A bioguided identification of the active compounds that contribute to the antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects of rosemary extract on colon cancer cells

Isabel Borrás-Linares; Almudena Pérez-Sánchez; Jesús Lozano-Sánchez; Enrique Barrajón-Catalán; David Arráez-Román; Alejandro Cifuentes; Vicente Micol; Antonio Segura Carretero

doi:10.1016/j.fct.2015.03.013

A bioguided identification of the active compounds that contribute to the antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects of rosemary extract on colon cancer cells

Food Chem Toxicol. 2015 Jun:80:215-222. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2015.03.013. Epub 2015 Mar 20.

Authors

Isabel Borrás-Linares¹, Almudena Pérez-Sánchez², Jesús Lozano-Sánchez¹, Enrique Barrajón-Catalán², David Arráez-Román³, Alejandro Cifuentes⁴, Vicente Micol⁵, Antonio Segura Carretero¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, Granada 18071, Spain; Research and Development of Functional Food Centre (CIDAF), Health Science Technological Park, Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Granada 18100, Spain.
² Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. Universidad s/n, Elche 03202, Spain.
³ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, Granada 18071, Spain; Research and Development of Functional Food Centre (CIDAF), Health Science Technological Park, Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Granada 18100, Spain. Electronic address: darraez@ugr.es.
⁴ Laboratory of Foodomics, CIAL (CSIC), Nicolas Cabrera 9, Madrid 28049, Spain.
⁵ Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. Universidad s/n, Elche 03202, Spain; CIBER (CB12/03/30038, Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición, CIBERobn, Instituto de Salud Carlos III).

PMID: 25801906
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2015.03.013

Abstract

Rosemary extracts have exhibited potential cytostatic or cytotoxic effects in several cancer cell models but their bioactive compounds are yet to be discovered. In this work, the anticancer activity of a rosemary-leaf extract and its fractions were assayed to identify the phenolic compounds responsible for their antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects on a panel of human colon cancer cell lines. Bioguided fractionation of the rosemary-leaf extract was achieved by semi-preparative chromatography. The rosemary extract and the compounds in the fractions were characterized and quantified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. Cellular viability in the presence of these fractions and the whole extract was determined after 24 or 48 h incubations by using an MTT assay. Fractions containing diterpenes or triterpenes were the most active but not as much as the whole extract. In conclusion, carnosic acid, carnosol, 12-methoxycarnosic acid, taxodione, hinokione and betulinic acid were the putative candidates that contributed to the observed antiproliferative activity of rosemary in human colon cancer cells. Whether the effects of the extract and fractions are only cytostatic or cytotoxic needs to be elucidated. Nevertheless, the comparative antiproliferative study on the fractions and whole extract revealed potential synergistic effects between several components in the extract that may deserve further attention.

Keywords: Antiproliferative activity; Colon cancer; Cytotoxicity; HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS; Rosemary; Terpenoids.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy*
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Proliferation / drug effects
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Humans
Plant Extracts / chemistry
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
Plant Leaves / chemistry
Rosmarinus / chemistry*
Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Plant Extracts