Abstract
The Wnt signal regulates various biological processes, and its aberrant activation is associated with the development of diseases. Thus, inhibiting the Wnt signal provides a promising strategy to treat these diseases. Our cell-based luciferase assay system, which targets the Wnt signal (TOP assay), revealed that Azadirachta excelsa inhibited the Wnt signal. The activity-guided isolation of the MeOH fruit extract of A. excelsa provided one new (1) and seven known (2-8) limonoids. Their structures were elucidated based on their spectroscopic data, and their NMR data were compared with those in the literature. Compounds 3-6 potently inhibited the Wnt signal with IC50 values of 127 nM, 300 nM, 252 nM, and 121 nM, respectively. Compound 4 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against AGS and HCT116. Western blot analysis showed that 4 did not affect the level or localization of β-catenin, but downregulated the level of c-myc. Our results suggested that 4 may have inhibited the Wnt signal by affecting the components downstream of β-catenin.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 280-285 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Phytochemistry Letters |
Volume | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2015/03 |
Keywords
- Adenomatous polyposis coli
- Colorectal cancer
- Limonoids
- β-Catenin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- Biochemistry
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Plant Science