Identification of NF-κB Inhibitors from Watercress

Abstract

Watercress, Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton, a member of the Brassicaceae family[1], is highly consumed in salad mixes and contains many phytochemicals[2]. As part of the cancer chemoprevention drug discovery program, watercress was tested in a panel of bioassays. The small scale hexane extract of watercress exhibited over 65% NF-kB inhibition at a concentration of 50 µM. NF-κB is a hallmark for cancer and disregulation of NF-κB has also been linked to inflammation and auto immune diseases[3]. Three isolated samples from the hexane extract were tested in assays for biological activity. While the large scale hexane extract of watercress did not demonstrate potent NF-κB inhibition, it was found that one of the isolated samples showed some activity in the NF-κB assay.