Emodin, isolated and characterized from an endophytic fungus Polyporales sp., induces apoptotic cell death in human lung cancer cells through the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential

Abstract

Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone) is a Chinese herbal anthraquinone that exhibits numerous biological activities, such as antitumor, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, and immunosuppressive. From an endophytic fungus, a close relative of Polyporales sp., found in association with Rheum emodi, Wall. ex Meissn a compound (Rz) was isolated and characterizedby different spectroscopic techniques (1H-NMR, 13CNMR, 2D-NMR, and HRMS). The compound (Rz) displayed a range of cytotoxicities against different human cancer cell lines like THP-1(Leukemia), A549 (Lung), NCI-H322 (lung) and Colo-205(colon) at a concentration of 70 and 100 µM. The compound had strong anticancer activity by arresting the cell cycle at G1 and G2/M phase and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in A-549 lung cancer cells in concentration dependent manner. The study suggests that emodin induced anticancer effects may have novel therapeutic applications for the treatment of lung cancer.