ISOLATION, QUANTIFICATION OF PIGMENTS AND MONACOLIN K FROM RED YEAST RICE AND THEIR ASSOCIATED BIOACTIVITIES IN CULTURED HUMAN CARCINOMA CELLS

Abstract

Red yeast rice has traditionally been used as a natural food colorant, food preservative and traditional Chinese medicine. It has been reported its pleiotropic effects including: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer proliferative, suppression adipogenesis, antimicrobial, simulating osteoblast proliferation, immunosuppressive, and anti-diabetic activities. These effects are related to two bioactive groups: monacolins and pigments. This study has developed optimal extraction, purification and quantification methods for yellow pigments (ankaflavin, monascin, monaphilone A and monaphilone B); red pigments (rubropunctamine and monascorubramine) from red yeast rice and investigated their associated bioactivities in three human carcinoma cells. The overall results indicated that monacolin K and pigments inhibited proliferation of carcinoma cells through induction of apoptosis by cytochrome c release via multi-pathways activation. These pigments and monacolin K may be new precursor compounds in the development of new natural anti-cancer reagent.