Cucurbitacin E

Cucurbitacin E is a tetracyclic triterpene, isolated from cucurbitaceous plants. It has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects mediated by its action on the polymerisation of the actin cytoskeleton. Many cancer preventive properties have been reported. CuE induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines. It promotes caspase-3-activation, inhibits STAT3-activation and upregulates p21 and p27 expression. It shows growth inhibitory effects eg. in bladder cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer and leukemia. (References: The natural product cucurbitacin E inhibits depolymerization of actin filaments. Sörensen PM, Iacob RE, Fritzsche M, Engen JR, Brieher WM, Charras G, Eggert US ACS Chem Biol. 2012 Sep 21; 7(9):1502-8. *** Growth inhibitory effect of Cucurbitacin E on breast cancer cells. Lan T, Wang L, Xu Q, Liu W, Jin H, Mao W, Wang X, Wang X. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2013 Aug 15;6(9):1799-805. eCollection 2013. *** Cucurbitacins as inducers of cell death and a rich source of potential anticancer compounds. Ríos JL, Andújar I, Escandell JM, Giner RM, Recio MC Curr Pharm Des. 2012; 18(12):1663-76.)