asperulosidic-acid and Skin-Neoplasms

The fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (noni), a plant originally grown in the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands, has long been used by islanders to treat diseases, including cancer. Two novel glycosides, 6-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-O-octanoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose and asperulosidic acid, extracted from the juice of noni fruits, were used to examine their effects on 12-O-tedtradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)- and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced AP-1 transactivation and cell transformation in mouse epidermal JB6 cells. The results indicated that both compounds were effective in suppressing TPA- or EGF-induced cell transformation and associated AP-1 activity. TPA- or EGF-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun, but not extracellular signal-regulated kinases or p38 kinases, was also blocked by the compounds, indicating that c-Jun N-terminal kinases were critical in mediating TPA- or EGF-induced AP-1 activity and subsequent cell transformation in JB6 cells.

Topics: Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Cell Adhesion; Cell Line; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; DNA; Epidermal Growth Factor; Fruit; Glucosides; Glycosides; Mice; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphorylation; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; Rubiaceae; Skin; Skin Neoplasms; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription Factor AP-1; Transcriptional Activation