Molar mass 556.76 g/mol | Density 1.249 g/cm³ | |
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Cucurbitacin E is a biochemical compound from the family of Cucurbitacins. These are found in plants which are member of the family Cucurbitaceae, most of them coming from traditional Chinese medicinal plants, but also in other plants such as pumpkins and gourds.
Contents
- Properties
- Anti inflammatory
- Antioxidant properties
- Cytostatic
- Cytotoxicity
- Anti angiogenesis
- Anti invasion and anti metastasis
- Hepatoprotecive effect
- References
Cucurbitacin E is a highly oxidated steroid consisting of a tetracyclic triterpene. Specific changes on this molecule under certain conditions can generate other types of Cucurbitacins such as Cucurbitacin I, J, K and L.
Nowadays it is being highly investigated because it has been discovered that this molecule has a wide range of biological properties that could help treating many diseases.
Properties
Anti-inflammatory
Cucurbitacin E anti-inflammatory activities are proved in vivo and in vitro. It is useful in the treatment of inflammation because of the inhibition of cyclooxygenase and reactive nitrogen species but not reactive oxygen species.
Macrophages are responsible for the production of various cytokines, RNS and ROS, growth factors and chemokines as a response to activation signal such as chemical mediators, cytokines and lipopolysaccharide. Although these molecules have an important role, they can also have damaging effects, like some RNS. Cucurbitacin's clue role is that it has a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity related with the inhibition of nitric oxide (an RNS) production in macrophages without affecting the viability of these cells.
As cucurbitacin E doesn't affect normal human liver cells, it could have therapeutic potential and effective treatment for a variety of inflammation mediated diseases.
Antioxidant properties
Cucurbitacin E glycoside was demonstrated as antioxidant and free-radical scavenger. Its antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties were measured by the ability of Cucurbitacin glycoside combination (CGC),a combination of Cucurbitacin B and E glycosides, to reduce ABTS cation to its original form and also the capacity to inhibit MDA formation originated in the oxidation of linoleic acid. Using electron paramagnetic resonance, it was confirmed that CGC had antioxidant properties because of their capacity to make a scavenging effect on different free radicals: superoxide anion (O2-), hydroxyl radical (OH-) and singlet oxygen. That's relevant because not all the natural antioxidants that have been studied have strong scavenging activity against different radicals.
Therefore, a strong potential could exist for CGC in treating human diseases that are linked to oxidative or free-radical damage such as atherosclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
Cytostatic
Cucurbitacin E is an important inhibitor during the S to M phase in the cell mitosis. It causes a reduction of cell multiplication.
Cytotoxicity
This triterpene can inhibit the phosphorylation of the cofilin protein, a family of actin-binding proteins that disassembles actin filaments.
Therefore, Cucurbitacin E can induce to tumoral-cell apoptosis and can also reduce cancer metastasis. It is tested that Cucurbitacin E shows cytotoxicity to:
Anti-angiogenesis
Cucurbitacin can also inhibit VEGFR2-mediated Jak-STAT3 and MAPK signaling pathways. Anti-angiogenesis property of cucurbitacin E was demonstrated in vitro but also in vivo in a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane and in a mouse corneal angiogenesis model.
Anti-invasion and anti-metastasis
Cucurbitacin E inhibits the adhesion of cancer cells in type I collagen .
Hepatoprotecive effect
Cucurbitacin-E protects hepatocytes from CCl4 (carbon tetrachloride), by reducing GPT, GOT, ALP, TP and TBIL serums.