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Cytotoxic effects of hyperatomarin, a prenylated phloroglucinol from Hypericum annulatum Moris subsp. annulatum, in a panel of malignant cell lines.

Momekov G, Ferdinandov D, Zheleva-Dimitrova D, Nedialkov P, Girreser U, Kitanov G

Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Sofia, 2 Dunav Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.

The cytotoxic effects of hyperatomarin - a prenylated phloroglucinol isolated from Hypericum annulatum Moris subsp. annulatum were assessed in a broad spectrum of tumor cell lines originating from leukemias, lymphomas and solid malignancies. The tested compound exerted strong concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects (IC50 values ranging 0.14-15.7muM), comparable to and even outclassing in some cell lines those of the established anti-cancer drug daunorubicin. Exposure of different human tumor cell lines to hyperatomarin resulted in strong mono- and oligo-nucleosomal fragmentation of genomic DNA, as evidenced by 'Cell death detection' ELISA kit and by DNA-electrophoresis, which unambiguously indicates that the induction of apoptosis is implicated in the cytotoxic mode of action of the tested compound.

Published 9 June 2008 in Phytomedicine.
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