Research has shown that members of the
Carex genus produce biologically active
stilbenoids including
resveratrol oligomers. This is of great interest to the nutraceutical industry given that
resveratrol, a constituent of grape and red wine, has attracted immense research attention due to its potential human health benefits. In the current study, five
resveratrol oligomers (isolated from
Carex folliculata and
Carex gynandra ), along with
resveratrol, were evaluated for antiproliferative effects against human
colon cancer (HCT-116, HT-29, Caco-2) and normal human colon (CCD-18Co) cells. The
resveratrol oligomers included one dimer, two trimers, and two tetramers:
pallidol (1); α-viniferin (2) and trans-
miyabenol C (3); and kobophenols A (4) and B (5), respectively. Although not cytotoxic, the
resveratrol oligomers (1-5), as well as
resveratrol, inhibited growth of the human
colon cancer cells. Among the six
stilbenoids, α-viniferin (2) was most active against the
colon cancer cells with IC(50) values of 6-32 μM (>2-fold compared to normal colon cells). Moreover, α-viniferin (at 20 μM) did not induce apoptosis but arrested cell cycle (in the S-phase) for the
colon cancer but not the normal colon cells. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge supporting the anticancer effects of
resveratrol and its oligomers. Furthermore,
Carex species should be investigated for their nutraceutical potential given that they produce biologically active
stilbenoids such as α-viniferin.