Description
Plumbagin is a naphthoquinone found in a variety of Plumbago species; it exhibits anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-diabetic activities. In cellular models of cancer, plumbagin increases reactive oxygen species production, increases the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, inhibits activation of NF-κB, and increases caspase activity, inducing apoptosis. In an in vivo model of ulcerative colitis, plumbagin decreases levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-17, and IFN-γ, and also decreases colonic monocyte aggregation. This compound also inhibits the assembly and GTPase activity of FtsZ, which plays a significant role in bacterial cell division, inhibiting proliferation in vitro. Additionally, plumbagin inhibits TGF-β1-induced fibronectin and collagen IV expression in vitro and reverses diabetic nephropathy via alterations in Nox4 signaling in diabetic mice.
References
Sagar S, Esau L, Moosa B, et al. Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis Induced by a Plumbagin Derivative in Estrogen Positive MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2013 Oct 21. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 24164046.
Yong R, Chen XM, Shen S, et al. Plumbagin ameliorates diabetic nephropathy via interruption of pathways that include NOX4 signalling. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 26;8(8):e73428. PMID: 23991195.
Qiu JX, He YQ, Wang Y, et al. Plumbagin induces the apoptosis of human tongue carcinoma cells through the mitochondria-mediated pathway. Med Sci Monit Basic Res. 2013 Aug 28;19:228-36. PMID: 23982457.
Bhattacharya A, Jindal B, Singh P, et al. Plumbagin inhibits cytokinesis in Bacillus subtilis by inhibiting FtsZ assembly--a mechanistic study of its antibacterial activity. FEBS J. 2013 Sep;280(18):4585-99. PMID: 23841620.
Pile JE, Navalta JW, Davis CD, et al. Interventional effects of plumbagin on experimental ulcerative colitis in mice. J Nat Prod. 2013 Jun 28;76(6):1001-6. PMID: 23742275.
Xu TP, Shen H, Liu LX, et al. Plumbagin from Plumbago Zeylanica L induces apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines through NF-κB inactivation. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(4):2325-31. PMID: 23725135.
