Guggulipid Mechanism on Prostate Cancer

PITTSBURGHThe gugulipid, extract of the Ayurvedic medicinal plant Commiphora mukul inhibited prostate cancer cells in a recent in vitro study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. In their report, published online ahead of print Nov. 29 in the journal Molecular Pharmacology, the researchers attributed guggulipids actions in prostate cancer to increased apoptosis.

Using the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP (androgen-dependent) and its androgen-independent variant (C81), researchers tested a guggulipid extract (~3.75 percent z-guggulsterone) for 24 hours. The guggulipid extract significantly inhibited the viability of the cancer cells in correlation with increased apoptosis associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production JNK (c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase) activation, which has been indicated in P13K-driven cancers. Guggulipid appeared to induce pro-apoptotic Bax and bak genes, while muting anti-apoptotic genes.

Further tests showed embryonic fibroblasts taken from mice whose bax and bak genes were removed were significantly more resistant to guggulipids apoptosis than were wild type cells. Normal prostate epithelial cells also proved resistant to guggulipid, compared to prostate cancer cells.

The researchers concluded guggulipid is a potent inhibitor of prostate cancer cell growth, exhibiting anti-tumor actions associated with ROS-dependent apoptosis that is regulated by the JNK signaling axis.