Effect of different ingredients in traditional Korean medicine for human uterine leiomyoma on normal myometrial and leiomyomal smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Crude water extracts of 13 traditional Korean medicinal ingredients used for leiomyomal treatment were prepared and used to treat human uterine normal myometrial and leiomyomal cell cultures. All the ingredients inhibited proliferation and altered the morphology of both myometrial and leiomyomal cells. Among the 13 ingredients, n-hexane-, chloroform-, and ethylacetate-soluble fractions were extracted from seven ingredients that potently inhibited cell proliferation in their water extract form. Among these, the ethylacetate-fraction of Phlomis umbrosa and Spatholobus suberectus, and the chloroform-fraction of Curcuma zedoaria and S. suberectus inhibited leiomyomal cell proliferation significantly compared to myometrial cell proliferation. Similarly, immunohistochemical analysis showed the inhibition of transforming growth factor-beta receptor 2 in leiomyomal tissue after treatment with the fractions of the ingredients. Moreover, the chloroform-fraction of C. zedoaria was subfractionated by open column chromatography. Two of the eight subfractions (fractions 6 and 7) potently inhibited cell proliferation in leiomyoma compared to myometrium. Further study will be performed with the goal of isolating specific compounds from two effective subfractions of C. zedoaria, ethylacetate-fraction of P. umbrosa, and the ethylacetate and chloroform-fractions of S. suberectus. The present study may be helpful in developing an alternative remedy to leiomyoma with minimal side-effects compared to the current treatments.