Anticancer properties of panduratin A isolated from Boesenbergia pandurata (Zingiberaceae)

Extract of Boesenbergia pandurata (Kaempferia pandurata) (Zingiberaceae) has been used as a replacement for K. rotunda, the main ingredient of a popular traditional tonic called “jamu” especially for women in Indonesia. From our previous study, ethanolic extract of B. pandurata showed strong inhibitory effects on the growth of cancer cells, similar to ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa. C. longa and its bioactive compound, curcumin, have shown potential anticancer activity in in vitro and in vivo studies and have undergone clinical trials. Panduratin A, a chalcone derivative isolated from B. pandurata, was found to inhibit the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer and HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells with an IC₅₀ of 3.75 and 6.56 μg/ml, respectively. Panduratin A arrested cancer cells labelled with Annexin-V and propidium iodide in the G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In an animal model study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were fed with AIN diet containing ethanolic extracts prepared from the equivalent of 4% by weight of dried rhizomes of B. pandurata and C. longa. Aberrant crypt foci (ACFs) were induced by two subcutaneous doses (15 mg/kg body weight) of azoxymethane (AOM) 1 week apart. The rats were killed 10 weeks later, and the ACFs were assessed in the colon. At the dose given to rats, it appeared that the extracts were not toxic. Total ACFs were slightly reduced by B. pandurata extract compared to control group but not significantly different. Extract of B. pandurata may have a protective effect against colon cancer but additional studies using different models, such as a breast cancer model, need to be carried out.