ELLIPTICINE

Ellipticine hydrochloride is a potent antineoplastic agent; inhibits DNA topoisomerase II activities.

Research Areas >> Cancer

Natural Products >> Alkaloid

Topoisomerase II

Ellipticine is a potent antineoplastic agent exhibiting the multimodal mechanism of its action. The mechanisms of ellipticine antitumor, mutagenic and cytotoxic activities are suggested to be intercalation into DNA and inhibition of DNA topoisomerase II activity. Another mode of ellipticine action is the formation of covalent DNA adducts mediated by its oxidation with cytochromes P450 (CYP) and peroxidases[1]. Ellipticine can also act as an inhibitor or inducer of biotransformation enzymes, thereby modulating its own metabolism leading to its genotoxic and pharmacological effects. Treatment of cells with ellipticine results in inhibition of cell growth and proliferation. This effect is associated with formation of two covalent ellipticine-derived DNA adducts[2].

Ellipticine treatment results in ellipticine-derived DNA adduct generation in several healthy organs (liver, kidney, lung, spleen, breast, heart and brain) and in DNA of mammary adenocarcinoma. The levels of ellipticine-derived DNA adducts generated in these adenocarcinomas are almost 2-fold higher than in normal healthy mammary tissue. The induced expression of cytochrome b5 protein in liver of rats treated with ellipticine suggests that cytochrome b5 may modulate the CYP-mediated bioactivation and detoxification of ellipticine[3].

The cytotoxicity of ellipticine is determined by MTT test. Ellipticine is dissolved in DMSO (1 mM) and diluted in culture medium to final concentrations of 0, 0.1, 1, 5 or 10 μM. Cells in exponential growth are seeded at 1×104 per well in a 96-well microplate. After incubation the MTT solution is added, the microplates are incubated for 4 hours and cells lysed in 50% N,N-dimethylformamide containing 20% of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), pH 4.5. The absorbance at 570 nm is measured. The mean absorbance of medium controls is subtracted as a background. The viability of control cells is taken as 100% and the values of treated cells are calculated as a percentage of control. The IC50 values are calculated using linear regression of the dose-log response curves[2].

[1]. Stiborova M, et al. Molecular mechanisms of antineoplastic action of an anticancer drug ellipticine. Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2006 Jul;150(1):13-23.

[2]. Stiborova M, et al. Ellipticine cytotoxicity to cancer cell lines - a comparative study. Interdiscip Toxicol. 2011 Jun;4(2):98-105.

[3]. Stiborova M, et al. The anticancer drug ellipticine activated with cytochrome P450 mediates DNA damage determining its pharmacological efficiencies: studies with rats, Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Reductase Null (HRN?) mice and pure enzymes. Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Dec 25;16(1):284-306.

Campathecin | 7-Ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin | Exatecan (Mesylate) | Daun02 | Idarubicin (hydrochloride) | Beta-Lapachone | Betulinic acid | Teniposide | Amsacrine | TAS 103 | Genz-644282 | Amonafide | Ellipticine (hydrochloride) | Pirarubicin | Banoxantrone dihydrochloride

DATA ITEMS CITED :

26

MOLECULAR FORMULA :

C17-H14-N2

MOLECULAR WEIGHT :

246.33

WISWESSER LINE NOTATION :

T D6 B656 FN LMJ C1 J1

HEALTH HAZARD DATA

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA

TYPE OF TEST :

LD50 - Lethal dose, 50 percent kill

ROUTE OF EXPOSURE :

Oral

SPECIES OBSERVED :

Rodent - mouse

DOSE/DURATION :

178 mg/kg

TOXIC EFFECTS :

Details of toxic effects not reported other than lethal dose value

TYPE OF TEST :

LD50 - Lethal dose, 50 percent kill

ROUTE OF EXPOSURE :

Intraperitoneal

SPECIES OBSERVED :

Rodent - mouse

DOSE/DURATION :

150 mg/kg

TOXIC EFFECTS :

Details of toxic effects not reported other than lethal dose value

TYPE OF TEST :

LD50 - Lethal dose, 50 percent kill

ROUTE OF EXPOSURE :

Intravenous

SPECIES OBSERVED :

Rodent - mouse

DOSE/DURATION :

19500 ug/kg

TOXIC EFFECTS :

Details of toxic effects not reported other than lethal dose value

TYPE OF TEST :

Cytogenetic analysis

MUTATION DATA

TYPE OF TEST :

DNA adduct

TEST SYSTEM :

Mammal - species unspecified Lymphocyte

DOSE/DURATION :

3 mg/L

REFERENCE :

CBINA8 Chemico-Biological Interactions. (Elsevier Scientific Pub. Ireland Ltd., POB 85, Limerick, Ireland) V.1- 1969- Volume(issue)/page/year: 23,379,1978