Molecular entities for the anti-melanoma effect of Solanum nigrum

Prognosis for advanced and metastatic melanoma remains poor despite low incidence rate and early diagnosis. A significant number of melanoma patients use complementary and alternative medicines during their normal treatments in anticipating improving therapeutic efficacy. Solanum nigrum shows effective inhibitory activity against melanoma cells compared to Hedyotis diffusa, Scutellaria barbata, and Lobelia chinensis. Therefore, it is of interest to explore the anti-melanoma entities of S. nigrum. Our data show that three unique melanoma-related gene targets (CYP3A4, GBA2 and PTK6) for two unique active ingredients (diosgenin and solanocapsine) present in S. nigrum have potential role.