Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Abstract
Cyrtandra cupulata Ridl. (Gesneriaceae) is local medicinal plant, also known as �Bebangun� or �Kabut� by the East Malaysian Ibans. It is indicated for post partum malaise and known to be an abortifacient, among other uses. β-Sitosterol is a known phytoestrogen with many reported bioactivities including anticancer. This study examined the effect of β-sitosterol isolated from C. cupulata through bioactivity-guided purification monitored by the growth inhibitory effect on MCF-7, an estrogen receptorpositive breast cancer cell line. Our results demonstrated that β-sitosterol dose-dependently inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells. Treated cells showed a 1.53-fold increase of DEVDase activity, indicating elevated caspase activity. Thus, the growth inhibitory effect of β-sitosterol isolated from C. cupulata appeared to be mediated by caspase-induced apoptosis.
Keywords
beta-sitosterol, apoptosis, MCF-7, Cyrtandra cupulata
Divisions
fac_med
Publication Title
Malaysian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Volume
16
Issue
2