Members of the family Anacardiaceae are known to contain a number of biologically active substances, such as phenolic
lipids, alkyl-
catechols and alkyl-
resorcinols. In the present study, human
cancer cell lines, DU-145 cells (
androgen-insensitive
prostate cancer cells), KB cells (human epidermoid cells), and human
melanoma cell line, M14, were treated for 72 h with 0.59-9.5 microM
litreol (3-[pentadecyl-10-enyl-
catechol]), a alkyl-
catechol isolated from Lithraea caustica (Molina) Hook. & Arn. The results showed, for the first time, that
litreol inhibited
cancer cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the treatment with this compound at 0.59-1.18 microM concentrations induced apoptotic cell death, demonstrated by the fragmentation of genomic
DNA and by a significant increase of
caspase-3 activity. The significant production of
reactive oxygen species (ROS) evidenced in these experimental conditions could trigger the apoptosis cascades. Taken together, these results demonstrate that
litreol attenuate the growth of human
cancer cells, at least in part, triggering an apoptotic process, and they may offer a further impulse to the development of its analogues with more potent efficacy against human
cancer cells.