Limonoids, produced during metabolism, are found in high levels in seeds, fruits, and peels of citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges. Munronia Henryi, a flowering plant native to India, Southern China, and Peninsular Malaysia, also produces limonoids used in traditional Chinese medicine. One limonoid from these plants, DHL-11, was recently identified for its anticancer properties.
A study in Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B shows that DHL-11 can inhibit cancer cell growth. In the lab, researchers tested DHL-11 on breast cancer cells. The study focused on triple-negative breast cancer, which is one of the most aggressive types and has a poor prognosis. Treatments are often limited. Researchers treated these cells with DHL-11 and observed several notable effects.
First, when exposed to the limonoid DHL-11, the cancer cells stopped proliferating, the process by which biological tissues, including tumors, develop and grow. Drugs that halt tumor cell proliferation can combat cancer progression.
Further, the researchers observed that DHL-11 suppressed migration, the process by which cells move throughout the body. Cancer cell migration remains an integral process to metastasis. In the case of triple-negative breast cancer, the disease typically metastasizes to secondary locations, like the brain or bone. Drugs that interfere with the mechanisms by which cancer cells move throughout the body can thus prevent cancer metastasis.
The study also revealed that DHL-11 stopped the cancer cells from going through the cell cycle, the steps cells take to divide and grow. DHL-11 caused cancer cells to arrest before mitosis, the last stage of the cell cycle, during which two copies of genetic material prepare for division into two cells. The stalling of the cell cycle at this stage resulted in apoptosis, the biological process by which the body eliminates abnormal cells. In the cancer setting, apoptosis can lead to cancer cell death.
The findings of this study underscore the potential of the Munronia Henryi-derived limonoid DHL-11 as a novel anticancer drug targeting triple-negative breast cancer. Further, validation of the safety and efficacy of this approach could provide valuable information needed for drug discovery and development.
Sources: Molecules, Acta Pharm Sinica B
