Description
Esculetinisacoumarinlactonefoundinchicoryandotherplants;itexhibitsanticoagulant,anti-obesity,anti-hyperlipidemic,anti-inflammatory,anticancer,antioxidative,andneuroprotectiveactivities.EsculetindecreaseslevelsofNO,PPARγ,TNF-α,andMCP-1andincreaseslevelsofhemeoxygenase1(HO-1)inmacrophages.InanimalmodelsofParkinson’sdisease,esculetininhibitsMPTP-inducedneurotoxicityandneuronalapoptosis.Inhighfatdiet-fedrats,thiscompounddecreasesbodyweight,triglyceridelevels,totalcholesterol,andglucoselevels.Additionally,esculetininducescellcyclearrest,DNAfragmentation,activationofcaspases3and9,reductionofthemitochondrialmembranepotential,andapoptosisinacutepromyelocyticleukemia(APL)cells.Esculetinalsoinhibitsproliferationofcoloncancercellsbydirectlyinhibitingβ-catenin.Thiscompoundalsoactsasaradicalscavengerinvitro.