The limonoids TR4 and TR9 induce apoptosis in mouse and human hepatoma cell lines

Backgrounds and aims: Treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most malignant tumors worldwide, are still limited. Currently only Sorafenib is able to prolong patient survival, implicating a need for further therapy improvement. A source for potential new therapeutics is traditional medicine. Here plant extracts and some secondary metabolites extracted from plants have been shown to exert anti-viral, anti-bacterial or anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic activities. We investigated the anti-tumor activity of three different, but structurally related, new limonoids from root bark of Trichilia ru…