| Properties | Information | |
|---|---|---|
| PhytoCAT-ID | PhytoCAT-816 | |
| Phytochemical name or plant extracts | Harmine | |
| PMID | 33626096 | |
| Literature evidence | Harmine is a beta-carboline alkaloid found in a variety of plants and was recently shown to be able to induce degradation of Twist Family BHLH Transcription Factor 1 (Twist1) in non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC). | |
| IUPAC name | 7-methoxy-1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole | |
| Phytochemicals’ class or type of plant extracts | Alkaloid | |
| Source of phytochemicals or plant Extracts | Peganum harmala | |
| Geographical availability | Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China North-Central, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, Greece, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krym, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mongolia, Morocco, North Caucasus, Pakistan, Palestine, Qinghai, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, South European Russi, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen, Yugoslavia | |
| Plant parts | Seeds | |
| Other cancers | Breast cancer | |
| Target gene or protein | Twist1, TAZ, p‑Erk, p‑Akt, Bcl‑2, Bax | |
| Gene or Protein evidence | In this study, we show that harmine can inhibit migration and invasion of both human and mouse breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. This result may facilitate the development of strategies that target Twist1 to treat metastatic breast cancer, as Twist1 is expressed at a high level in metastatic breast cancer cells but not in normal cells. In addition, HM significantly decreased the expression of TAZ, p‑Erk, p‑Akt and Bcl‑2, but increased that of Bax. In conclusion, HM was found to induce apoptosis and prevent the proliferation and migration of human breast cancer cell lines, possibly via the downregulation of TAZ. | |
| Target pathways | NA | |
| IC50 | NA | |
| Potency | At the concentrations tested, harmine did not affect the viability of cells significantly, suggesting that its inhibition of cancer cell migration and invasion is largely independent of its cytotoxicity, but due to its ability to affect regulators of EMT such as Twist1. | |
| Cell line/ mice model | BT-549 | |
| Additional information | Harmine is a beta-carboline alkaloid found in a variety of plants and was recently shown to be able to induce degradation of Twist Family BHLH Transcription Factor 1 (Twist1) in non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC). In this study, we show that harmine can inhibit migration and invasion of both human and mouse breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. | |
| PubChem ID | 5280953 | |
| Additional PMIDs | 34771123 31081045 | |
| Additional sources of information | https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:774545-1 | |
| Safety | NA |