Activation of intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway in cancer cells by Cymbopogon citratus polysaccharide fractions
Authors: Soundarapandian Kannan
Kalailingam Pazhanichamy
Ramasamy Rengasamy
Srinivasan Sivasubramanian
Malairaj Sathuvan
Arasu Poongodi
Nalini Ganesan
Ramar Thangam
Nagarajan Kanipandian
Ramasamy Thirumurugan
Veeraperumal Suresh
Journal: Carbohydrate Polymers (2014)
Discipline: CHEMISTRY
Keywords: Cancer cells; Cymbopogon citratus; Cytotoxicity; Gene expression; Intrinsic apoptotic pathway
Affiliations: Proteomics & Molecular Cell Physiology Lab, Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, TN, India; Department of Virology, King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Chennai, TN, India. Electronic address: ., Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Chennai, TN, India., Department of Biochemistry, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, TN, India; Department of Virology, King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Chennai, TN, India., Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, TN, India., Department of Virology, King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Chennai, TN, India., Department of Animal Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, TN, India., Department of Biochemistry, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, TN, India., Proteomics & Molecular Cell Physiology Lab, Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, TN, India; Department of Zoology, Periyar University, Salem, TN, India. Electronic address: .

Abstract:  Essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus were already reported to have wide ranging medical and industrial applications. However, information on polysaccharides from the plant and their anticancer activities are limited. In the present study, polysaccharides from C. citratus were extracted and fractionated by anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Two different polysaccharide fractions such as F1 and F2 were obtained, and these fractions were found to have distinct acidic polysaccharides as characterized by their molecular weight and sugar content. NMR spectral analysis revealed the presence of (1→4) linked b-d-Xylofuranose moiety in these polysaccharides. Using these polysaccharide fractions F1 and F2, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities were evaluated against cancer cells in vitro and the mechanism of action of the polysaccharides in inducing apoptosis in cancer cells via intrinsic pathway was also proposed. Two different reproductive cancer cells such as Siha and LNCap were employed for in vitro studies on cytotoxicity, induction of apoptosis and apoptotic DNA fragmentation, changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, and profiles of gene and protein expression in response to treatment of cells by the polysaccharide fractions. These polysaccharide fractions exhibited potential cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on carcinoma cells, and they induced apoptosis in these cells through the events of up-regulation of caspase 3, down-regulation of bcl-2 family genes followed by cytochrome c release. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Figure 8B. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis * In red: The Bcl2 panel looks very similar to the beta-actin panel. Note the presence of several dots. ![file] , 
 Figure 9A. Western blots. * In red: the Cytochrome C panel looks very similar to the inverse of the Bcl2 and actin panels in Figure 8 (agarose gels). ![file] , 
 beta actin is internal standard for Wester blot analysis in this study. But both BCl2, cytochrome C and beta actin panel is different. ,