Anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of erythrodiol-3-acetate and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol isolated from <i>Humboldtia unijuga</i>

Abstract

<i>Humboldtia unijuga</i> Bedd., endemic to Agasthyamala in Western Ghats in India, is traditionally used by local Kani tribes for chicken pox, head ache and snake bite. This study reports the isolation of erythrodiol-3-acetate (HU-1) and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (HU-2) from <i>H. unijuga</i> roots and their anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities in macrophage, skin and breast cancer cell lines. Effects of HU-1 and HU-2 treatments (50, 100 µg/mL) on gene expression profiles of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-6 and IL-1β, and apoptosis genes p53 and caspase 7 were studied. HU-2 exerted a significantly superior anti-inflammatory effect compared to HU-1 in all three pro-inflammatory genes. HU-2 showed a superior dose dependent anticancer effect through activation of p53 gene over HU-1 in MCF-7 cells. HU-1 exhibited a dose dependent effect on caspase 7 gene in both cell lines while HU-2 was more effective in A431. HU-2 has potential for development as a novel anti-inflammatory and anticancer agent.