Bacopaside II is a steroidal saponin extracted from the medicinal plant Bacopa monnieriwith multiple biological activities[1]. Bacopaside II can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells[2]. Bacopaside II reduces hydrogen peroxide-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inhibits endothelial cell migration and tube formation[3]. Bacopaside II also exhibits potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease[4].
In vitro, treatment of triple-negative breast cancer cell lines HCC1143 and MDA-MB-231 with Bacopaside II (15–30μM) significantly induced apoptosis and necroptosis-like cell death. Combined treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with Bacopaside II (10μM) and doxorubicin (100nM) for 72 hours demonstrated a synergistic growth inhibitory effect[5]. Treatment of colon cancer cell lines HT-29, SW480, SW620, and HCT116 with Bacopaside II (15–30μM) for 24–72 hours significantly inhibited cell growth, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and caused prominent intracellular vacuolization and autophagy-like morphological changes[6].
In vivo, oral administration of Bacopaside II (50mg/kg) for five consecutive days to ICR mice exhibited antidepressant effects, significantly reducing immobility time by 55% in the forced swimming test and by 38% in the tail suspension test[7]. Oral pre-treatment of ICR mice with Bacopaside II (50mg/kg) one hour before intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (1mg/kg) to induce memory impairment showed that Bacopaside II ameliorated scopolamine-induced memory impairment[8].
References:
[1] Chakravarty AK, Sarkar T, Masuda K, et al. Bacopaside I and II: two pseudojujubogenin glycosides from Bacopa monniera. Phytochemistry. 2001 Oct;58(4):553-6.
[2] De Ieso ML, Pei JV, Nourmohammadi S, et al. Combined pharmacological administration of AQP1 ion channel blocker AqB011 and water channel blocker Bacopaside II amplifies inhibition of colon cancer cell migration. Sci Rep. 2019 Sep 2;9(1):12635.
[3] Palethorpe HM, Tomita Y, Smith E, et al. The Aquaporin 1 Inhibitor Bacopaside II Reduces Endothelial Cell Migration and Tubulogenesis and Induces Apoptosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Feb 26;19(3):653.
[4] Anwar S, Mohammad T, Azhar MK, et al. Investigating MARK4 inhibitory potential of Bacopaside II: Targeting Alzheimer's disease. Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Aug 1;245:125364.
[5] Rad SK, Yeo KKL, Li R, et al. Enhancement of Doxorubicin Efficacy by Bacopaside II in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Biomolecules. 2025 Jan 3;15(1):55.
[6] Smith E, Palethorpe HM, Tomita Y, et al. The Purified Extract from the Medicinal Plant Bacopa monnieri, Bacopaside II, Inhibits Growth of Colon Cancer Cells In Vitro by Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis. Cells. 2018 Jul 21;7(7):81.
[7] Zhou Y, Shen YH, Zhang C, et al. Triterpene saponins from Bacopa monnieri and their antidepressant effects in two mice models. J Nat Prod. 2007 Apr;70(4):652-5.
[8] Zhou Y, Peng L, Zhang WD, et al. Effect of triterpenoid saponins from Bacopa monniera on scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. Planta Med. 2009 May;75(6):568-74.