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Methanol extracts of 36 samples of 21 Umbelliferae plants were screened for polyacetylenic compounds using the ELISA for panaxytriol, and their antiproliferative activity was checked by MTT assay using the tumor cell lines MK-1, HeLa and B16F10. The presence of antiproliferative polyacetylenes was suggested in Angelica acutiloba (fruit), Anethum graveolens (root), Bupleurum rotundifolium (fruit), Carum carvi (fruit and root), Coriandrum sativum (fruit), Cryptotaenia japonica (leaf), Glehnia littoralis (fruit), Heracleum moellendorffii (root) and Torilis japonica (fruit). Panaxynol and falcarindiol were successfully isolated from the root of Heracleum moellendorffii as antiproliferative polyacetylenes.

Polyacetylenic alcohols such as panaxytriol, panaxynol and panaxydol isolated from the roots of Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER have antiproliferative activity against various cultured tumor cells. Anti-panaxytriol antibody was obtained by immunizing rabbits with panaxytriol-bovine serum albumin conjugates. Although the antibody reactivity was directed mainly toward panaxytriol, there was a slight cross-reactivity with other polyacetylenic compounds. The antibody was, therefore, used for screening a large number of crude drugs for polyacetylenic compounds such as panaxytriol. Methanol-extracts from 31 crude drugs were examined. Significant reactivity was observed in 15 methanol-extracts from Aralieaceae, Compositae and Umbelliferae as reported by other investigators. Three out of the 15 crude drugs were selected for determination of the potent cross-reactive compounds. Four kinds of cross-reactive compounds were isolated by silica gel column chromatography, monitoring each fraction using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among them, panaxynol and heptadeca-1,8-diene-4,6-diyne-3,10-diol were identified from Saposhnikoviae Radix. Falcarindiol was newly identified from Peucedani Radix. A new polyacetylenic alcohol, 9,10-epoxy-16-hydroxy-octadeca-17-ene-12,14-diyne-1-al, was also isolated from Foeniculi Fructus. All these polyacetylenic alcohols inhibited the growth of a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line, MK-1 cells, in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that the antibody against panaxytriol is an effective tool for "screening" antiproliferative polyacetylenic compounds.

A polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxytriol, isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer inhibits both tumor cell growth in vitro and the growth of B16 melanoma transplanted into mice. Our preliminary studies indicated that panaxytriol localizes to the mitochondria in human breast carcinoma cells (Breast M25-SF). This study focused on the effects of panaxytriol on mitochondrial structures and function in Breast M25-SF. The results indicate that panaxytriol rapidly inhibits cellular respiration and disrupts cellular energy balance in Breast M25-SF. At concentrations between 11.3 and 180 microM, panaxytriol causes a dose-dependent inhibition of the conversion of the tetrazolium (MTT assay) by mitochondrial dehydrogenase within 2 h. A 1-h treatment with 180 microM panaxytriol causes a significant loss of rhodamine-123 from cells with mitochondria prestained with rhodamine-123 (by flow cytometry). Specific toxic changes were observed by electron microscopy in the mitochondria of Breast M25-SF within 1 h after treatment with more than 180 microM panaxytriol. These data indicate that 180 microM panxytriol rapidly disrupts cellular energy balance and respiration in Breast M25-SF and suggest that panaxytriol may lower cellular ATP concentrations. After treatment with 180 microM panaxytriol, cellular ATP levels were 40% of those in control cells after 1 h. ATP depletion preceded the loss of cellular viability. Neither ATP depletion nor cytolysis was found in human erythrocytes that have no mitochondria. Thus, ATP depletion resulting from a direct inhibition of mitochondrial respiration is a critical early event in the cytotoxicity of panaxytriol.

Acetylenic alcohol, panaxydol, isolated from Panax ginseng shows a significant growth inhibitory effect against various types of cultured cell lines. Its anti-proliferative effect is highly specific for malignant cells, but varies by cell lines. In the present study, the relationship between cellular sensitivity to panaxydol and the affinity of panaxydol for target cells was studied. Panaxydol was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Panaxydol-BSA was first incubated with sensitive cells, MK-1 cells, or resistant cells, HeLa cells, and then FITC-labeled anti-BSA antibody was added. The percentage of labeled cells and relative mean of fluorescence were determined by flow cytometry. The results indicate that the sensitivity of target cells against panaxydol is partly prescribed by its affinity for target cells.

A new type of antitumor polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxytriol, was isolated from the roots of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. A highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of panaxytriol was developed, which is capable of measuring as low as 25.6 pg/ml. Anti-panaxytriol antibody was obtained by immunizing rabbits with panaxytriol conjugated with bovine serum albumin using the N-succinimidyl ester method. An enzyme marker was similarly prepared by coupling panaxytriol with horseradish peroxidase. The specificity of this ELISA seems to be primarily toward both the glycol moiety and the diacetylene moiety of the panaxytriol, showing a slight cross-reaction with the other panaxytriol analogues which are structurally different only in C-9,10 positions, but no cross-reaction with the 1,2-decanediol or 3-nonyn-1-ol. The values for panaxytriol concentration detected by this assay were comparable with those detected by the gas chromatography method. The ELISA was about 5000 times more sensitive in detecting panaxytriol. Using this assay, panaxytriol levels were easily determined in the blood of rats. The ELISA may be a valuable tool for studies of the biological and pharmacological properties of the polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxytriol.

Polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxytriol, which was isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, has antiproliferative activity against several kinds of tumor cells. In this paper, the effect of panaxytriol on the cytotoxicity of mitomycin C (MMC) against a human gastric carcinoma cell line, MK-1, was investigated. The combination of a subthreshold concentration of MMC and panaxytriol produced a significant cytotoxic effect, which indicates that the effects of panaxytriol and MMC are synergistic. A synergistic effect was observed when MK-1 cells were treated with the mixture of MMC and panaxytriol or treated with MMC followed by panaxytriol. In contrast, when MK-1 cells were exposed to panaxytriol and then to MMC, only an additive effect was induced. With the aim of finding a possible mechanism, the effect of panaxytriol on the accumulation of MMC into the MK-1 cells was examined. Cellular concentrations of MMC were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). When MK-1 cells were treated with a mixture of panaxytriol and MMC or first with MMC and then with panaxytriol, the cellular level of MMC was significantly higher than that in MK-1 cells treated with MMC alone, but no significantly increased accumulation was found when MK-1 cells were treated with panaxytriol followed by MMC. These results suggest that synergistic effects of panaxytriol and MMC may be induced by acceleration of the effect of MMC on cellular accumulation by panaxytriol. In addition, they suggest that the enhanced accumulation of MMC in MK-1 cells treated with panaxytriol can probably be attributed to the decreased fluidity of the cell membrane caused by panaxytriol.

Antitumor polyacetylenic alcohol, panaxynol, was isolated and purified from a powder of the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. Panaxynol inhibited the growth of various kinds of cultured tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In this paper we demonstrated the first specific antibody production against panaxynol. Anti-panaxynol antibody was elicited in rabbits by immunization with panaxynol hemisuccinate-bovine serum albumin conjugate (panaxynol hemisuccinate-BSA conjugate). An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the determination of panaxynol was established using a double-antibody technique. The EIA was highly specific against panaxynol although the antibody showed a minimal cross-reactivity with other types of polyacetylenic alcohol, i.e. panaxydol (12.0%) and panaxytriol (0.77%). Panaxynol at a concentration as low as 6.4 ng/ml can be detected. Using this assay we reconfirmed the rapid consumption of panaxynol by target tumor cells in an in vitro-culture system. The anti-panaxynol antibody may be a valuable tool for studies of the biological properties of polyacetylenic compounds.