Why Is Aloe-emodin a New Type of Anticancer Agent with Selective Activity against Neuroectodermal Tumors?

Here we report that aloe-emodin, a hydroxyanthraquinone present in Aloe vera leaves, has a specific in vitro and in vivo antineuroectodermal tumor activity. The growth of human neuroectodermal tumors is inhibited in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency without any appreciable toxic effects on the animals. The compound does not inhibit the proliferation of normal fibroblasts nor that of hemopoietic progenitor cells. The cytotoxicity mechanism consists of the induction of apoptosis, whereas the selectivity against neuroectodermal tumor cells is founded on a specific energy-dependent pathway of drug incorporation. Taking into account its unique cytotoxicity profile and mode of action, AE might represent a conceptually new lead antitumor drug.

What is more about Aloe-emodin?

With the aim of developing novel anticancer drugs characterized by selective targeting and low toxicity for dividing normal host tissues, we devoted our attention to a number of natural compounds that have traditionally been used to treat a variety of diseases for hundreds of years . We assayed only those natural compounds that have already been proven to be nontoxic, and we evaluated their efficacy against highly malignant tumors that are not normally included in the classical screening assays, i.e., pPNET, 3 Ewing’s sarcoma, and neuroblastoma. The last of these is the most common solid extracranial tumor in infants, accounting for 10% of all childhood cancers. At the time of diagnosis, ∼50% of affected children have disseminated neuroblastoma disease with a very poor prognosis that has remained unchanged in the last 3 decades . Our study analyzed the cytotoxic potential of AE, a hydroxyanthraquinone naturally present in the leaves of Aloe vera. This report describes the selective in vitro and in vivo killing of neuroectodermal tumor cells by AE, the anticancer activity of which is based on apoptotic cell death, promoted by a tumor cell-specific drug uptake process that may offer opportunities for novel anticancer agents.

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