Extract of Indigofera spicata Exerts Antiproliferative Effects on Human Colorectal and Ovarian Carcinoma Cells

Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

  • Galyna Shuvayeva - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology (Author)
  • Mykola Tupychak - , Ivan Franko National University of L'viv (Author)
  • Olena Vovk - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology (Author)
  • Dmytro Demash - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology (Author)
  • Svitlana Chernyshuk - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology (Author)
  • Yaroslav Bobak - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology (Author)
  • Andriy Prokopiv - , Ivan Franko National University of L'viv (Author)
  • Nazariy Pokhodylo - , Ivan Franko National University of L'viv, Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv (Author)
  • Leoni A. Kunz-Schughart - , OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (Author)
  • Mary T. Fletcher - , University of Queensland (Author)
  • Oleh Stasyk - , NASU - Institute of Cell Biology, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (Author)

Abstract

Metabolic anticancer therapy based on enzymatic arginine (Arg) deprivation (ADT) is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. The combination of ADT with low doses of the plant cytotoxic analogs of Arg, canavanine (Cav) or indospicine (Isp), have been proposed as being more efficient and selective against malignant cells. The leguminous plant Indigofera spicata contains one of the highest known amounts of Isp. Here we demonstrate for the first time that the Isp-containing ethanolic extract from I. spicata is growth-inhibiting and toxic for cultured human colorectal and ovarian carcinoma cells. The extract reduces the viability of colorectal carcinoma cells two-fold under Arg-deficient conditions and entirely abrogates their residual proliferative potential (growth recovery) after the treatment. Pre-exposure of the extract to recombinant human arginase I (rhARGI) as a therapeutic Arg-depleting agent did not impact the extract’s efficacy. Further development of Isp as a component of combinatorial anticancer metabolic targeting strategies is discussed.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number431
JournalToxins
Volume17
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 41003496

Keywords

Keywords

  • arginine deprivation, Indigofera spicata, indospicine, metabolic anticancer therapy