Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cucurbitacin B

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Cancer

  • 290 Accesses

Definition

Cucurbitacin B is a bitter oxygenated triterpene produced principally by plant species classified in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae).

Characteristics

Chemical names

(2S,4R,23E)-2,16Beta,20-trihydroxy-9beta,10,14-trimethyl-1,11,22-trioxo-4,9-cyclo-9,10-secocholesta-5,23-dien-25-yl acetate

1,2-Dihydro-alpha-elaterin

2Beta,16alpha,20,25-tetrahydroxy-9-methyl-19-nor-9beta,10alpha-lanosta-5,23-diene-3,11,22-trione,25-acetate

2Beta,16alpha,20,25-tetrahydroxy-9-methyl-3,11,22-trioxo-19-nor-9beta,10alpha-lanosta-5,23-dien-25-yl acetate

Activities on Cancer Cells

Cucurbitacin B has the ability to kill multiple types of cancer cell lines at very low concentration in vitro. Cucurbitacin B from Helicteres isora L. (family Sterculiaceae) abrogated the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (KB) cells with an IC50 value at a concentration below 10−5 μg/mL. Cucurbitacin B isolated from Begonia tuberhybrida Voss var. alba (family Begoniaceae) and Bryonia albaL. (family Cucurbitaceae)...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Hoennissen NH, Iwanski GB, Doan NB, Okamoto R, Lin P, Abbassi S, Jee HS, Yin D, Toh M, Xie WD, Said JW, Koeffler HP (2009) Cucurbitacin B induces apoptosis by inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway and potentiates antiproliferative effects of gemcitabine on pancreatic cancer cells. Cancer Res 69(14):5876–5884

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwanski GB, Lee DH, En-Gal S, Doan NB, Castor B, Vogt M, Toh M, Bokemeyer C, Said JW, Thoennissen NH, Koeffler HP (2010) Cucurbitacin B, a novel in vivo potentiator of gemcitabine with low toxicity in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Br J Pharmacol 160(4):998–1007

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jian CC, Ming HC, Rui LN, Cordel GA, Qiuz SX (2005) Cucurbitacins and cucurbitane glycosides: structures and biological activities. Nat Prod Rep 22(3):386–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun C, Zhang M, Shan X, Zhou X, Yang J, Wang Y, Li–Ling J, Deng Y (2010) Inhibitory effect of cucurbitacin e on pancreatic cancer cells growth via STAT3 signaling. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 136(4):603–610

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M, Sun C, Shan X, Yang X, Li–Ling J, Deng Y (2010) Inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell growth by cucurbitacin b through modulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling. Pancreas 39(6):923–992

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Christophe Wiart

Authors
  1. Christophe Wiart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christophe Wiart .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 © Crown Copyright

About this entry

Cite this entry

Wiart, C. (2012). Cucurbitacin B. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7113-6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_7113-6

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation