Planta Med 2014; 80 - WS10
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394551

Potential use of a standardized Gloriosa superba extract for the treatment of cancer

RI Capistrano 1, A Wouters 2, A Vlietinck 1, F Lardon 2, S Apers 1, L Pieters 1
  • 1Natural Products & Food – Research and Analysis, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, Belgium
  • 2Laboratory of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, Belgium

A Gloriosa superba L. (Liliaceae) plant extract was evaluated for its potential use in the treatment of cancer. The 80% ethanolic extract of the G. superba seeds was phytochemically investigated and the main constituents, colchicine, 3-O-demethylcolchicine and colchicoside, were isolated and identified by means of HPLC-SPE-NMR. An analytical HPLC-DAD method was optimized and validated according to the ICH guidelines to quantify colchicine and the colchicine derivatives in the extract. The calibration curve of colchicine showed that the method was linear over a range of 2.1 to 41.9 µg/mL. The method was shown to be precise with respect to time (RSD% of 3.1% for colchicine, 2.9% for 3-O-demethylcolchicine and 4.7% for colchicoside, 3 days, n = 6) and with respect to the concentration (RSD% of 2.9% for colchicine, 3.0% for 3-O-demethylcolchicine and 4.1% for colchicoside, 3 levels, n = 6). The total amount of colchicine and colchicine derivatives found in the crude extract of G. superba was 4.6% (w/w) expressed as colchicine and the overall mean of colchicine found in the crude extract was 2.8% (w/w). The recovery of colchicine resulted in a mean recovery of 100.02% with a RSD% of 2.1%. The correction factors for colchicoside and 3-O-demethylcolchicine were determined as 1.94 and 1.20 respectively. By using this correction factor, the individual derivatives in the crude extract can be quantified and it was found to contain 1.5% (w/w) colchicoside and 1.3% (w/w) 3-O-demethylcolchicine. The cytotoxic effect of the 80% ethanolic extract was assessed in vitro in different cancer cell lines using the sulforhodamine B assay and the impedance-based xCELLigence REAL TIME Cell Analysis platform. A high cytotoxic effect was observed on the tested cell lines with an IC50 value of 0.45 ± 0.03 µg/mL (PANC02), 0.34 ± 0.02 µg/mL (MDA-MB-231 WT), 0.17 µg/mL (PANC-1), 0.17 ± 0.01 µg/mL (HT-29), 0.99 µg/mL (PC-EM005), 0.42 µg/mL (PC-EM002) and 0.19 µg/mL (3T3).

Keywords: Plant extract, Gloriosa superba L., quantification, cytotoxicity, in vitro