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Topoisomerase i inhibition and cytotoxicity of licochalcones A and E fromGlycyrrhiza inflata

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Abstract

Licochalcones A (1) and E (2), retrochalcones or reversely constructed chalcones, isolated from the roots ofGlycyrrhiza inflata, were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against four different human tumor cell lines; A549 (lung), SK-OV-3 (ovarian), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma) and HCT-15 (colon), using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The effects of these compounds toward the DNA topoisomerase l (topo l) inhibitory activity were also measured using the supercoiled DNA unwinding assay. All compounds showed moderate cytotoxicities against the four different human tumor cell lines and inhibited the topo l activity in dose-dependent manners. The inhibition of topo l by licochalcones A (1) and E (2) may explain the cytotoxicities of these compounds against the human tumor cell lines.

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Correspondence to Seung Hoon Cheon.

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Yoon, G., Kang, B.Y. & Cheon, S.H. Topoisomerase i inhibition and cytotoxicity of licochalcones A and E fromGlycyrrhiza inflata . Arch Pharm Res 30, 313–316 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02977611

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