UBC Okanagan scientists have uncovered how plants naturally produce mitraphylline, a rare compound with potential cancer-fighting properties. Credit: Shutterstock

The discovery opens a path to the sustainable synthesis of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agents.

Scientists at UBC Okanagan have revealed how plants create mitraphylline, a rare natural substance that shows potential for fighting cancer.

Mitraphylline is part of a small family of plant molecules known as spirooxindole alkaloids. These compounds are distinguished by their complex “twisted” ring structures and are recognized for powerful biological effects, including anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activity.

Until recently, researchers did not know the precise molecular process plants use to form spirooxindoles. That mystery began to unravel in 2023 when Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang’s team in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science identified the first plant enzyme capable of twisting a molecule into the distinctive spiro shape.

Building on this discovery, doctoral student Tuan-Anh Nguyen led new research that pinpointed two enzymes: one that determines the molecule’s three-dimensional form and another that completes the final twist to produce mitraphylline.

“This is similar to finding the missing links in an assembly line,” says Dr. Dang, UBC Okanagan Principal’s Research Chair in Natural Products Biotechnology. “It answers a long-standing question about how nature builds these complex molecules and gives us a new way to replicate that process.”

A Roadmap for Sustainable Production

Natural compounds are often found in very small amounts in plants, making them difficult or costly to reproduce in the lab. Mitraphylline is one such example: it occurs only in trace amounts in tropical trees like Mitragyna (kratom) and Uncaria (cat’s claw), members of the coffee family.

UBC Okanagan doctoral student Tuan-Anh Nguyen, left, and Dr. Thu-Thuy Dang examine plant samples in their lab. Their research has uncovered how tropical trees produce mitraphylline, a rare compound with potential anti-tumor properties. Credit: UBC Okanagan

By identifying enzymes that build and shape mitraphylline, researchers now have a roadmap for producing it and related compounds in sustainable ways.

“With this discovery, we have a green chemistry approach to accessing compounds with enormous pharmaceutical value,” says Nguyen. “This is a result of UBC Okanagan’s research environment, where students and faculty work closely to solve problems with global reach.”

Collaboration and Future Directions

“Being part of the team that uncovered the enzymes behind spirooxindole compounds has been amazing,” Nguyen adds. “UBC Okanagan’s mentorship and support made this possible, and I’m excited to keep growing as a researcher here in Canada.”

The project is the result of collaboration between Dr. Dang’s lab at UBC Okanagan and Dr. Satya Nadakuduti’s team at the University of Florida.

“We are proud of this discovery coming from UBC Okanagan. Plants are fantastic natural chemists,” she says. “Our next steps will focus on adapting their molecular tools to create a wider range of therapeutic compounds.”

Reference: “A chromosome-level Mitragyna parvifolia genome unveils spirooxindole alkaloid diversification and mitraphylline biosynthesis” by Larissa C Laforest, Tuan-Anh M Nguyen, Gabriel Oliveira Matsumoto, Pavithra Ramachandria, Andre Chanderbali, Siva Rama Raju Kanumuri, Abhisheak Sharma, Christopher R McCurdy, Thu-Thuy T Dang and Satya Swathi Nadakuduti, 18 August 2025, The Plant Cell. DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf207

The work was supported by Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Alliance International Collaboration program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Program. Support also came from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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