Photodynamic activity of anthraquinones isolated from Heterophyllaea pustulata Hook f. (Rubiaceae) on MCF-7c3 breast cancer cells

COMINI L.R.; FERNANDEZ I.M.; RUMIE VITAR, B.; NUNEZ MONTOYA S.C.; CABRERA , J.L; RIVAROLA, V.A.

PHYTOMEDICINE

ELSEVIER GMBH

Año: 2011 vol. 18 p. 1093 - 1095

0944-7113

Searching for agents that could be effective in the treatment of cancer, special highlight has focused on the study of numerous plant-derived compounds. We previously demonstrated that anthraquinones (AQs) isolated from a vegetal species: Heterophyllaea pustulata Hook f. (Rubiaceae), such as rubiadin, rubiadin-1-methyl ether, soranjidiol, soranjidiol-1-methyl ether exhibit photosensitizing properties without antecedents as photodynamic agents in malignant cells. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of these AQs as a phototoxic agent against human breast carcinoma using MCF-7c3 cells. All AQs exhibited significant photocytotoxicity on cancer cells at the concentration of 100 _M with 1 J/cm2 light dose, resulting soranjidiol-1-methyl ether in complete cell destruction. The observed cellular killing by photoactivated AQs exhibited close relation with singlet oxygen production, except for soranjidiol-1-methyl ether, where cell viability decrease is in relation to uptake by tumor cells.