An antiproliferative ent-Kaurane diterpene isolated from the roots of Mallotus japonicus induced apoptosis in leukemic cells

Abstract

Mallotus japonicus has been evaluated for the treatment of dermatitis, inflammatory conditions, and cancer. Diterpenes, one of the major constituents of M. japonicus, possess various pharmacological effects. In this study, 2 known diterpenes, anomaluone (6) and 16-epiabbeokutone (7), along with other known compounds, 2-hydroxy ferulic acid (1), bergenin (2), gallocatechin (3), catechin (4), erythro,erythro-1-[4-[2-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxy]-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl]-1,2,3- propanetriol (5), and gallincin (8), were isolated from M. japonicus. Cytotoxicity assays in blood cancer cell models demonstrated that M. japonicus compounds possess potent antiproliferative activity. In addition, treatment with compound 6 increased the number of apoptotic cells, led to cell-cycle arrest at the subG0/G1 phase, and decreased the number of cells in the S and G2/M phases. Compound 6 also displayed potent mitochondrial depolarization effects in Jurkat cells. These findings revealed that the cytotoxic effects of 6 were mediated by intracellular signaling, possibly through a mechanism involving upregulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Thus, compound 6 could be a potential multi-target therapeutic agent for leukemia.