Chemotherapeutic activities of Carthami Flos and its reversal effect on multidrug resistance in cancer cells.

Multidrug-resistance (MDR) represents a major cause of failure in cancer chemotherapy. The need for a reduction in MDR by natural-product-based drugs of low toxicity led to the current investigation of applying medicinal herbs in future cancer adjuvant therapy. Carthami Flos (CF), the dried flower of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.

Pyranocoumarin(+/-)-4'-O-acetyl-3'-O-angeloyl-cis-khellactone induces mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in HL-60 cells.

The pyranocoumarin (+)-4'-O-acetyl-3 'O-angeloyl-cis-khellactone (PC) isolated from Radix Peucedani (root of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn) showed a dose-dependent effect at 10 -30 pg/mL on causing apoptotic DNA and nuclear fragmentations in HL-60 cells. After 24 h of PC treatment there were losses of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c. PC also increased total cellular and mitochondrial Bax protein, stimulated an increase in caspase-dependent Bcl-2 cleavage but showed no effect on Bcl-Xv.

Reversal of multidrug resistance in cancer cells by pyranocoumarins isolated from Radix Peucedani.

The pyranocoumarins, (+/-)-3'-angeloyl-4'-acetoxy-cis-khellactone, were isolated from Radix Peucedani, the dry root of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn, through bioassay-guided fractionation. The chemical structure of pyranocoumarins was determined by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography showed that there are eight molecules (i.

Pyranocoumarins isolated from Peucedanum praeruptorum as differentiation inducers in human leukemic HL-60 cells.

Differentiation therapy for myeloid leukemia offers great potential as a supplement to the current treatment modalities. In the present report, we investigated if the pyranocoumarins, (+/-)-4'- O-acetyl-3'- O-angeloyl- cis-khellactone (or angular pyranocoumarin, APC) isolated from the medicinal plant Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn, could induce human acute myeloid leukemic HL-60 cells to differentiate and elucidated the molecular mechanism(s) involved. The ability of HL-60 cells to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) was significantly increased after APC treatment for 72 h.