Effects of Leuzea carthamoides (maral root) in MCF-7 cells

Products derived from roots of Leuzea carthamoides DC. (maral root) are being promoted as anti-aging and adaptogenic. The phytoecdysteroids are considered as active principles with numerous beneficial effects, but little is known about the pharmacological properties of Leuzea extracts. We, therefore, investigated the effects of a lipophilic Leuzea root extract on ER+ breast cancer MCF-7 cells at transcriptional level in comparison to 17beta-estradiol and the ER antagonist tamoxifen. With the extract 241 genes were regulated more than 1.5 fold. We observed gene regulation in an anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic manner.

8

Gaube F, Wölfl S, Pusch L, Werner U, Kroll TC, Schrenk D, Hartmann RW, Hamburger M