possess significant anti-proliferative activities and apoptosis-inducing effects on human leukaemia, liver, prostatic, endometrial and ovarian cancer cells (19,20). In the present study, we found that another two bufadienolides, resibufogenin and cinobufagin (derived from cinobufacini), inhibit the proliferation of HepG 2 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner.…”

An aqueous extract from toad skin prevents gelatinase activities derived from fetal serum albumin and serum-free culture medium of human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells

“…An aqueous extract from the skin of toad Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor, which is known as a source of the Chinese traditional medicine cinobufacini (7), has been focused in anticancer studies (8,9). Especially, a series of bufosteroids including bufalin, cinobufagin, and regibufogenin, which are ingredients of the toad skin extract and toad venom, has been found apoptosisinducing ability against cancer cells via cell signaling pathways (8,(10)(11)(12).…”