Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026
09:09
High Throughput, Real-time, Dual-readout Testing of Intracellular Antimicrobial Activity and Eukaryotic Cell Cytotoxicity
Published on: November 16, 2016
Cytotoxic activity of quassinoids from Eurycoma longifolia
Katsunori Miyake1, Feng Li, Yasuhiro Tezuka
1Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Natural Product Communications
|August 26, 2010
Summary
Eurycoma longifolia Jack compounds were tested for cancer cell activity. Eurycomalactone showed potent cytotoxicity against colon, melanoma, and lung cancer cell lines, comparable to doxorubicin.
Area of Science:
- Natural Products Chemistry
- Pharmacology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Eurycoma longifolia Jack is a traditional medicinal plant.
- Quassinoids are a class of compounds found in Eurycoma longifolia.
- Natural products are a source of potential anticancer agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cytotoxicity of 24 quassinoids from Eurycoma longifolia Jack.
- To evaluate their efficacy against various cancer cell lines.
- To identify potent anticancer compounds from this plant source.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of 24 quassinoids from Eurycoma longifolia Jack.
- Cytotoxicity assays were performed on four cancer cell lines: colon 26-L5, B16-BL6, Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), and A549.
- Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were determined for active compounds.
Main Results:
- Eurycomalactone (compound 9) exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity across all tested cell lines.
- IC50 values for eurycomalactone ranged from 0.59 microM (B16-BL6) to 0.78 microM (LLC).
- The activity of eurycomalactone was comparable to the standard anticancer drug doxorubicin.
Conclusions:
- Eurycomalactone is a promising quassinoid with significant anticancer potential.
- Eurycoma longifolia Jack is a valuable source for discovering novel anticancer compounds.
- Further research into eurycomalactone's mechanism of action is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These antibiotics are selectively...
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...