Two Vietnamese scientists decode the mystery of anti-cancer compounds in nature

The research team of Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang and graduate student Tuan-Anh Nguyen in Canada has just discovered the mechanism that helps plants produce mitraphylline - a rare compound with anti-cancer properties.

PhD students Tuan-Anh Nguyen (left) and Thu-Thuy Dang examine plant samples in the lab. Their research has discovered how tropical plants produce mitraphylline, a rare compound with anti-cancer properties. Photo: UBC Okanagan

Mitraphylline is a rare natural compound with powerful anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It belongs to the spirooxindole alkaloid group - molecules with a special "twisted" structure and strong biological effects.

Although known for a long time, the process of this molecule forming in nature remained a mystery until Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang's team, Head of the Natural Product Biotechnology Research Group at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC Okanagan, Canada), discovered the first enzyme capable of "twisting" molecules to create a spiro form (a compound with at least two molecular rings sharing a common atom) in 2023.

Following that result, PhD student Tuan-Anh Nguyen led the next phase, discovering two key enzymes that work together in the synthesis of mitraphylline: one enzyme determines the three-dimensional structure, the other enzyme completes the final twisting step to form the complete molecule.

Dr. Dang likened: "This discovery is like finding the missing links in an assembly line. It helps answer the long-standing question of how nature creates these complex molecules, and opens the way to simulate that process in the laboratory."

Mitraphylline naturally occurs in very small amounts in several tropical plants of the coffee family such as Mitragyna (kratom) and Uncaria (cat's claw), making large-scale extraction or synthesis difficult and expensive.

By identifying two key enzymes, the UBC team has laid the foundation for a more efficient and environmentally friendly production process for natural compounds.

“This discovery opens up a green chemistry approach to creating compounds with high pharmaceutical value,” said PhD student Nguyen. “It is a result of the collaborative research environment between students and faculty at UBC Okanagan, where we work together to solve global problems.”

The work is a collaboration between Dr. Dang's team at UBC Okanagan and Dr. Satya Nadakuduti's team at the University of Florida (USA), with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the BC Michael Smith Health Scholars Program, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the US Department of Agriculture.

"We are proud of this discovery - evidence that plants are nature's genius chemists," said Dr Dang. "The next step is to find ways to use these enzymes to create many other valuable therapeutic compounds."

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VNA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hai-nha-khoa-hoc-goc-viet-giai-ma-bi-an-hop-chat-chong-ung-thu-trong-tu-nhien-20251011090557778.htm