Title:Anticancer Properties Against Select Cancer Cell Lines and Metabolomics Analysis of Tender Coconut Water
Volume: 25
Issue: 3
Author(s): Jaganathan Lakshmanan*, Vaitheesh L. Jaganathan, Boachun Zhang, Grace Werner, Tyler S. Allen, David J. Schultz, Carolyn M. Klinge and Brian G. Harbrecht
Affiliation:
- Department of Surgery, and Price Institute of Surgical Research, School of Medicine, University of
Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40202, United States
Keywords:
Tender coconut water, HepG2, cancer, EMT, metabolomics, anti-cancer effects.
Abstract:
Background: Tender Coconut Water (TCW) is a nutrient-rich dietary supplement that contains bioactive
secondary metabolites and phytohormones with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies on
TCW’s anti-cancer properties are limited and the mechanism of its anti-cancer effects have not been defined.
Objective: In the present study, we investigate TCW for its anti-cancer properties and, using untargeted metabolomics,
we identify components form TCW with potential anti-cancer activity.
Methodology: Cell viability assay, BrdU incorporation assay, soft-agar assay, flow-cytometery, and Western
blotting were used to analyze TCW’s anticancer properties and to identify mechanism of action. Liquid chromatography-
Tandem Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) was used to identify TCW components.
Results: TCW decreased the viability and anchorage-independent growth of HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC) cells and caused S-phase cell cycle arrest. TCW inhibited AKT and ERK phosphorylation leading to reduced
ZEB1 protein, increased E-cadherin, and reduced N-cadherin protein expression in HepG2 cells, thus reversing
the ‘epithelial-to-mesenchymal’ (EMT) transition. TCW also decreased the viability of Hep3B hepatoma,
HCT-15 colon, MCF-7 and T47D luminal A breast cancer (BC) and MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 triplenegative
BC cells. Importantly, TCW did not inhibit the viability of MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells.
Untargeted metabolomics analysis of TCW identified 271 metabolites, primarily lipids and lipid-like molecules,
phenylpropanoids and polyketides, and organic oxygen compounds. We demonstrate that three components from
TCW: 3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propan-1-one, iondole-3-carbox aldehyde and caffeic acid inhibit the
growth of cancer cells.
Conclusion: TCW and its components exhibit anti-cancer effects. TCW inhibits the viability of HepG2 hepatocellular
carcinoma cells by reversing the EMT process through inhibition of AKT and ERK signalling.
