Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
Jeong Yong Moon, Hyeonji Kim and Somi Kim Cho
Jeju National University, Republic of Korea
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
The supercritical extraction method is a promising process to obtain volatile and non-volatile compounds by avoiding thermal degradation and solvent residue in the extracts. In search of phytochemicals with potential therapeutic application in gastric cancer, the supercritical fluid extract (SFE) of Phalsak (Citrus hassaku Hort ex Tanaka) fruits was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Compositional analysis in comparison with the anti-proliferative activities of peel and flesh suggested that auraptene is the most prominent anti-cancer compound having activity against gastric cancer cells. SNU-1 cells were the most susceptible to auraptene-induced toxicity among the tested gastric cancer cell lines. Auraptene induced the death of SNU-1 cells through apoptosis, as evidenced by the increased cell population in the sub-G1 phase, the appearance of fragmented nuclei, the proteolytic cleavage of caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein, and depolarization of the mitochondrdial membrane. Interestingly, auraptene induced an increase in the phosphorylation of Akt, which is reminiscent of the effect of a rapamycin, the mTOR inhibitor that triggers a negative feedback loop on Akt/mTOR pathway. Taken together, these findings provide valuable insights into the anti-cancer effects of the SFE of the Phalsak peel by revealing that auraptene, the major compound of Phalsak peel induced apoptosis in addition to the inhibition of mTOR in SNU-1 cells.
Jeong Yong Moon is a research scientist for Faculty of Biotechnology, College of Applied Life Sciences at Jeju National University, Republic of Korea
Email: owenmjy@jejunu.ac.kr