Purification of components from Inula hilinium (elecampane) which are cytotoxic to the 4T1 murine breast cancer cell line.

• In Event: Cell and Molecular Biology Oral Session I

Abstract

The plant Inula hilinium (elecampane), is a medicinal plant that is found widely throughout England. It has been used as a diuretic, antiseptic, skin cream and has been used in treating pulmonary diseases. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown elecampane to be toxic to 4T1 murine breast cancer cells. Powdered elecampane root powder was refluxed in dichlorlomethane for 1 hour, the dichloromethane was distilled off and the extract was resuspended in ethanol. The resulting ethanolic extract was size fractionated on a Sephadex LH20 column with 75% ethanol as the mobile phase and initially analyzed through absorbance at 280nm. Fractions from the column were assayed for cytotoxic effects on 4T1 cells. Cytotoxic fractions were further characterized using HPLC (solid phase: C18, mobile phase: 0-75% methanol gradient over 30 minutes). One peak was identified through HPLC from the most cytotoxic fraction. This peak was collected and further characterized using mass spectroscopic analysis (MALDI TOF). Based on the mass spectroscopic analysis, the most likely size of the cytotoxic molecule isolated through this study was determined to be 440g/mol. Further research is ongoing to identify this cytotoxic component of elecampane.

Authors

• Thomas Evan McElwan, Wayland Baptist University

• Sarah C. Kelly, Wayland Baptist University

• Ashley M. Rivera, Wayland Baptist University

• Jessica Rose Kenneson, Wayland Baptist University

• Robert T. McCutcheon, Wayland Baptist University

• Gary Owen Gray, Wayland Baptist University

• Adam J. Reinhart, Wayland Baptist University