cephalotaxus harringtonia leaf extract

Cephalotaxus harringtonia leaf extract (CHLE) is a botanical extract derived from the leaves of the Japanese plum yew, a plant native to East Asia and traditionally used in East Asian medicine. The extract contains a complex mixture of bioactive constituents, most notably the alkaloid homoharringtonine (HHT) and the flavonoid quercetin 3-β-D-glucoside (Q3G). CHLE has demonstrated selective anticancer activity, particularly against human liver cancer (HepG2) cells, while showing minimal toxicity toward normal cells. Its mechanism of action involves the induction of apoptosis through the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic pathway, which is characterized by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, and the upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein BAX. While its component homoharringtonine is an FDA-approved treatment for leukemia, the whole leaf extract is being researched for its potential as a natural therapeutic candidate for solid tumors like hepatocellular carcinoma.

Other names

Cephalotaxus harringtonia extractJapanese plum yew leaf extract