Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase-α Inhibitor TOFA Induces Human Cancer Cell Apoptosis

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Wang, Chun; Xu, Canxin; Sun, Mingwei; Luo, Dixian; Liao, Duan-fang; Cao, Deliang

2009-01-01

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-α (ACCA) is a rate-limiting enzyme in long chain fatty acid synthesis, playing a critical role in cellular energy storage and lipid synthesis. ACCA is upregulated in multiple types of human cancers and small interfering RNA-mediated ACCA silencing in human breast and prostate cancer cells results in oxidative stress and apoptosis. This study reports for the first time that TOFA (5-tetradecyloxy-2-furoic acid), an allosteric inhibitor of ACCA, is cytotoxic to lung cancer cells NCI-H460 and colon carcinoma cells HCT-8 and HCT-15, with an IC50 at approximately 5.0, 5.0, and 4.5 μg/ml, respectively. TOFA at 1.0–20.0 μg/ml effectively blocked fatty acid synthesis and induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The cell death was characterized with PARP cleavage, DNA fragmentation, and annexin-V staining, all of which are the features of the apoptosis. Supplementing simultaneously the cells with palmitic acids (100 μM), the end-products of the fatty acid synthesis pathway, prevented the apoptosis induced by TOFA. Taken together, these data suggest that TOFA is a potent cytotoxic agent to lung and colon cancer cells, inducing apoptosis through disturbing their fatty acid synthesis. PMID:19450551

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-alpha inhibitor TOFA induces human cancer cell apoptosis.

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Wang, Chun; Xu, Canxin; Sun, Mingwei; Luo, Dixian; Liao, Duan-Fang; Cao, Deliang

2009-07-31

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-alpha (ACCA) is a rate-limiting enzyme in long chain fatty acid synthesis, playing a critical role in cellular energy storage and lipid synthesis. ACCA is upregulated in multiple types of human cancers and small interfering RNA-mediated ACCA silencing in human breast and prostate cancer cells results in oxidative stress and apoptosis. This study reports for the first time that TOFA (5-tetradecyloxy-2-furoic acid), an allosteric inhibitor of ACCA, is cytotoxic to lung cancer cells NCI-H460 and colon carcinoma cells HCT-8 and HCT-15, with an IC(50) at approximately 5.0, 5.0, and 4.5 microg/ml, respectively. TOFA at 1.0-20.0 microg/ml effectively blocked fatty acid synthesis and induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The cell death was characterized with PARP cleavage, DNA fragmentation, and annexin-V staining, all of which are the features of the apoptosis. Supplementing simultaneously the cells with palmitic acids (100 microM), the end-products of the fatty acid synthesis pathway, prevented the apoptosis induced by TOFA. Taken together, these data suggest that TOFA is a potent cytotoxic agent to lung and colon cancer cells, inducing apoptosis through disturbing their fatty acid synthesis.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) modulates the ability of NSAIDs to induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells.

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Andrews, Peter; Krygier, Scott; Djakiew, Daniel

2002-03-01

Recent evidence indicates that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective in the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer. In the study reported here, we investigated the ability of the steroid hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to modulate NSAID-induced apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Using in vitro models of androgen-sensitive and androgen-insensitive human prostate cancer cells, we evaluated the ability of a specific cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (NS-398) and a nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitor (indomethacin) to induce apoptosis in the presence of various concentrations of DHT. Apoptosis was quantified using the TUNEL method and verified by electron microscopy. We found that increasing concentrations of DHT significantly enhanced the ability of NS-398 and indomethacin to induce apoptosis of androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells. The ability of NSAIDs to induce apoptosis of androgen-insensitive PC-3 cells, however, was not affected by the presence of DHT. Higher levels of DHT in the incubation medium both before as well as following exposure to NSAIDs enhanced apoptosis of LNCaP cells. Another steroid hormone that interacts with the androgen receptor in LNCaP cells (progesterone) also promoted apoptosis of these cells. Increasing concentrations of DHT caused LNCaP cells to shift from the S and G(2)/M to the G(0)/G(1) stages of the cell cycle. These observations support the use of DHT in combination with NSAIDs in the treatment of prostate cancer, and indicate that DHT is an important issue to address in clinical trials of NSAIDs since androgen ablation is a common treatment for prostate cancer.

Fatty acid synthase regulates the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis.

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Al-Bahlani, Shadia; Al-Lawati, Hanaa; Al-Adawi, Moza; Al-Abri, Nadia; Al-Dhahli, Buthaina; Al-Adawi, Kawther

2017-06-01

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key enzyme in fat biosynthesis that is over-expressed in advanced breast cancer stages. Cisplatin (CDDP) is a platinum-based drug used in the treatment of certain types of this disease. Although it was shown that FASN inhibition induced apoptosis by enhancing the cytotoxicity of certain drugs in breast cancer, its role in regulating the chemosensitivity of different types of breast cancer cells to CDDP-induced apoptosis is not established yet. Therefore, two different breast cancer cell lines; triple negative breast cancer (TNBC; MDA-MB-231) and triple positive breast cancer (TPBC; BT-474) cells were used to examine such role. We show that TNBC cells had naturally less fat content than TPBC cells. Subsequently, the fat content increased in both cells when treated with Palmitate rather than Oleate, whereas both fatty acids produced apoptotic ultra-structural effects and attenuated FASN expression. However, Oleate increased FASN expression in TPBC cells. CDDP decreased FASN expression and increased apoptosis in TNBC cells. These effects were further enhanced by combining CDDP with fatty acids. We also illustrate that the inhibition of FASN by either siRNA or exogenous inhibitor decreased CDDP-induced apoptosis in TPBC cells suggesting its role as an apoptotic factor, while an opposite finding was observed in TNBC cells when siRNA and fatty acids were used, suggesting its role as a survival factor. To our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate a dual role of FASN in CDDP-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells and how it can modulate their chemosensitivity.

Ginkgo Biloba Extract Kaempferol Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

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Zhang, Yuqing; Chen, Aaron Y.; Li, Min; Chen, Changyi; Yao, Qizhi

2010-01-01

Background Kaempferol is one of the most important constituents in ginkgo flavonoids. Recent studies indicate kaempferol may have anti-tumor activities. The objective in this study was to determine the effect and mechanisms of kaempferol on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. Materials and Methods Pancreatic cancer cell lines MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 were treated with Kampferol, and the inhibitory effects of kaempferol on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation were examined by direct cell counting, 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTS assay. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release from cells was determined as an index of cytotoxicity. Apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL assay. Results Upon the treatment with 70 μM kaempferol for 4 days, MIA PaCa-2 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by 79% and 45.7% as determined by direct cell counting and MTS assay, respectively, compared with control cells (Pkaempferol significantly inhibited Panc-1 cell proliferation. Kaempferol treatment also significantly reduced 3H-thymidine incorporation in both MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells. Combination treatment of low concentrations of kaempferol and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) showed an additive effect on the inhibition of MIA PaCa-2 cell proliferation. Furthermore, kaempferol had a significantly less cytotoxicity than 5-FU in normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (P=0.029). In both MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells, apoptotic cell population was increased when treated with kaempferol in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions Ginkgo biloba extract kaempferol effectively inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and induces cancer cell apoptosis, which may sensitize pancreatic tumor cells to chemotherapy. Kaempferol may have clinical applications as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. PMID:18570926

Ku70 inhibits gemcitabine-induced DNA damage and pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis

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Ma, Jiali; Hui, Pingping; Meng, Wenying; Wang, Na; Xiang, Shihao

2017-01-01

The current study focused on the role of Ku70, a DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex protein, in pancreatic cancer cell resistance to gemcitabine. In both established cell lines (Mia-PaCa-2 and PANC-1) and primary human pancreatic cancer cells, shRNA/siRNA-mediated knockdown of Ku70 significantly sensitized gemcitabine-induced cell death and proliferation inhibition. Meanwhile, gemcitabine-induced DNA damage and subsequent pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis were also potentiated with Ku70 knockdown. On the other hand, exogenous overexpression of Ku70 in Mia-PaCa-2 cells suppressed gemcitabine-induced DNA damage and subsequent cell apoptosis. In a severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice Mia-PaCa-2 xenograft model, gemcitabine-induced anti-tumor activity was remarkably pontificated when combined with Ku70 shRNA knockdown in the xenografts. The results of this preclinical study imply that Ku70 might be a primary resistance factor of gemcitabine, and Ku70 silence could significantly chemo-sensitize gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells. - Highlights: • Ku70 knockdown sensitizes gemcitabine-induced killing of pancreatic cancer cells. • Ku70 knockdown facilitates gemcitabine-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis. • Ku70 overexpression deceases gemcitabine's sensitivity in pancreatic cancer cells. • Ku70 knockdown sensitizes gemcitabine-induced anti-tumor activity in vivo.

Fem1b, a proapoptotic protein, mediates proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis of human colon cancer cells.

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Subauste, M Cecilia; Sansom, Owen J; Porecha, Nehal; Raich, Natacha; Du, Liqin; Maher, Joseph F

2010-02-01

In the treatment of colon cancer, the development of resistance to apoptosis is a major factor in resistance to therapy. New molecular approaches to overcome apoptosis resistance, such as selectively upregulating proapoptotic proteins, are needed in colon cancer therapy. In a mouse model with inactivation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) tumor suppressor gene, reflecting the pathogenesis of most human colon cancers, the gene encoding feminization-1 homolog b (Fem1b) is upregulated in intestinal epithelium following Apc inactivation. Fem1b is a proapoptotic protein that interacts with apoptosis-inducing proteins Fas, tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1), and apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (Apaf-1). Increasing Fem1b expression induces apoptosis of cancer cells, but effects on colon cancer cells have not been reported. Fem1b is a homolog of feminization-1 (FEM-1), a protein in Caenorhabditis elegans that is regulated by proteasomal degradation, but whether Fem1b is likewise regulated by proteasomal degradation is unknown. Herein, we found that Fem1b protein is expressed in primary human colon cancer specimens, and in malignant SW620, HCT-116, and DLD-1 colon cancer cells. Increasing Fem1b expression, by transfection of a Fem1b expression construct, induced apoptosis of these cells. We found that proteasome inhibitor treatment of SW620, HCT-116, and DLD-1 cells caused upregulation of Fem1b protein levels, associated with induction of apoptosis. Blockade of Fem1b upregulation with morpholino antisense oligonucleotide suppressed the proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis of these cells. In conclusion, the proapoptotic protein Fem1b is downregulated by the proteasome in malignant colon cancer cells and mediates proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis of these cells. Therefore, Fem1b could represent a novel molecular target to overcome apoptosis resistance in therapy of colon cancer.

The role of p38 MAP kinase in cancer cell apoptosis

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Lenassi, M.; Plemenitas, A.

2006-01-01

Background. Cellular behaviour in response to many extracellular stimuli is mediated through MAP kinase signalling pathways. p38 MAP kinase that is represented in mammals by four isoforms (p38α, p38β, p38γ and p38δ) is one of the four main subgroups of MAP kinases. Recent studies show that p38 activation is necessary for cancer cell death initiated by variety of anti-cancer agents. This finding connected cancer therapies previously considered to be mechanistically unrelated and raised the possibility of developing anti-cancer agents that lack the side effects caused by events upstream of p38 MAPK. Many of the details of p38 induced apoptosis still need to be elucidated. Since most of the past studies rely only on the cell culture models, all the results have to be verified using in vivo models. Also very little is known about the role of p38 mediated apoptosis on non-neoplastic cells in response to anti-cancer agents. Conclusion. Although p38 activation of cancer cell apoptosis is a very complex process, recent studies indicate a good starting point for new strategies that would increase the efficiency and decrease the toxicity of proven therapies. (author)

Noscapine induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human colon cancer cells in vivo and in vitro

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Yang, Zi-Rong; Liu, Meng; Peng, Xiu-Lan; Lei, Xiao-Fei; Zhang, Ji-Xiang; Dong, Wei-Guo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Noscapine inhibited cell viability of colon cancer in a time- and dose- dependent manner. ► G 2 /M phase arrest and chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation were induced. ► Noscapine promoted apoptosis via mitochondrial pathways. ► Tumorigenicity was inhibited by noscapine. -- Abstract: Noscapine, a phthalide isoquinoline alkaloid derived from opium, has been widely used as a cough suppressant for decades. Noscapine has recently been shown to potentiate the anti-cancer effects of several therapies by inducing apoptosis in various malignant cells without any detectable toxicity in cells or tissues. However, the mechanism by which noscapine induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells remains unclear. The signaling pathways by which noscapine induces apoptosis were investigated in colon cancer cell lines treated with various noscapine concentrations for 72 h, and a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability was observed. Noscapine effectively inhibited the proliferation of LoVo cells in vitro (IC 50 = 75 μM). This cytotoxicity was reflected by cell cycle arrest at G 2 /M and subsequent apoptosis, as indicated by increased chromatin condensation and fragmentation, the upregulation of Bax and cytochrome c (Cyt-c), the downregulation of survivin and Bcl-2, and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Moreover, in a xenograft tumor model in mice, noscapine injection clearly inhibited tumor growth via the induction of apoptosis, which was demonstrated using a TUNEL assay. These results suggest that noscapine induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells via mitochondrial pathways. Noscapine may be a safe and effective chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of human colon cancer.

BAK overexpression mediates p53-independent apoptosis inducing effects on human gastric cancer cells

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Liu Jun

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background BAK (Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer is a novel pro-apoptotic gene of the Bcl-2 family. It has been reported that gastric tumors have reduced BAK levels when compared with the normal mucosa. Moreover, mutations of the BAK gene have been identified in human gastrointestinal cancers, suggesting that a perturbation of BAK-mediated apoptosis may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects of gene transfer mediated elevations in BAK expression on human gastric cancer cells in vitro. Methods Eukaryotic expression vector for the BAK gene was constructed and transferred into gastric cancer cell lines, MKN-45 (wild-type p53 and MKN-28 (mutant-type p53. RT-PCR and Western Blotting detected cellular BAK gene expression. Cell growth activities were detected by MTT colorimetry and flow cytometry, while apoptosis was assayed by electronic microscopy and TUNEL. Western Blotting and colorimetry investigated cellular caspase-3 activities. Results BAK gene transfer could result in significant BAK overexpression, decreased in vitro growth, cell cycle G0/G1 arrest, and induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In transferred cells, inactive caspase-3 precursor was cleaved into the active subunits p20 and p17, during BAK overexpression-induced apoptosis. In addition, this process occurred equally well in p53 wild-type (MKN-45, or in p53 mutant-type (MKN-28 gastric cancer cells. Conclusions The data presented suggests that overexpression of the BAK gene can lead to apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in vitro, which does not appear to be dependent on p53 status. The action mechanism of BAK mediated apoptosis correlates with activation of caspase-3. This could be served as a potential strategy for further development of gastric cancer therapies.

BAK overexpression mediates p53-independent apoptosis inducing effects on human gastric cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, Qiang-Song; Zheng, Li-Duan; Wang, Liang; Liu, Jun; Qian, Wei

2004-01-01

BAK (Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer) is a novel pro-apoptotic gene of the Bcl-2 family. It has been reported that gastric tumors have reduced BAK levels when compared with the normal mucosa. Moreover, mutations of the BAK gene have been identified in human gastrointestinal cancers, suggesting that a perturbation of BAK-mediated apoptosis may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects of gene transfer mediated elevations in BAK expression on human gastric cancer cells in vitro. Eukaryotic expression vector for the BAK gene was constructed and transferred into gastric cancer cell lines, MKN-45 (wild-type p53) and MKN-28 (mutant-type p53). RT-PCR and Western Blotting detected cellular BAK gene expression. Cell growth activities were detected by MTT colorimetry and flow cytometry, while apoptosis was assayed by electronic microscopy and TUNEL. Western Blotting and colorimetry investigated cellular caspase-3 activities. BAK gene transfer could result in significant BAK overexpression, decreased in vitro growth, cell cycle G 0 /G 1 arrest, and induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In transferred cells, inactive caspase-3 precursor was cleaved into the active subunits p20 and p17, during BAK overexpression-induced apoptosis. In addition, this process occurred equally well in p53 wild-type (MKN-45), or in p53 mutant-type (MKN-28) gastric cancer cells. The data presented suggests that overexpression of the BAK gene can lead to apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in vitro, which does not appear to be dependent on p53 status. The action mechanism of BAK mediated apoptosis correlates with activation of caspase-3. This could be served as a potential strategy for further development of gastric cancer therapies

Chromosomal Damage and Apoptosis in Exfoliated Buccal Cells from Individuals with Oral Cancer

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Dórea, Lavínia Tércia Magalhães; Meireles, José Roberto Cardoso; Lessa, Júlia Paula Ramos; Oliveira, Márcio Campos; de Bragança Pereira, Carlos Alberto; Polpo de Campos, Adriano; Cerqueira, Eneida de Moraes Macílio

2012-01-01

This study aimed to investigate cytological abnormalities indicative of chromosome damage (micronuclei) and apoptosis (karyorrhexis, pyknosis, and condensed chromatin) in exfoliated cells from the buccal mucosa of patients with oral cancer and control subjects. The sample included twenty individuals with oral cancer and forty individuals with normal buccal mucosa. Material was collected from the cheek epithelium in areas with lesions and areas without abnormalities. A minimum of one thousand cells was analyzed. Micronuclei were found significantly more frequently in cells collected from lesions than in cells from normal areas, independent of the presence/absence of cancer (P < 0.0001). They were also significantly more frequent in smokers and in mouthwash users (P < 0.0001). Apoptosis occurred significantly less frequently in individuals with oral cancer (P < 0.0001). These results show that oral cancer is associated with higher frequency of chromosomal damage and suggest that apoptosis is compromised in the buccal cells of individuals with this kind of neoplasia. PMID:22315605

Cannabidiol rather than Cannabis sativa extracts inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in cervical cancer cells.

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Lukhele, Sindiswa T; Motadi, Lesetja R

2016-09-01

Cervical cancer remains a global health related issue among females of Sub-Saharan Africa, with over half a million new cases reported each year. Different therapeutic regimens have been suggested in various regions of Africa, however, over a quarter of a million women die of cervical cancer, annually. This makes it the most lethal cancer amongst black women and calls for urgent therapeutic strategies. In this study we compare the anti-proliferative effects of crude extract of Cannabis sativa and its main compound cannabidiol on different cervical cancer cell lines. To achieve our aim, phytochemical screening, MTT assay, cell growth analysis, flow cytometry, morphology analysis, Western blot, caspase 3/7 assay, and ATP measurement assay were conducted. Results obtained indicate that both cannabidiol and Cannabis sativa extracts were able to halt cell proliferation in all cell lines at varying concentrations. They further revealed that apoptosis was induced by cannabidiol as shown by increased subG0/G1 and apoptosis through annexin V. Apoptosis was confirmed by overexpression of p53, caspase 3 and bax. Apoptosis induction was further confirmed by morphological changes, an increase in Caspase 3/7 and a decrease in the ATP levels. In conclusion, these data suggest that cannabidiol rather than Cannabis sativa crude extracts prevent cell growth and induce cell death in cervical cancer cell lines.

Rhein Induces Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cells

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Ching-Yao Chang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Human breast cancers cells overexpressing HER2/neu are more aggressive tumors with poor prognosis, and resistance to chemotherapy. This study investigates antiproliferation effects of anthraquinone derivatives of rhubarb root on human breast cancer cells. Of 7 anthraquinone derivatives, only rhein showed antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on both HER2-overexpressing MCF-7 (MCF-7/HER2 and control vector MCF-7 (MCF-7/VEC cells. Rhein induced dose- and time-dependent manners increase in caspase-9-mediated apoptosis correlating with activation of ROS-mediated activation of NF-κB- and p53-signaling pathways in both cell types. Therefore, this study highlighted rhein as processing anti-proliferative activity against HER2 overexpression or HER2-basal expression in breast cancer cells and playing important roles in apoptotic induction of human breast cancer cells.

Irigenin sensitizes TRAIL-induced apoptosis via enhancing pro-apoptotic molecules in gastric cancer cells.

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Xu, Ying; Gao, Cheng-Cheng; Pan, Zhen-Guo; Zhou, Chuan-Wen

2018-02-12

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) holds promising value for cancer therapy due to its capacity to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Nevertheless, TRAIL therapy is greatly hampered by its resistance. Irigenin (Iri), isoflavonoids, can be isolated from the rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis, and has been shown anti-cancer properties. In this study, we explored if Iri could enhance TRAIL-regulated apoptosis in TRAIL resistant gastric cancer cells. Iri significantly potentiated TRAIL-triggered cytotoxicity. Iri alone and TRAIL alone showed no effective role in apoptosis induction, whereas combined treatment with Iri and TRAIL markedly induced apoptosis in cancer cells, as evidenced by the up-regulation of cleaved Caspase-8/-9/-3 and PARP. Additionally, the sensitization to TRAIL was along with the enhancement of pro-apoptotic proteins, including FAS-associated protein with death domain (FADD), death receptor 5 (DR5) and Bax. And suppressing FADD, DR5 and Bax by si RNA significantly reduced the apoptosis and enhanced the cell viability induced by the co-application of Iri and TRAIL. Moreover, the sensitization to TRAIL was accompanied by the decrease of Cellular-FLICE inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), Bcl-2 and Survivin. Additionally, Iri could sensitize TRAIL to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pre-treatment of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), ROS scavenger, attenuated Iri plus TRAIL-induced apoptosis and improved cell viability. Finally, combination of Iri and TRAIL inhibited tumor growth in the xenograft model. Collectively, our present study gave new insights into the effects of Iri on potentiating TRAIL-sensitivity, and suggested that Iri could be a potential candidate for sensitizer of TRAIL-resistant cancer cell treatment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nicotine prevents the apoptosis induced by menadione in human lung cancer cells

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Zhang Tao; Lu Heng; Shang Xuan; Tian Yihao; Zheng Congyi; Wang Shiwen; Cheng Hanhua; Zhou Rongjia

2006-01-01

Approximately 50% of long-term cigarette smokers die prematurely from the adverse effects of smoking, including on lung cancer and other illnesses. Nicotine is a main component in tobacco and has been implicated as a potential factor in the pathogenesis of human lung cancer. However, the mechanism of nicotine action in the development of lung cancer remains largely unknown. In the present study, we designed a nicotine-apoptosis system, by pre-treatment of nicotine making lung cancer cell A549 to be in a physiological nicotine environment, and observed that nicotine promoted cell proliferation and prevented the menadione-induced apoptosis, and exerts its role of anti-apoptosis by shift of apoptotic stage induced by menadione from late apoptotic stage to early apoptotic stage, in which NF-κB was up-regulated. Interference analysis of NF-κB in A549 cells showed that knock down of NF-κB resulted in apoptosis promotion and counteracted the protective effect of nicotine. The findings suggest that nicotine has potential effect in lung cancer genesis, especially in patients with undetectable early tumor development and development of specific NF-κB inhibitors would represent a potentially exciting new pharmacotherapy for tobacco-related lung cancer

Vitamin D enhances omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

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Yang, Jing; Zhu, Shenglong; Lin, Guangxiao; Song, Ci; He, Zhao

2017-08-01

Breast cancer is a leading type of cancer in women and generally classified into three subtypes of ER + /PR + , HER2 + and triple negative. Both omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D 3 play positive role in the reduction of breast cancer incidence. However, whether combination of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D 3 has stronger protective effect on breast carcinogenesis still remains unknown. In this study, we show that the combination of ω-3 free fatty acids (ω-3 FFAs) and 1α, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D 3 (VD 3 ) dramatically enhances cell apoptosis among three subtypes of breast cancer cell lines. Bcl-2 and total PARP protein levels are decreased in combined treatment MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells. Caspase signals play a vital role in cell apoptosis induced by combination. Moreover, Raf-MAPK signaling pathway is involved in the apoptosis induction by combination of ω-3 FFAs+VD 3 . These results demonstrate that the induction of cell apoptosis by combined treatment is dependent on different signaling pathways in three subtypes of breast cancer cell lines. © 2017 International Federation for Cell Biology.

Simultaneous modulation of the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways by simvastatin in mediating prostate cancer cell apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goc, Anna; Kochuparambil, Samith T; Al-Husein, Belal; Al-Azayzih, Ahmad; Mohammad, Shuaib; Somanath, Payaningal R

2012-01-01

Recent studies suggest the potential benefits of statins as anti-cancer agents. Mechanisms by which statins induce apoptosis in cancer cells are not clear. We previously showed that simvastatin inhibit prostate cancer cell functions and tumor growth. Molecular mechanisms by which simvastatin induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells is not completely understood. Effect of simvastatin on PC3 cell apoptosis was compared with docetaxel using apoptosis, TUNEL and trypan blue viability assays. Protein expression of major candidates of the intrinsic pathway downstream of simvastatin-mediated Akt inactivation was analyzed. Gene arrays and western analysis of PC3 cells and tumor lysates were performed to identify the candidate genes mediating extrinsic apoptosis pathway by simvastatin. Data indicated that simvastatin inhibited intrinsic cell survival pathway in PC3 cells by enhancing phosphorylation of Bad, reducing the protein expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and cleaved caspases 9/3. Over-expression of PC3 cells with Bcl-2 or DN-caspase 9 did not rescue the simvastatin-induced apoptosis. Simvastatin treatment resulted in increased mRNA and protein expression of molecules such as TNF, Fas-L, Traf1 and cleaved caspase 8, major mediators of intrinsic apoptosis pathway and reduced protein levels of pro-survival genes Lhx4 and Nme5. Our study provides the first report that simvastatin simultaneously modulates intrinsic and extrinsic pathways in the regulation of prostate cancer cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, and render reasonable optimism that statins could become an attractive anti-cancer agent

Noscapine induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human colon cancer cells in vivo and in vitro

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Yang, Zi-Rong; Liu, Meng; Peng, Xiu-Lan; Lei, Xiao-Fei; Zhang, Ji-Xiang [Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province (China); Dong, Wei-Guo, E-mail: dongwg1966@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province (China)

2012-05-11

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Noscapine inhibited cell viability of colon cancer in a time- and dose- dependent manner. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer G{sub 2}/M phase arrest and chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation were induced. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Noscapine promoted apoptosis via mitochondrial pathways. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tumorigenicity was inhibited by noscapine. -- Abstract: Noscapine, a phthalide isoquinoline alkaloid derived from opium, has been widely used as a cough suppressant for decades. Noscapine has recently been shown to potentiate the anti-cancer effects of several therapies by inducing apoptosis in various malignant cells without any detectable toxicity in cells or tissues. However, the mechanism by which noscapine induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells remains unclear. The signaling pathways by which noscapine induces apoptosis were investigated in colon cancer cell lines treated with various noscapine concentrations for 72 h, and a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability was observed. Noscapine effectively inhibited the proliferation of LoVo cells in vitro (IC{sub 50} = 75 {mu}M). This cytotoxicity was reflected by cell cycle arrest at G{sub 2}/M and subsequent apoptosis, as indicated by increased chromatin condensation and fragmentation, the upregulation of Bax and cytochrome c (Cyt-c), the downregulation of survivin and Bcl-2, and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Moreover, in a xenograft tumor model in mice, noscapine injection clearly inhibited tumor growth via the induction of apoptosis, which was demonstrated using a TUNEL assay. These results suggest that noscapine induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells via mitochondrial pathways. Noscapine may be a safe and effective chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of human colon cancer.

ROS accumulation by PEITC selectively kills ovarian cancer cells via UPR-mediated apoptosis

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Yoon-hee eHong

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Unfolded protein response (UPR is crucial for both survival and death of mammalian cells, which is regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS and nutrient depletion. In this study, we demonstrated the effect of ROS-accumulation, induced by β-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC, on UPR mediated apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. We used ovarian cancer cell lines, PA-1 and SKOV-3, with different p53 status (wild- and null- type, respectively. PEITC caused increased ROS-accumulation and inhibited proliferation selectively in ovarian cancer cells, and glutathione (GSH depletion in SKOV-3. However, PEITC did not cause any effect in normal ovarian epithelial cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. After 48 h of PEITC treatment (5 µM, apoptotic cell death was shown to increase significantly in the ovarian cancer cells and not in the normal cells. The key regulator of UPR-mediated apoptosis, CHOP/GADD153 and ER resident chaperone BiP/GRP78 were parallely up-regulated with activation of two major sensors of the UPR (PERK and ATF-6 in PA-1; PERK, and IRE1α in SKOV-3 in response to ROS accumulation induced by PEITC (5 µM. ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC, attenuated the effect of PEITC on UPR signatures (P-PERK, IRE1α, CHOP/GADD153, and BiP/GRP78, suggesting the involvement of ROS in UPR-mediated apoptosis. Altogether, PEITC induces UPR-mediated apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via accumulation of ROS in a cancer-specific manner.

Downregulation of Akt1 Inhibits Anchorage-Independent Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells

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Xuesong Liu

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The serine/threonine kinases, Akti/PKBα, Akt2/PKBβ, and Akt3/PKBγ, play a critical role in preventing cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis. However, the function of individual Akt isoforms in the tumorigenicity of cancer cells is still not well defined. In the current study, we used an AM antisense oligonucleotide (AS to specifically downregulate Akti protein in both cancer and normal cells. Our data indicate that AM AS treatment inhibits the ability of MiaPaCa-2, H460, HCT-15, and HT1080 cells to grow in soft agar. The treatment also induces apoptosis in these cancer cells as demonstrated by FRCS analysis and a caspase activity assay. Conversely, Akti AS treatment has little effect on the cell growth and survival of normal human cells including normal human fibroblast (NHF, fibroblast from muscle (FBM, and mammary gland epithelial 184135 cells. In addition, AM AS specifically sensitizes cancer cells to typical chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, Akti is indispensable for maintaining the tumorigenicity of cancer cells. Inhibition of AM may provide a powerful sensitization agent for chemotherapy specifically in cancer cells.

Myostatin induces mitochondrial metabolic alteration and typical apoptosis in cancer cells

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Liu, Y; Cheng, H; Zhou, Y; Zhu, Y; Bian, R; Chen, Y; Li, C; Ma, Q; Zheng, Q; Zhang, Y; Jin, H; Wang, X; Chen, Q; Zhu, D

2013-01-01

Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, regulates the glucose metabolism of muscle cells, while dysregulated myostatin activity is associated with a number of metabolic disorders, including muscle cachexia, obesity and type II diabetes. We observed that myostatin induced significant mitochondrial metabolic alterations and prolonged exposure of myostatin induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells addicted to glycolysis. To address the underlying mechanism, we found that the protein levels of Hexokinase II (HKII) and voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), two key regulators of glucose metabolisms as well as metabolic stress-induced apoptosis, were negatively correlated. In particular, VDAC1 was dramatically upregulated in cells that are sensitive to myostatin treatment whereas HKII was downregulated and dissociated from mitochondria. Myostatin promoted the translocation of Bax from cytosol to mitochondria, and knockdown of VDAC1 inhibited myostatin-induced Bax translocation and apoptosis. These apoptotic changes can be partially rescued by repletion of ATP, or by ectopic expression of HKII, suggesting that perturbation of mitochondrial metabolism is causally linked with subsequent apoptosis. Our findings reveal novel function of myostatin in regulating mitochondrial metabolism and apoptosis in cancer cells. PMID:23412387

Anthraquinone G503 Induces Apoptosis in Gastric Cancer Cells through the Mitochondrial Pathway

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Li, Shuai; Duan, Junting; Ye, Fang; Li, Hanxiang; She, Zhigang; Gao, Guoquan; Yang, Xia

2014-01-01

G503 is an anthraquinone compound isolated from the secondary metabolites of a mangrove endophytic fungus from the South China Sea. The present study elucidates the anti-tumor activity and the underlying mechanism of G503. Cell viability assay performed in nine cancer cell lines and two normal cell lines demonstrated that the gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 is the most G503-sensitive cancer cells. G503 induced SGC7901 cell death via apoptosis. G503 exposure activated caspases-3, -8 and -9. Pretreatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK and caspase-9 inhibitor Z-LEHD-FMK, but not caspase-8 inbibitor Z-IETD-FMK, attenuated the effect of G503. These results suggested that the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, rather than the extrinsic pathway, was involved in G503-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, G503 increased the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in the mitochondria and decreased the ratio in the cytosol. G503 treatment resulted in mitochondrial depolarization, cytochrome c release and the subsequent cleavage of caspase -9 and -3. Moreover, it is reported that the endoplasmic reticulum apoptosis pathway may also be activated by G503 by inducing capase-4 cleavage. In consideration of the lower 50% inhibitory concentration for gastric cancer cells, G503 may serve as a promising candidate for gastric cancer chemotherapy. PMID:25268882

[Roles of KLF5 in inhibition TNFα-induced SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell apoptosis].

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Shi, Jianhong; Liu, Caiyun; Zhang, Anyi; Cui, Naipeng; Wang, Bing; Chen, Baoping; Ma, Zhenfeng

2014-07-08

To explore the expression levels and roles of Krüpple-like factor 5 (KLF5) in tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells were stimulated by TNFα at different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 20 µg/L) for specified durations (0, 6, 12, 24, 36 h). Western blot was performed to detect KLF5 protein levels. Then Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis genes. Flow cytometry and qRT-PCR were used to observe the effects of exogenous KLF5 on TNFα-induced apoptosis of SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell. KLF5 expression levels significantly decreased in TNFα-stimulated SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that TNFα up-regulate apoptosis gene caspase 3, caspase 9 and bax expression levels and down-regulate bcl-1 level in SK-BR-3 cells. Adenovirus expression vectors of pAd-GFP and pAd-GFP-KLF5 were constructed and used to infect SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. Over-expression of GFP-KLF5 inhibited apoptosis in TNFα-stimulated SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. TNFα reduces KLF5 expression in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells and KLF5 participates in TNFα-induced SK-BR-3 cell apoptosis.

Thromboxane synthase suppression induces lung cancer cell apoptosis via inhibiting NF-κB

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Leung, Kin Chung; Li, Ming-Yue; Leung, Billy C.S.; Hsin, Michael K.Y.; Mok, Tony S.K.; Underwood, Malcolm J.; Chen, George G.

2010-01-01

Accumulating evidence shows that the inhibition of thromboxane synthase (TXS) induced apoptosis in cancer cells. TXS inhibitor 1-Benzylimidzole (1-BI) can trigger apoptosis in lung cancer cells but the mechanism is not fully defined. In this study, lung cancer cells were treated with 1-BI. In this study, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured and NF-κB activity was determined in human lung cancer cells. The roles of ROS and NF-κB in 1-BI-mediated cell death were analyzed. The results showed that 1-BI induced ROS generation but decreased the activity of NF-κB by reducing phosphorylated IκBα (p-IκBα) and inhibiting the translocation of p65 into the nucleus. In contrast to 1-BI, antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) stimulated cell proliferation and significantly protected the cells from 1-BI-mediated cell death by neutralizing ROS. Collectively, apoptosis induced by 1-BI is associated with the over-production of ROS and the reduction of NF-κB. Antioxidants can significantly block the inhibitory effect of 1-BI.

p53 modulates the AMPK inhibitor compound C induced apoptosis in human skin cancer cells

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Huang, Shi-Wei [Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chun-Ying [Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Wang, Yen-Ting [Department of Medical Research and Education, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Kao, Jun-Kai [Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Department of Pediatrics, Children' s Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan (China); Lin, Chi-Chen; Chang, Chia-Che; Mu, Szu-Wei; Chen, Yu-Yu [Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Chiu, Husan-Wen [Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chang, Chuan-Hsun [Department of Surgical Oncology, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Nutrition Therapy, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Liang, Shu-Mei [Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chen, Yi-Ju [Department of Dermatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Huang, Jau-Ling [Department of Bioscience Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Shieh, Jeng-Jer, E-mail: shiehjj@vghtc.gov.tw [Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Department of Education and Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China)

2013-02-15

Compound C, a well-known inhibitor of the intracellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), has been reported to cause apoptotic cell death in myeloma, breast cancer cells and glioma cells. In this study, we have demonstrated that compound C not only induced autophagy in all tested skin cancer cell lines but also caused more apoptosis in p53 wildtype skin cancer cells than in p53-mutant skin cancer cells. Compound C can induce upregulation, phosphorylation and nuclear translocalization of the p53 protein and upregulate expression of p53 target genes in wildtype p53-expressing skin basal cell carcinoma (BCC) cells. The changes of p53 status were dependent on DNA damage which was caused by compound C induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and associated with activated ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein. Using the wildtype p53-expressing BCC cells versus stable p53-knockdown BCC sublines, we present evidence that p53-knockdown cancer cells were much less sensitive to compound C treatment with significant G2/M cell cycle arrest and attenuated the compound C-induced apoptosis but not autophagy. The compound C induced G2/M arrest in p53-knockdown BCC cells was associated with the sustained inactive Tyr15 phosphor-Cdc2 expression. Overall, our results established that compound C-induced apoptosis in skin cancer cells was dependent on the cell's p53 status. - Highlights: ► Compound C caused more apoptosis in p53 wildtype than p53-mutant skin cancer cells. ► Compound C can upregulate p53 expression and induce p53 activation. ► Compound C induced p53 effects were dependent on ROS induced DNA damage pathway. ► p53-knockdown attenuated compound C-induced apoptosis but not autophagy. ► Compound C-induced apoptosis in skin cancer cells was dependent on p53 status.

p53 modulates the AMPK inhibitor compound C induced apoptosis in human skin cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Shi-Wei; Wu, Chun-Ying; Wang, Yen-Ting; Kao, Jun-Kai; Lin, Chi-Chen; Chang, Chia-Che; Mu, Szu-Wei; Chen, Yu-Yu; Chiu, Husan-Wen; Chang, Chuan-Hsun; Liang, Shu-Mei; Chen, Yi-Ju; Huang, Jau-Ling; Shieh, Jeng-Jer

2013-01-01

Compound C, a well-known inhibitor of the intracellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), has been reported to cause apoptotic cell death in myeloma, breast cancer cells and glioma cells. In this study, we have demonstrated that compound C not only induced autophagy in all tested skin cancer cell lines but also caused more apoptosis in p53 wildtype skin cancer cells than in p53-mutant skin cancer cells. Compound C can induce upregulation, phosphorylation and nuclear translocalization of the p53 protein and upregulate expression of p53 target genes in wildtype p53-expressing skin basal cell carcinoma (BCC) cells. The changes of p53 status were dependent on DNA damage which was caused by compound C induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and associated with activated ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein. Using the wildtype p53-expressing BCC cells versus stable p53-knockdown BCC sublines, we present evidence that p53-knockdown cancer cells were much less sensitive to compound C treatment with significant G2/M cell cycle arrest and attenuated the compound C-induced apoptosis but not autophagy. The compound C induced G2/M arrest in p53-knockdown BCC cells was associated with the sustained inactive Tyr15 phosphor-Cdc2 expression. Overall, our results established that compound C-induced apoptosis in skin cancer cells was dependent on the cell's p53 status. - Highlights: ► Compound C caused more apoptosis in p53 wildtype than p53-mutant skin cancer cells. ► Compound C can upregulate p53 expression and induce p53 activation. ► Compound C induced p53 effects were dependent on ROS induced DNA damage pathway. ► p53-knockdown attenuated compound C-induced apoptosis but not autophagy. ► Compound C-induced apoptosis in skin cancer cells was dependent on p53 status

Andrographolide sensitizes prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis

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Ruo-Jing Wei

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL is a promising agent for anticancer therapy. The identification of small molecules that can establish the sensitivity of prostate cancer (PCa cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis is crucial for the targeted treatment of PCa. PC3, DU145, JAC-1, TsuPr1, and LNCaP cells were treated with Andrographolide (Andro and TRAIL, and the apoptosis was measured using the Annexin V/PI double staining method. Real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to measure the expression levels of target molecules. RNA interference technique was used to down-regulate the expression of the target protein. We established a nude mouse xenograft model of PCa, which was used to measure the caspase-3 activity in the tumor cells using flow cytometry. In this research study, our results demonstrated that Andro preferentially increased the sensitivity of PCa cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis at subtoxic concentrations, and the regulation mechanism was related to the up-regulation of DR4. In addition, it also increased the p53 expression and led to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS in the cells. Further research revealed that the DR4 inhibition, p53 expression, and ROS generation can significantly reduce the apoptosis induced by the combination of TRAIL and Andro in PCa cells. In conclusion, Andro increases the sensitivity of PCa cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis through the generation of ROS and up-regulation of p53 and then promotes PCa cell apoptosis associated with the activation of DR4.

Deoxyelephantopin from Elephantopus scaber L. induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Miaoxian; Chung, Hau Yin; Li, Yaolan

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Deoxyelephantopin (ESD) inhibited cell proliferation in the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells. → ESD induced cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases via modulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins. → ESD triggered apoptosis by dysfunction of mitochondria and induction of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways. → ESD also triggered Akt, ERK, and JNK signaling pathways. -- Abstract: Deoxyelephantopin (ESD), a naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone present in the Chinese medicinal herb, Elephantopus scaber L. exerted anticancer effects on various cultured cancer cells. However, the cellular mechanisms by which it controls the development of the cancer cells are unavailable, particularly the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells. In this study, we found that ESD inhibited the CNE cell proliferation. Cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases was also found. Western blotting analysis showed that modulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins was responsible for the ESD-induced cell cycle arrest. Besides, ESD also triggered apoptosis in CNE cells. Dysfunction in mitochondria was found to be associated with the ESD-induced apoptosis as evidenced by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), the translocation of cytochrome c, and the regulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. Despite the Western blotting analysis showed that both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways (cleavage of caspases-3, -7, -8, -9, and -10) were triggered in the ESD-induced apoptosis, additional analysis also showed that the induction of apoptosis could be achieved by the caspase-independent manner. Besides, Akt, ERK and JNK pathways were found to involve in ESD-induced cell death. Overall, our findings provided the first evidence that ESD induced cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in CNE cells. ESD could be a potential chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).

Deoxyelephantopin from Elephantopus scaber L. induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells

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Su, Miaoxian [Biology Programme (Formally Biology Dept.), School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Chung, Hau Yin, E-mail: anthonychung@cuhk.edu.hk [Biology Programme (Formally Biology Dept.), School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Food and Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Li, Yaolan [Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou (China); Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drug Research, Guangzhou (China)

2011-07-29

Highlights: {yields} Deoxyelephantopin (ESD) inhibited cell proliferation in the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells. {yields} ESD induced cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases via modulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins. {yields} ESD triggered apoptosis by dysfunction of mitochondria and induction of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways. {yields} ESD also triggered Akt, ERK, and JNK signaling pathways. -- Abstract: Deoxyelephantopin (ESD), a naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone present in the Chinese medicinal herb, Elephantopus scaber L. exerted anticancer effects on various cultured cancer cells. However, the cellular mechanisms by which it controls the development of the cancer cells are unavailable, particularly the human nasopharyngeal cancer CNE cells. In this study, we found that ESD inhibited the CNE cell proliferation. Cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phases was also found. Western blotting analysis showed that modulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins was responsible for the ESD-induced cell cycle arrest. Besides, ESD also triggered apoptosis in CNE cells. Dysfunction in mitochondria was found to be associated with the ESD-induced apoptosis as evidenced by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential ({Delta}{Psi}m), the translocation of cytochrome c, and the regulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. Despite the Western blotting analysis showed that both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways (cleavage of caspases-3, -7, -8, -9, and -10) were triggered in the ESD-induced apoptosis, additional analysis also showed that the induction of apoptosis could be achieved by the caspase-independent manner. Besides, Akt, ERK and JNK pathways were found to involve in ESD-induced cell death. Overall, our findings provided the first evidence that ESD induced cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in CNE cells. ESD could be a potential chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).

Involvement of AMPK signaling cascade in capsaicin-induced apoptosis of HT-29 colon cancer cells.

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Kim, Young Min; Hwang, Jin-Taek; Kwak, Dong Wook; Lee, Yun Kyung; Park, Ock Jin

2007-01-01

Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated during ATP-depleting metabolic states, such as hypoxia, heat shock, oxidative stress, and exercise. As a highly conserved heterotrimeric kinase that functions as a major metabolic switch to maintain energy homeostasis, AMPK has been shown to exert as an intrinsic regulator of mammalian cell cycle. Moreover, AMPK cascade has emerged as an important pathway implicated in cancer control. In this article, we have investigated the effects of capsaicin on apoptosis in relation to AMPK activation in colon cancer cell. Capsaicin-induced apoptosis was revealed by the presence of nucleobodies in the capsaicin-treated HT-29 colon cancer cells. Concomitantly, the activation of AMPK and the increased expression of the inactive form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) were detected in capsaicin-treated colon cancer cells. We showed that both capsaicin and 5'-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribonucleoside (AICAR), an AMPK activator possess the AMPK-activating capacity as well as apoptosis-inducing properties. Evidence of the association between AMPK activation and the increased apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells by capsaicin treatment, and further findings of the correlation of the activated AMPK and the elevated apoptosis by cotreatment of AICAR and capsaicin support AMPK as an important component of apoptosis, as well as a possible target of cancer control.

A reactive oxygen species activation mechanism contributes to JS-K-induced apoptosis in human bladder cancer cells.

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Qiu, Mingning; Chen, Lieqian; Tan, Guobin; Ke, Longzhi; Zhang, Sai; Chen, Hege; Liu, Jianjun

2015-10-13

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular oxidant stress are regulators of cancer cells. The alteration of redox status, which is induced by increased generation of ROS, results in increased vulnerability to oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of O2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl) 1-[(4-ethoxycarbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (JS-K, C13H16N6O8) on proliferation and apoptosis in bladder cancer cells and explored possible ROS-related mechanisms. Our results indicated that JS-K could suppress bladder cancer cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and induce apoptosis and ROS accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner. With increasing concentrations of JS-K, expression of proteins that are involved in cell apoptosis increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reversed JS-K-induced cell apoptosis; conversely, the prooxidant oxidized glutathione (GSSG) exacerbated JS-K-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that nitrites, which were generated from the oxidation of JS-K-released NO, induced apoptosis in bladder cancer cells to a lower extent through the ROS-related pathway. In addition, JS-K was shown to enhance the chemo-sensitivity of doxorubicin in bladder cancer cells. Taken together, the data suggest that JS-K-released NO induces bladder cancer cell apoptosis by increasing ROS levels, and nitrites resulting from oxidation of NO have a continuous apoptosis-inducing effect.

Murine Pancreatic Cancer Alters T Cell Activation and Apoptosis and Worsens Survival After Cecal Ligation and Puncture.

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Lyons, John D; Chen, Ching-Wen; Liang, Zhe; Zhang, Wenxiao; Chihade, Deena B; Burd, Eileen M; Farris, Alton B; Ford, Mandy L; Coopersmith, Craig

2018-06-08

Patients with cancer who develop sepsis have a markedly higher mortality than patients who were healthy prior to the onset of sepsis. Potential mechanisms underlying this difference have previously been examined in two preclinical models of cancer followed by sepsis. Both pancreatic cancer/pneumonia and lung cancer/cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) increase murine mortality, associated with alterations in lymphocyte apoptosis and intestinal integrity. However, pancreatic cancer/pneumonia decreases lymphocyte apoptosis and increases gut apoptosis while lung cancer/CLP increases lymphocyte apoptosis and decreases intestinal proliferation. These results cannot distinguish the individual roles of cancer versus sepsis since different models of each were used. We therefore created a new cancer/sepsis model to standardize each variable. Mice were injected with a pancreatic cancer cell line and three weeks later cancer mice and healthy mice were subjected to CLP. Cancer septic mice had a significantly higher 10-day mortality than previously healthy septic mice. Cancer septic mice had increased CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells, associated with decreased CD4 T cell apoptosis 24 hours after CLP. Further, splenic CD8+ T cell activation was decreased in cancer septic mice. In contrast, no differences were noted in intestinal apoptosis, proliferation or permeability, nor were changes noted in local bacterial burden, renal, liver or pulmonary injury. Cancer septic mice thus have consistently reduced survival compared to previously healthy septic mice, independent of the cancer or sepsis model utilized. Changes in lymphocyte apoptosis are common to cancer model and independent of sepsis model whereas gut apoptosis is common to sepsis model and independent of cancer model. The host response to the combination of cancer and sepsis is dependent, at least in part, on both chronic co-morbidity and acute illness.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of ROS-Mediated Oridonin-Induced Oesophageal Cancer KYSE-150 Cell Apoptosis by Atomic Force Microscopy.

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Jiang Pi

Full Text Available High levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS in cells is recognized as one of the major causes of cancer cell apoptosis and has been developed into a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer therapy. However, whether apoptosis associated biophysical properties of cancer cells are related to intracellular ROS functions is still unclear. Here, for the first time, we determined the changes of biophysical properties associated with the ROS-mediated oesophageal cancer KYSE-150 cell apoptosis using high resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM. Oridonin was proved to induce ROS-mediated KYSE-150 cell apoptosis in a dose dependent manner, which could be reversed by N-acetylcysteine (NAC pretreatment. Based on AFM imaging, the morphological damage and ultrastructural changes of KYSE-150 cells were found to be closely associated with ROS-mediated oridonin-induced KYSE-150 cell apoptosis. The changes of cell stiffness determined by AFM force measurement also demonstrated ROS-dependent changes in oridonin induced KYSE-150 cell apoptosis. Our findings not only provided new insights into the anticancer effects of oridonin, but also highlighted the use of AFM as a qualitative and quantitative nanotool to detect ROS-mediated cancer cell apoptosis based on cell biophysical properties, providing novel information of the roles of ROS in cancer cell apoptosis at nanoscale.

Curcumin induces apoptosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancer cells by targeting multiple pathways.

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A R M Ruhul Amin

Full Text Available Curcumin, a natural compound isolated from the Indian spice "Haldi" or "curry powder", has been used for centuries as a traditional remedy for many ailments. Recently, the potential use of curcumin in cancer prevention and therapy urges studies to uncover the molecular mechanisms associated with its anti-tumor effects. In the current manuscript, we investigated the mechanism of curcumin-induced apoptosis in upper aerodigestive tract cancer cell lines and showed that curcumin-induced apoptosis is mediated by the modulation of multiple pathways such as induction of p73, and inhibition of p-AKT and Bcl-2. Treatment of cells with curcumin induced both p53 and the related protein p73 in head and neck and lung cancer cell lines. Inactivation of p73 by dominant negative p73 significantly protected cells from curcumin-induced apoptosis, whereas ablation of p53 by shRNA had no effect. Curcumin treatment also strongly inhibited p-AKT and Bcl-2 and overexpression of constitutively active AKT or Bcl-2 significantly inhibited curcumin-induced apoptosis. Taken together, our findings suggest that curcumin-induced apoptosis is mediated via activating tumor suppressor p73 and inhibiting p-AKT and Bcl-2.

Dioscin induces caspase-independent apoptosis through activation of apoptosis-inducing factor in breast cancer cells.

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Kim, Eun-Ae; Jang, Ji-Hoon; Lee, Yun-Han; Sung, Eon-Gi; Song, In-Hwan; Kim, Joo-Young; Kim, Suji; Sohn, Ho-Yong; Lee, Tae-Jin

2014-07-01

Dioscin, a saponin extracted from the roots of Polygonatum zanlanscianense, shows several bioactivities such as antitumor, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Although, dioscin is already known to induce cell death in variety cancer cells, the molecular basis for dioscin-induced cell death was not definitely known in cancer cells. In this study, we found that dioscin treatment induced cell death in dose-dependent manner in breast cancer cells such as MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453, and T47D cells. Dioscin decreased expressions of Bcl-2 and cIAP-1 proteins, which were down-regulated at the transcriptional level. Conversely, Mcl-1 protein level was down-regulated by facilitating ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated Mcl-1 degradation in dioscin-treated cells. Pretreatment with z-VAD fails to attenuate dioscin-induced cell death as well as caspase-mediated events such as cleavages of procaspase-3 and PARP. In addition, dioscin treatment increased the population of annexin V positive cells and induced DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner in MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) was released from the mitochondria and translocated to the nucleus. Suppression in AIF expression by siRNA reduced dioscin-induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Taken together, our results demonstrate that dioscin-induced cell death was mediated via AIF-facilitating caspase-independent pathway as well as down-regulating anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2, cIAP-1, and Mcl-1 in breast cancer cells.

Molecular Cell Biology of Apoptosis and Necroptosis in Cancer.

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Dillon, Christopher P; Green, Douglas R

Cell death is a major mechanism to eliminate cells in which DNA is damaged, organelles are stressed, or oncogenes are overexpressed, all events that would otherwise predispose cells to oncogenic transformation. The pathways that initiate and execute cell death are complex, genetically encoded, and subject to significant regulation. Consequently, while these pathways are often mutated in malignancy, there is considerable interest in inducing cell death in tumor cells as therapy. This chapter addresses our current understanding of molecular mechanisms contributing to two cell death pathways, apoptotic cell death and necroptosis, a regulated form of necrotic cell death. Apoptosis can be induced by a wide variety of signals, leading to protease activation that dismantles the cell. We discuss the physiological importance of each apoptosis pathway and summarize their known roles in cancer suppression and the current efforts at targeting each pathway therapeutically. The intricate mechanistic link between death receptor-mediated apoptosis and necroptosis is described, as well as the potential opportunities for utilizing necroptosis in the treatment of malignancy.

RBBP6: a potential biomarker of apoptosis induction in human cervical cancer cell lines

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Moela P

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Pontsho Moela, Lesetja Raymond Motadi Department of Biochemistry, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa Abstract: Overexpression of RBBP6 in cancers of the colon, lung, and esophagus makes it a potential target in anticancer therapy. This is especially important because RBBP6 associates with the tumor suppressor gene p53, the inactivation of which has been linked to over 50% of all cancer types. However, the expression of RBBP6 in cancer and its interaction with p53 are yet to be understood in order to determine whether or not RBBP6 is cancer promoting and therefore a potential biomarker. In this study, we manipulated RBBP6 expression levels followed by treatment with either camptothecin or γ-aminobutyric acid in cervical cancer cells to induce apoptosis or cell cycle arrest. We began by staining human cervical cancer tissue sections with anti-RBBP6 monoclonal antibody to evaluate the extent of expression of RBBP6 in patients’ specimens. We followed on with silencing the overexpression of RBBP6 and treatment with anticancer agents to evaluate how the specimens respond to combinational therapy. Apoptosis induction was evaluated through confocal microscope, and flow cytometry using annexin V staining, and also by checking the mitochondrial and caspase-3/7 activity. Cell cycle arrest was evaluated using flow cytometry through staining with propidium iodide. RBBP6 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissue sections that were in stage II or III of development. Silencing RBBP6 followed by treatment with γ-aminobutyric acid and camptothecin seems to sensitize cells to apoptosis induction rather than cell cycle arrest. Overexpression of RBBP6 seems to promote S-phase in cell cycle and cell proliferation. These results predict a proliferative role of RBBP6 in cancer progression rather than as a cancer-causing gene. Furthermore, sensitization of cells to camptothecin-induced apoptosis by RBBP6 targeting suggests a promising tool for

Gallic acid induces apoptosis in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancers by accelerating EGFR turnover.

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Nam, Boas; Rho, Jin Kyung; Shin, Dong-Myung; Son, Jaekyoung

2016-10-01

Gallic acid is a common botanic phenolic compound, which is present in plants and foods worldwide. Gallic acid is implicated in various biological processes such as cell growth and apoptosis. Indeed, gallic acid has been shown to induce apoptosis in many cancer types. However, the molecular mechanisms of gallic acid-induced apoptosis in cancer, particularly lung cancer, are still unclear. Here, we report that gallic acid induces apoptosis in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, but not in EGFR-WT NSCLC cells. Treatment with gallic acid resulted in a significant reduction in proliferation and induction of apoptosis, only in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells. Interestingly, treatment with gallic acid led to a robust decrease in EGFR levels, which is critical for NSCLC survival. Treatment with gallic acid had no significant effect on transcription, but induced EGFR turnover. Indeed, treatment with a proteasome inhibitor dramatically reversed gallic acid-induced EGFR downregulation. Moreover, treatment with gallic acid induced EGFR turnover leading to apoptosis in EGFR-TKI (tyrosine kinase inhibitor)-resistant cell lines, which are dependent on EGFR signaling for survival. Thus, these studies suggest that gallic acid can induce apoptosis in EGFR-dependent lung cancers that are dependent on EGFR for growth and survival via acceleration of EGFR turnover. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Betulin induces cytochrome c release and apoptosis in colon cancer cells via NOXA.

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Zhou, Zhiyuan; Zhu, Chenfang; Cai, Zhongfang; Zhao, Feng; He, Liu; Lou, Xiaolou; Qi, Xiaoliang

2018-05-01

Betulin is a common triterpene that can be readily obtained from various plants, particularly birch trees, in their natural environment. Specific tumor cells are sensitive to betulin, whereas healthy cells are not. Betulin was observed to stimulate programmed cell death of various cancer cell lines; however, the precise molecular mechanism of action of betulin remains unknown. The present study used colon cancer cells, in which mass apoptosis triggered by betulin was identified, and the apoptotic process was demonstrated to occur via the activation of caspase-3 and -9 pathways. In addition, release of cytochrome c was detected. Furthermore, the pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 protein family, NOXA, was induced following treatment with betulin, and the downregulation of NOXA markedly suppressed the release of cytochrome c and apoptosis in colon cancer cells. Conversely, the overexpression of NOXA further enhanced betulin-induced apoptosis. The present study therefore offers novel insights into the mechanism of action of the natural compound betulin against tumors.

Involvement of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Capsaicin-Induced Apoptosis of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

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Shengzhang Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Capsaicin, main pungent ingredient of hot chilli peppers, has been shown to have anticarcinogenic effect on various cancer cells through multiple mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the apoptotic effect of capsaicin on human pancreatic cancer cells in both in vitro and in vivo systems, as well as the possible mechanisms involved. In vitro, treatment of both the pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 and SW1990 with capsaicin resulted in cells growth inhibition, G0/G1 phase arrest, and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible gene 153 (GADD153, a marker of the endoplasmic-reticulum-stress- (ERS- mediated apoptosis pathway, by specific siRNA attenuated capsaicin-induced apoptosis both in PANC-1 and SW1990 cells. Moreover, in vivo studies capsaicin effectively inhibited the growth and metabolism of pancreatic cancer and prolonged the survival time of pancreatic cancer xenograft tumor-induced mice. Furthermore, capsaicin increased the expression of some key ERS markers, including glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78, phosphoprotein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (phosphoPERK, and phosphoeukaryotic initiation factor-2α (phospho-eIF2α, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4 and GADD153 in tumor tissues. In conclusion, we for the first time provide important evidence to support the involvement of ERS in the induction of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by capsaicin.

Apoptosis induced by GanoPoly in human gastric cancer cell line ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In order to investigate polysaccharide effect on the cultured human gastric cancer cells (SGC7901), DNA ladder, flow cytometry and western blot were used to examine the morpholog, proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells when they were affected by polysaccharide. Results show that ...

Apoptosis induced by GanoPoly in human gastric cancer cell line ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-12-12

Dec 12, 2011 ... ... cancer's active therapy. Key words: Apoptosis, polysaccharide, human gastric cancer cells. ... The active components of polysaccharides are all glucans, which have a ... for the treatment of alleviated fatigue, night sweating,.

Selective induction of apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells by Lactobacillus kefiri (PFT), a novel kefir product.

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Ghoneum, Mamdooh; Felo, Nouran

2015-10-01

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus kefiri (PFT), a novel kefir product, on apoptosis of gastric cancer cells (AGS), breast cancer cells (4T1), and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Cells were cultured with PFT and apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry using 7-AAD dye and cytospin preparation. Mitochondrial dysfunction and expression of Bcl2 were monitored by flow cytometry. Results showed that PFT induced apoptosis in AGS gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was detected at a concentration of 0.3 mg/ml (20.8%), increased to 25.8% at 0.6 mg/ml, 37% at 1.2 mg/ml, 53.1% at 2.5 mg/ml, and peaked at 66.3% at 5.0 mg/ml. Apoptosis is associated with the decreased polarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and decreased Bcl2 expression. PFT-treated AGS cells manifested membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation, and fragmentation as identified in cytospin cytocentrifuge Giemsa stained preparations. On the other hand, flow cytometry analysis showed that PFT did not induce apoptosis in 4T1 breast cancer cells nor in PBMCs. These results suggest that PFT is safe for white blood cells and selectively induces apoptotic effects in gastric cancer cells. Hence, it may have potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of gastric cancers.

Gemcitabine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells.

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Yong-Xian, Gui; Xiao-Huan, Li; Fan, Zhang; Guo-Fang, Tian

2016-10-01

The aim of the study is to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms by which gemcitabine (gem) inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells in vitro. After PANC-1 cells had been treated by indicated concentration (0, 5, and 25 mg/L) of gem for 48 h, cell proliferation was evaluated by 3'-(4, 5 dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay; cell morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy; Expression of c-IAP2 and Bcl-2 proteins was analyzed by Western blot; the activity of caspase-3 and -9 was detected by spectrophotometry. Gem significantly inhibited cell proliferation and could induce apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, with a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that gem significantly reduced c-IAP2 and Bcl-2 proteins expression level (P PANC-1 cells. Gem could induce apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, probably through downregulating c-IAP2 and Bcl-2 expression levels, and at the same time activating caspase-3 and -9.

DNA fragmentation and apoptosis induced by safranal in human prostate cancer cell line

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Saeed Samarghandian

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Apoptosis, an important mechanism that contributes to cell growth reduction, is reported to be induced by Crocus sativus (Saffron in different cancer types. However, limited effort has been made to correlate these effects to the active ingredients of saffron. The present study was designed to elucidate cytotoxic and apoptosis induction by safranal, the major coloring compound in saffron, in a human prostate cancer cell line (PC-3. Materials and Methods: PC-3 and human fetal lung fibroblast (MRC-5 cells were cultured and exposed to safranal (5, 10, 15, and 20 μg/ml. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay was performed to assess cytotoxicity. DNA fragmentation was assessed by gel electrophoresis. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of safranal, and cell morphologic changes and apoptosis were determined by the normal inverted microscope, Annexin V, and propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Results: MTT assay revealed a remarkable and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect of safranal on PC-3 cells in comparison with non-malignant cell line. The morphologic alterations of the cells confirmed the MTT results. The IC 50 values against PC-3 cells were found to be 13.0 ΁ 0.07 and 6.4 ΁ 0.09 μg/ml at 48 and 72 h, respectively. Safranal induced an early and late apoptosis in the flow cytometry histogram of treated cells, indicating apoptosis is involved in this toxicity. DNA analysis revealed typical ladders as early as 48 and 72 h after treatment, indicative of apoptosis. Conclusions: Our preclinical study demonstrated a prostate cancer cell line to be highly sensitive to safranal-mediated growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death. Although the molecular mechanisms of safranal action are not clearly understood, it appears to have potential as a therapeutic agent.

Induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by pachymic acid from Poria cocos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gapter, Leslie; Wang, Zaisen; Glinski, Jan; Ng, Ka-yun

2005-01-01

Pachymic acid (PA) is a natural triterpenoid known to inhibit the phospholipase A2 (PLA 2 ) family of arachidonic acid (AA)-producing enzymes. PLA 2 is elevated in prostatic adenocarcinoma and conversion of AA to prostaglandins leads to AKT pro-survival activity. In this study, we investigated the effect of PA on the growth of human prostate cancer cells. PA significantly reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent fashion, with androgen-insensitive DU145 prostate cancer cells showing greater growth inhibition relative to androgen-responsive LNCaP. Despite elevated protein expression of the cell cycle inhibitor, p21, apoptosis occurred in the absence of cell cycle arrest. PA-treatment decreased Bad phosphorylation, increased Bcl-2 phosphorylation, and activated caspases-9 and -3, suggesting that PA initiated apoptosis through mitochondria dysfunction. PA-treatment also decreased the expression and activation of proteins within the AKT signal pathway. We speculate that PA influenced apoptosis by reducing prostaglandin synthesis and AKT activity

Moringa oleifera: An apoptosis inducer in cancer cells

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Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200 ... ability of M. oleifera to trigger apoptosis in cancer cells largely depends on its ... These compounds act by activating pro-apoptotic protein such as caspases, .... are safe for drinking [37]. .... the authors named in this article and all liabilities.

Paris Saponin I Sensitizes Gastric Cancer Cell Lines to Cisplatin via Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis.

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Song, Shuichuan; Du, Leiwen; Jiang, Hao; Zhu, Xinhai; Li, Jinhui; Xu, Ji

2016-10-18

BACKGROUND Dose-related toxicity is the major restriction of cisplatin and cisplatin-combination chemotherapy, and is a challenge for advanced gastric cancer treatment. We explored the possibility of using Paris saponin I as an agent to sensitize gastric cancer cells to cisplatin, and examined the underlying mechanism. MATERIAL AND METHODS Growth inhibition was detected by MTT assay. The cell cycle and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry and Annexin V/PI staining. The P21waf1/cip1, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 protein expression were detected using Western blot analysis. RESULTS The results revealed that PSI sensitized gastric cancer cells to cisplatin, with low toxicity. The IC50 value of cisplatin in SGC-7901 cell lines was decreased when combined with PSI. PSI promoted cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in a cisplatin concentration-dependent manner. Bcl-2 protein expression decreased, but Bax, caspase-3, and P21waf1/cip1 protein expression increased with PSI treatment. CONCLUSIONS The underlying mechanism of Paris saponin I may be related to targeting the apoptosis pathway and cell cycle blocking, which suggests that PSI is a potential therapeutic sensitizer for cisplatin in treating gastric cancer.

Kaempferol Promotes Apoptosis in Human Bladder Cancer Cells by Inducing the Tumor Suppressor, PTEN

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Liqun Zhou

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Kaempferol (Kae, a natural flavonoid, is widely distributed in fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have identified Kae as a possible cancer preventive and therapeutic agent. We found Kae to exhibit potent antiproliferation and anti-migration effects in human bladder cancer EJ cells. Kaempferol robustly induced apoptosis in EJ cells in a dose-dependent manner, as evidenced by increased cleavage of caspase-3. Furthermore, we found Kae-induced apoptosis in EJ cells to be associated with phosphatase and the tensin homolog deleted on the chromosome 10 (PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway. Kae significantly increased PTEN and decreased Akt phosphorylation. Kae-induced apoptosis was partially attenuated in PTEN-knockdown cells. Our findings indicate that Kae could be an alternative medicine for bladder cancer, based on a PTEN activation mechanism.

Thioredoxin 1 modulates apoptosis induced by bioactive compounds in prostate cancer cells

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Aida Rodriguez-Garcia

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Accumulating evidence suggests that natural bioactive compounds, alone or in combination with traditional chemotherapeutic agents, could be used as potential therapies to fight cancer. In this study, we employed four natural bioactive compounds (curcumin, resveratrol, melatonin, and silibinin and studied their role in redox control and ability to promote apoptosis in androgen sensitive and insensitive prostate cancer cells. Here is shown that curcumin and resveratrol promote ROS production and induce apoptosis in LNCaP and PC-3. An increase in reactive species is a trigger event in curcumin-induced apoptosis and a consequence of resveratrol effects on other pathways within these cells. Moreover, here we demonstrated that these four compounds affect differently one of the main intracellular redox regulator, the thioredoxin system. Exposure to curcumin and resveratrol promoted TRX1 oxidation and altered its subcellular location. Furthermore, resveratrol diminished TRX1 levels in PC-3 cells and increased the expression of its inhibitor TXNIP. Conversly, melatonin and silibinin only worked as cytostatic agents, reducing ROS levels and showing preventive effects against TRX oxidation. All together, this work explores the effect of compounds currently tested as chemo-preventive agents in prostate cancer therapy, on the TRX1 redox state and function. Our work shows the importance that the TRX system might have within the differences found in their mechanisms of action. These bioactive compounds trigger different responses and affect ROS production and redox systems in prostate cancer cells, suggesting the key role that redox-related pathways might play in processes like differentiation or survival in prostate cancer. Keywords: Thioredoxin, Thioredoxin reductase, TXNIP, Prostate cancer, Redox signaling, Apoptosis

[Knock-down of BCL11A expression in breast cancer cells promotes MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis].

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Li, Hongli; Gui, Chen; Yan, Lijun

2016-11-01

Objective To detect the expression and pathological significance of B-cell CLL/lymphoma 11A (BCL11A) in breast cancer and investigate the effect of its silencing on the apoptosis of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. MethodsImmunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of BCL11A in 62 cases of human breast cancer tissues and 8 cases of normal tissues. We synthesized siRNA targeting BCL11A, and then siRNA was transfected into MDA-MB-231 cells. Forty-eight hours later, the suppression effect of siRNA on BCL11A was determined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. The apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells was detected by flow cytometry. Results The BCL11A protein was mainly expressed in cytoplasm. The expression level of BCL11A in breast cancer tissues was higher than that in paracancerous tissues. The expression had correlations with tumor grade, tumor stage, while it had no correlations with the patients' age and tumor size. BCL11A-siRNA significantly suppressed the expression of BCL11A mRNA and protein as compared with the control group. MDA-MB-231 cells transfected with BCL11A-siRNA had higher apoptosis rate compared with the control group. Conclusion The BCL11A protein is highly expressed in breast cancer and knock-down of BCL11A promotes the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells.

Novel targets for sensitizing breast cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis with siRNA delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Thapa, Bindu; Bahadur Kc, Remant; Uludağ, Hasan

2018-02-01

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in variety of cancer cells without affecting most normal cells, which makes it a promising agent for cancer therapy. However, TRAIL therapy is clinically not effective due to resistance induction. To identify novel regulators of TRAIL that can aid in therapy, protein targets whose silencing sensitized breast cancer cells against TRAIL were screened with an siRNA library against 446 human apoptosis-related proteins in MDA-231 cells. Using a cationic lipopolymer (PEI-αLA) for delivery of library members, 16 siRNAs were identified that sensitized the TRAIL-induced death in MDA-231 cells. The siRNAs targeting BCL2L12 and SOD1 were further evaluated based on the novelty and their ability to sensitize TRAIL induced cell death. Silencing both targets sensitized TRAIL-mediated cell death in MDA-231 cells as well as TRAIL resistant breast cancer cells, MCF-7. Combination of TRAIL and siRNA silencing BCL2L12 had no effect in normal human umbilical vein cells and human bone marrow stromal cell. The silencing of BCL2L12 and SOD1 enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in MDA-231 cells via synergistically activating capsase-3 activity. Hence, here we report siRNAs targeting BCL2L12 and SOD1 as a novel regulator of TRAIL-induced cell death in breast cancer cells, providing a new approach for enhancing TRAIL therapy for breast cancer. The combination of siRNA targeting BCL2L12 and TRAIL can be a highly effective synergistic pair in breast cancer cells with minimal effect on the non-transformed cells. © 2017 UICC.

Kaempferol suppresses bladder cancer tumor growth by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Qiang; Song, Wenbin; Xu, Defeng; Ma, Yanmin; Li, Feng; Zeng, Jin; Zhu, Guodong; Wang, Xinyang; Chang, Luke S; He, Dalin; Li, Lei

2015-09-01

The effects of the flavonoid compound, kaempferol, which is an inhibitor of cancer cell proliferation and an inducer of cell apoptosis have been shown in various cancers, including lung, pancreatic, and ovarian, but its effect has never been studied in bladder cancer. Here, we investigated the effects of kaempferol on bladder cancer using multiple in vitro cell lines and in vivo mice studies. The MTT assay results on various bladder cancer cell lines showed that kaempferol enhanced bladder cancer cell cytotoxicity. In contrast, when analyzed by the flow cytometric analysis, DNA ladder experiment, and TUNEL assay, kaempferol significantly was shown to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. These in vitro results were confirmed in in vivo mice studies using subcutaneous xenografted mouse models. Consistent with the in vitro results, we found that treating mice with kaempferol significant suppression in tumor growth compared to the control group mice. Tumor tissue staining results showed decreased expressions of the growth related markers, yet increased expressions in apoptosis markers in the kaempferol treated group mice tissues compared to the control group mice. In addition, our in vitro and in vivo data showed kaempferol can also inhibit bladder cancer invasion and metastasis. Further mechanism dissection studies showed that significant down-regulation of the c-Met/p38 signaling pathway is responsible for the kaempferol mediated cell proliferation inhibition. All these findings suggest kaempferol might be an effective and novel chemotherapeutic drug to apply for the future therapeutic agent to combat bladder cancer. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

TFF1 inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in vitro

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Yanli Ge

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Trefoil Factor Family (TFF plays an essential role in the intestinal epithelial restitution, but the relationship between TFF1 and gastric cancer (GC is still unclear. The present study aimed to determine the role of TFF1 in repairing gastric mucosa and in the pathogenesis of GC.The TFF1 expression in different gastric mucosas was measured with immunohistochemistry. Then, siRNA targeting TFF1 or plasmids expressing TFF1 gene were transfected into BGC823 cells, SGC7901 cells and GES-1 cells. The cell proliferation was detected with MTT assay and apoptosis and cell cycle measured by flow cytometry.From normal gastric mucosa to mucosa with dysplasia and to gastric cancer, the TFF1 expression had a decreasing trend. Down-regulation of TFF1 expression significantly reduced the apoptosis of three cell lines and markedly facilitated their proliferation but had no significant effect on cell cycle. Over-expression of TFF1 could promote apoptosis of three cell lines and inhibit proliferation but had no pronounced effect on cell cycle. TFF1 can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of GC cells in vitro.

TIG3 tumor suppressor-dependent organelle redistribution and apoptosis in skin cancer cells.

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Tiffany M Scharadin

Full Text Available TIG3 is a tumor suppressor protein that limits keratinocyte survival during normal differentiation. It is also important in cancer, as TIG3 level is reduced in tumors and in skin cancer cell lines, suggesting that loss of expression may be required for cancer cell survival. An important goal is identifying how TIG3 limits cell survival. In the present study we show that TIG3 expression in epidermal squamous cell carcinoma SCC-13 cells reduces cell proliferation and promotes morphological and biochemical apoptosis. To identify the mechanism that drives these changes, we demonstrate that TIG3 localizes near the centrosome and that pericentrosomal accumulation of TIG3 alters microtubule and microfilament organization and organelle distribution. Organelle accumulation at the centrosome is a hallmark of apoptosis and we demonstrate that TIG3 promotes pericentrosomal organelle accumulation. These changes are associated with reduced cyclin D1, cyclin E and cyclin A, and increased p21 level. In addition, Bax level is increased and Bcl-XL level is reduced, and cleavage of procaspase 3, procaspase 9 and PARP is enhanced. We propose that pericentrosomal localization of TIG3 is a key event that results in microtubule and microfilament redistribution and pericentrosomal organelle clustering and that leads to cancer cell apoptosis.

MicroRNA-21 directly targets MARCKS and promotes apoptosis resistance and invasion in prostate cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tao; Li, Dong; Sha, Jianjun; Sun, Peng; Huang, Yiran

2009-01-01

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers in men. Recent studies have shown that microRNA-21 (miR-21) is overexpressed in various types of cancers including prostate cancer. Studies on glioma, colon cancer cells, hepatocellular cancer cells and breast cancer cells have indicated that miR-21 is involved in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. However, the roles of miR-21 in prostate cancer are poorly understood. In this study, the effects of miR-21 on prostate cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were examined. In addition, the targets of miR-21 were identified by a reported RISC-coimmunoprecipitation-based biochemical method. Inactivation of miR-21 by antisense oligonucleotides in androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC-3 resulted in sensitivity to apoptosis and inhibition of cell motility and invasion, whereas cell proliferation were not affected. We identified myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase c substrate (MARCKS), which plays key roles in cell motility, as a new target in prostate cancer cells. Our data suggested that miR-21 could promote apoptosis resistance, motility, and invasion in prostate cancer cells and these effects of miR-21 may be partly due to its regulation of PDCD4, TPM1, and MARCKS. Gene therapy using miR-21 inhibition strategy may therefore be useful as a prostate cancer therapy.

BIRC6 protein, an inhibitor of apoptosis: role in survival of human prostate cancer cells.

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Christopher G Low

Full Text Available BIRC6 is a member of the Inhibitors of Apoptosis Protein (IAP family which is thought to protect a variety of cancer cells from apoptosis. The main objective of the present study was to investigate whether BIRC6 plays a role in prostate cancer and could be useful as a novel therapeutic target.BIRC6 expression in cell lines was assessed using Western blot analysis and in clinical samples using immunohistochemistry of tissue microarrays. The biological significance of BIRC6 was determined by siRNA-induced reduction of BIRC6 expression in LNCaP cells followed by functional assays.Elevated BIRC6 protein expression was found in prostate cancer cell lines and clinical specimens as distinct from their benign counterparts. Increased BIRC6 expression was associated with Gleason 6-8 cancers and castration resistance. Reduction of BIRC6 expression in LNCaP cells led to a marked reduction in cell proliferation which was associated with an increase in apoptosis and a decrease in autophagosome formation. Doxorubicin-induced apoptosis was found to be coupled to a reduction in BIRC6 protein expression.The data suggest a role for BIRC6 in prostate cancer progression and treatment resistance, and indicate for the first time that the BIRC6 gene and its product are potentially valuable targets for treatment of prostate cancers.

Versican G3 domain modulates breast cancer cell apoptosis: a mechanism for breast cancer cell response to chemotherapy and EGFR therapy.

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William Weidong Du

Full Text Available Overexpression of EGFR and versican has been reported in association with breast cancers. Considered oncogenic, these molecules may be attractive therapeutic targets. Possessing anti-apoptotic and drug resistant properties, overexpression of these molecules is accompanied by selective sensitization to the process of apoptosis. In this study, we exogenously expressed a versican G3 construct in breast cancer cell lines and analyzed the effects of G3 on cell viability in fetal bovine serum free conditioned media and evaluated the effects of apoptotic agent C2-ceramide, and chemotherapeutic agents including Docetaxel, Doxorubicin, and Epirubicin. Versican G3 domain enhanced tumor cell resistance to apoptosis when cultured in serum free medium, Doxorubicin, or Epirubicin by up-regulating pERK and GSK-3β (S9P. However, it could be prevented by selective EGFR inhibitor AG 1478 and selective MEK inhibitor PD 98059. Both AG 1478 and PD 98059 enhanced expression of pSAPK/JNK, while selective JNK inhibitor SP 600125 enhanced expression of GSK-3β (S9P. Versican G3 promoted cell apoptosis induced by C2-ceramide or Docetaxel by enhancing expression of pSAPK/JNK and decreasing expression of GSK-3β (S9P, an observation blocked by AG 1478 or SP 6000125. Inhibition of endogenous versican expression by siRNA or reduction of versican G3's expression by linking G3 with 3'UTR prevented G3 modulated cell apoptosis. The dual roles of G3 in modulating breast cancer cell resistance to chemotherapeutic agents may in part explain a potential mechanism for breast cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and EGFR therapy. The apoptotic effects of chemotherapeutics depend upon the activation and balance of down stream signals in the EGFR pathway. GSK-3β (S9P appears to function as a key checkpoint in this balance of apoptosis and anti-apoptosis. Investigation and potential consideration of targeting GSK-3β (S9P merits further study.

Versican G3 domain modulates breast cancer cell apoptosis: a mechanism for breast cancer cell response to chemotherapy and EGFR therapy.

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Du, William Weidong; Yang, Burton B; Yang, Bing L; Deng, Zhaoqun; Fang, Ling; Shan, Sze Wan; Jeyapalan, Zina; Zhang, Yaou; Seth, Arun; Yee, Albert J

2011-01-01

Overexpression of EGFR and versican has been reported in association with breast cancers. Considered oncogenic, these molecules may be attractive therapeutic targets. Possessing anti-apoptotic and drug resistant properties, overexpression of these molecules is accompanied by selective sensitization to the process of apoptosis. In this study, we exogenously expressed a versican G3 construct in breast cancer cell lines and analyzed the effects of G3 on cell viability in fetal bovine serum free conditioned media and evaluated the effects of apoptotic agent C2-ceramide, and chemotherapeutic agents including Docetaxel, Doxorubicin, and Epirubicin. Versican G3 domain enhanced tumor cell resistance to apoptosis when cultured in serum free medium, Doxorubicin, or Epirubicin by up-regulating pERK and GSK-3β (S9P). However, it could be prevented by selective EGFR inhibitor AG 1478 and selective MEK inhibitor PD 98059. Both AG 1478 and PD 98059 enhanced expression of pSAPK/JNK, while selective JNK inhibitor SP 600125 enhanced expression of GSK-3β (S9P). Versican G3 promoted cell apoptosis induced by C2-ceramide or Docetaxel by enhancing expression of pSAPK/JNK and decreasing expression of GSK-3β (S9P), an observation blocked by AG 1478 or SP 6000125. Inhibition of endogenous versican expression by siRNA or reduction of versican G3's expression by linking G3 with 3'UTR prevented G3 modulated cell apoptosis. The dual roles of G3 in modulating breast cancer cell resistance to chemotherapeutic agents may in part explain a potential mechanism for breast cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and EGFR therapy. The apoptotic effects of chemotherapeutics depend upon the activation and balance of down stream signals in the EGFR pathway. GSK-3β (S9P) appears to function as a key checkpoint in this balance of apoptosis and anti-apoptosis. Investigation and potential consideration of targeting GSK-3β (S9P) merits further study.

Lansoprazole induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells through inhibition of intracellular proton extrusion

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Zhang, Shangrong; Wang, Yifan; Li, Shu Jie, E-mail: shujieli@nankai.edu.cn

2014-06-13

Highlights: • Lansoprazole (LPZ) induces cell apoptosis in breast cancer cells. • LPZ markedly inhibits intracellular proton extrusion. • LPZ induces an increase in intracellular ATP level, lysosomal alkalinization and ROS accumulation. - Abstract: The increased glycolysis and proton secretion in tumors is proposed to contribute to the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells during the process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Here, treatment of human breast cancer cells with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) lansoprazole (LPZ) induces cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In the implantation of the MDA-MB-231 xenografts in nude mice, administration of LPZ significantly inhibits tumorigenesis and induces large-scale apopotosis of tumor cells. LPZ markedly inhibits intracellular proton extrusion, induces an increase in intracellular ATP level, lysosomal alkalinization and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in breast cancer cells. The ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), a specific pharmacological inhibitor of NADPH oxidases (NOX), significantly abolish LPZ-induced ROS accumulation in breast cancer cells. Our results suggested that LPZ may be used as a new therapeutic drug for breast tumor.

Lansoprazole induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells through inhibition of intracellular proton extrusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shangrong; Wang, Yifan; Li, Shu Jie

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Lansoprazole (LPZ) induces cell apoptosis in breast cancer cells. • LPZ markedly inhibits intracellular proton extrusion. • LPZ induces an increase in intracellular ATP level, lysosomal alkalinization and ROS accumulation. - Abstract: The increased glycolysis and proton secretion in tumors is proposed to contribute to the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells during the process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Here, treatment of human breast cancer cells with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) lansoprazole (LPZ) induces cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In the implantation of the MDA-MB-231 xenografts in nude mice, administration of LPZ significantly inhibits tumorigenesis and induces large-scale apopotosis of tumor cells. LPZ markedly inhibits intracellular proton extrusion, induces an increase in intracellular ATP level, lysosomal alkalinization and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in breast cancer cells. The ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), a specific pharmacological inhibitor of NADPH oxidases (NOX), significantly abolish LPZ-induced ROS accumulation in breast cancer cells. Our results suggested that LPZ may be used as a new therapeutic drug for breast tumor

Cyproterone acetate enhances TRAIL-induced androgen-independent prostate cancer cell apoptosis via up-regulation of death receptor 5.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Linjie; Wolff, Dennis W; Xie, Yan; Lin, Ming-Fong; Tu, Yaping

2017-03-07

Virtually all prostate cancer deaths occur due to obtaining the castration-resistant phenotype after prostate cancer cells escaped from apoptosis and/or growth suppression initially induced by androgen receptor blockade. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) was an attractive cancer therapeutic agent due to its minimal toxicity to normal cells and remarkable apoptotic activity in tumor cells. However, most localized cancers including prostate cancer are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, thereby creating a therapeutic challenge of inducing TRAIL sensitivity in cancer cells. Herein the effects of cyproterone acetate, an antiandrogen steroid, on the TRAIL-induced apoptosis of androgen receptor-negative prostate cancer cells are reported. Cell apoptosis was assessed by both annexin V/propidium iodide labeling and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage assays. Gene and protein expression changes were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot assays. The effect of cyproterone acetate on gene promoter activity was determined by luciferase reporter assay. Cyproterone acetate but not AR antagonist bicalutamide dramatically increased the susceptibility of androgen receptor-negative human prostate cancer PC-3 and DU145 cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis but no effects on immortalized human prostate stromal PS30 cells and human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells. Further investigation of the TRAIL-induced apoptosis pathway revealed that cyproterone acetate exerted its effect by selectively increasing death receptor 5 (DR5) mRNA and protein expression. Cyproterone acetate treatment also increased DR5 gene promoter activity, which could be abolished by mutation of a consensus binding domain of transcription factor CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) in the DR5 gene promoter. Cyproterone acetate increases CHOP expression in a concentration and time-dependent manner and endoplasmic reticulum stress reducer 4-phenylbutyrate could block

A cell-permeable dominant-negative survivin protein induces apoptosis and sensitizes prostate cancer cells to TNF-α therapy

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Kanwar Jagat R

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Survivin is a member of the inhibitor-of-apoptosis (IAP family which is widely expressed by many different cancers. Overexpression of survivin is associated with drug resistance in cancer cells, and reduced patient survival after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Agents that antagonize the function of survivin hold promise for treating many forms of cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a cell-permeable dominant-negative survivin protein would demonstrate bioactivity against prostate and cervical cancer cells grown in three dimensional culture. Results A dominant-negative survivin (C84A protein fused to the cell penetrating peptide poly-arginine (R9 was expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. Western blot analysis revealed that dNSurR9-C84A penetrated into 3D-cultured HeLa and DU145 cancer cells, and a cell viability assay revealed it induced cancer cell death. It increased the activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and rendered DU145 cells sensitive to TNF-α via by a mechanism involving activation of caspase-8. Conclusions The results demonstrate that antagonism of survivin function triggers the apoptosis of prostate and cervical cancer cells grown in 3D culture. It renders cancer cells sensitive to the proapoptotic affects of TNF-α, suggesting that survivin blocks the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Combination of the biologically active dNSurR9-C84A protein or other survivin antagonists with TNF-α therapy warrants consideration as an approach to cancer therapy.

Apoptosis induction of epifriedelinol on human cervical cancer cell line

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Present investigation evaluates the antitumor activity of epifriedelinol for the management of cervical cancer by inducing process of apoptosis. Methods: Human Cervical Cancer Cell Line, C33A and HeLa were selected for study and treated with epifriedelinol at a concentration of (50-1000 μg/ml). Cytotoxicity of ...

Lovastatin induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and synergizes with doxorubicin: potential therapeutic relevance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martirosyan, Anna; Clendening, James W; Goard, Carolyn A; Penn, Linda Z

2010-01-01

Ovarian carcinoma is a rarely curable disease, for which new treatment options are required. As agents that block HMG-CoA reductase and the mevalonate pathway, the statin family of drugs are used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and have been shown to trigger apoptosis in a tumor-specific manner. Recent clinical trials show that the addition of statins to traditional chemotherapeutic strategies can increase efficacy of targeting statin-sensitive tumors. Our goal was to assess statin-induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells, either alone or in combination with chemotherapeutics, and then determine these mechanisms of action. The effect of lovastatin on ovarian cancer cell lines was evaluated alone and in combination with cisplatin and doxorubicin using several assays (MTT, TUNEL, fixed PI, PARP cleavage) and synergy determined by evaluating the combination index. The mechanisms of action were evaluated using functional, molecular, and pharmacologic approaches. We demonstrate that lovastatin induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells in a p53-independent manner and synergizes with doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat recurrent cases of ovarian cancer. Lovastatin drives ovarian tumor cell death by two mechanisms: first, by blocking HMG-CoA reductase activity, and second, by sensitizing multi-drug resistant cells to doxorubicin by a novel mevalonate-independent mechanism. This inhibition of drug transport, likely through inhibition of P-glycoprotein, potentiates both DNA damage and tumor cell apoptosis. The results of this research provide pre-clinical data to warrant further evaluation of statins as potential anti-cancer agents to treat ovarian carcinoma. Many statins are inexpensive, off-patent generic drugs that are immediately available for use as anti-cancer agents. We provide evidence that lovastatin triggers apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells as a single agent by a mevalonate-dependent mechanism. Moreover, we also show lovastatin synergizes

Nicotinamide induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis through oxidative stress in human cervical cancer HeLa cells.

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Feng, Yi; Wang, Yonghua; Jiang, Chengrui; Fang, Zishui; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Lin, Xiaoying; Sun, Liwei; Jiang, Weiying

2017-07-15

Nicotinamide participates in energy metabolism and influences cellular redox status and modulates multiple pathways related with both cellular survival and death. Recent studies have shown that it induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in many cancer cells. However, little is known about the effects of nicotinamide on human cervical cancer cells. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the indicated concentrations nicotinamide on cell proliferation, apoptosis and redox-related parameters in HeLa cells and investigated the apoptotic mechanism. After the treatment of the indicated concentrations nicotinamide, HeLa cell proliferation was evaluated by the CCK-8 assay and the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) was measured using 2',7'-Dichlorofluorescin diacetate. The apoptotic effect was confirmed by observing the cellular and nuclear morphologies with fluorescence microscope and apoptotic rate of HeLa cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry using Annexin-V method. Moreover, we examined the mitochondrial membrane potential by JC-1 method and measured the expression of apoptosis related genes using qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. Nicotinamide restrained the HeLa cell proliferation and significantly increased the accumulation of ROS and depletion of GSH at relatively high concentrations. Furthermore, nicotinamide promoted HeLa cell apoptosis via the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Our study revealed that nicotinamide induced the apoptosis through oxidative stress and intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathways in HeLa cell. The results emerge that nicotinamide may be an inexpensive, safe and promising therapeutic agent or a neoadjuvant chemotherapy for cervical cancer patients, as well useful to find new drugs for cervical cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Curcumin induces apoptosis-independent death in oesophageal cancer cells.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Sullivan-Coyne, G

2009-10-06

Background:Oesophageal cancer incidence is increasing and survival rates remain extremely poor. Natural agents with potential for chemoprevention include the phytochemical curcumin (diferuloylmethane). We have examined the effects of curcumin on a panel of oesophageal cancer cell lines.Methods:MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and propidium iodide staining were used to assess viability and DNA content, respectively. Mitotic catastrophe (MC), apoptosis and autophagy were defined by both morphological criteria and markers such as MPM-2, caspase 3 cleavage and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Cyclin B and poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by western blotting.Results:Curcumin treatment reduces viability of all cell lines within 24 h of treatment in a 5-50 muM range. Cytotoxicity is associated with accumulation in G2\\/M cell-cycle phases and distinct chromatin morphology, consistent with MC. Caspase-3 activation was detected in two out of four cell lines, but was a minor event. The addition of a caspase inhibitor zVAD had a marginal or no effect on cell viability, indicating predominance of a non-apoptotic form of cell death. In two cell lines, features of both MC and autophagy were apparent. Curcumin-responsive cells were found to accumulate poly-ubiquitinated proteins and cyclin B, consistent with a disturbance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This effect on a key cell-cycle checkpoint regulator may be responsible for the mitotic disturbances and consequent cytotoxicity of this drug.Conclusion:Curcumin can induce cell death by a mechanism that is not reliant on apoptosis induction, and thus represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.British Journal of Cancer advance online publication, 6 October 2009; doi:10.1038\\/sj.bjc.6605308 www.bjcancer.com.

Nutrient Availability Alters the Effect of Autophagy on Sulindac Sulfide-Induced Colon Cancer Cell Apoptosis

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Shiun-Kwei Chiou

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Autophagy is a catabolic process by which a cell degrades its intracellular materials to replenish itself. Induction of autophagy under various cellular stress stimuli can lead to either cell survival or cell death via apoptotic and/or autophagic (nonapoptotic pathways. The NSAID sulindac sulfide induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells. Here, we show that inhibition of autophagy under serum-deprived conditions resulted in significant reductions of sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells. In contrast, inhibition of autophagy under conditions where serum is available significantly increased sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. We previously showed that the apoptosis inhibitor, survivin, plays a role in regulating NSAID-induced apoptosis and autophagic cell death. Here, we show that survivin protein half-life is increased in the presence of autophagy inhibitors under serum-deprived conditions, but not under conditions when serum is available. Thus, the increased levels of survivin may be a factor contributing to inhibition of sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis under serum-deprived conditions. These results suggest that whether a cell lives or dies due to autophagy induction depends on the balance of factors that regulate both autophagic and apoptotic processes.

New castanospermine glycoside analogues inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis without affecting normal cells.

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Ghada Allan

Full Text Available sp²-Iminosugar-type castanospermine analogues have been shown to exhibit anti-tumor activity. However, their effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis and the molecular mechanism at play are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the effect of two representatives, namely the pseudo-S- and C-octyl glycoside 2-oxa-3-oxocastanospermine derivatives SO-OCS and CO-OCS, on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and MCF-10A mammary normal cell lines. We found that SO-OCS and CO-OCS inhibited breast cancer cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. This effect is specific to breast cancer cells as both molecules had no impact on normal MCF-10A cell proliferation. Both drugs induced a cell cycle arrest. CO-OCS arrested cell cycle at G1 and G2/M in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells respectively. In MCF-7 cells, the G1 arrest is associated with a reduction of CDK4 (cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin D1 and cyclin E expression, pRb phosphorylation, and an overexpression of p21(Waf1/Cip1. In MDA-MB-231 cells, CO-OCS reduced CDK1 but not cyclin B1 expression. SO-OCS accumulated cells in G2/M in both cell lines and this blockade was accompanied by a decrease of CDK1, but not cyclin B1 expression. Furthermore, both drugs induced apoptosis as demonstrated by the increased percentage of annexin V positive cells and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Interestingly, in normal MCF-10A cells the two drugs failed to modify cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, cyclins, or CDKs expression. These results demonstrate that the effect of CO-OCS and SO-OCS is triggered by both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, suggesting that these castanospermine analogues may constitute potential anti-cancer agents against breast cancer.

Cadmium telluride quantum dots induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines.

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Naderi, Saeed; Zare, Hakimeh; Taghavinia, Nima; Irajizad, Azam; Aghaei, Mahmoud; Panjehpour, Mojtaba

2018-05-01

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), especially those containing cadmium, have undergone marked improvements and are now widely used nanomaterials in applicable biological fields. However, great concerns exist regarding their toxicity in biomedical applications. Because of the lack of sufficient data regarding the toxicity mechanism of QDs, this study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of three types of QDs: CdTe QDs, high yield CdTe QDs, and CdTe/CdS core/shell QDs on two human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB468 and MCF-7. The breast cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of QDs, and cell viability was evaluated via MTT assay. Hoechst staining was applied for observation of morphological changes due to apoptosis. Apoptotic DNA fragmentation was visualized by the agarose gel electrophoresis assay. Flow cytometric annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) measurement was used for apoptosis detection. A significant decrease in cell viability was observed after QDs treatment ( p < 0.05). Apoptotic bodies and chromatin condensation was observed by Hoechst staining. DNA fragmentation assay demonstrated a DNA ladder profile in the exposed cells and also annexin V/PI flow cytometry confirmed apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Our results revealed that CdTe, high yield CdTe, and CdTe/CdS core/shell QDs induce apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. This study would help realizing the underlying cytotoxicity mechanism, at least partly, of CdTe QDs and may provide information for the development of nanotoxicology and safe use of biological applications of QDs.

Mulberry anthocyanins improves thyroid cancer progression mainly by inducing apoptosis and autophagy cell death

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Hou-Long Long

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Dietary anthocyanin compounds have multiple biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherosclerotic characteristics. The present study evaluated the anti-tumor capacity of mulberry anthocyanins (MA in thyroid cancer cells. Our data showed that MA suppressed SW1736 and HTh-7 cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, flow cytometry results indicated that MA significantly increased SW1736 and HTh-7 cell apoptosis. We additionally observed that SW1736 and HTh-7 cell autophagy was markedly enhanced after MA treatment. Importantly, anthocyanin-induced cell death was largely abolished by 3-methyladenine (3-MA or chloroquine diphosphate salt (CQ treatment, suggesting that MA-induced SW1736 and HTh-7 cell death was partially dependent on autophagy. In addition, activation of protein kinase B (Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, and ribosomal protein S6 (S6 were significantly suppressed by anthocyanin exposure. In summary, MA may serve as an adjunctive therapy for thyroid cancer patients through induction of apoptosis and autophagy-dependent cell death. Keywords: Mulberry anthocyanins, Thyroid cancer, Apoptosis, Autophagic death

Apoptosis and Molecular Targeting Therapy in Cancer

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Hassan, Mohamed; Watari, Hidemichi; AbuAlmaaty, Ali; Ohba, Yusuke; Sakuragi, Noriaki

2014-01-01

Apoptosis is the programmed cell death which maintains the healthy survival/death balance in metazoan cells. Defect in apoptosis can cause cancer or autoimmunity, while enhanced apoptosis may cause degenerative diseases. The apoptotic signals contribute into safeguarding the genomic integrity while defective apoptosis may promote carcinogenesis. The apoptotic signals are complicated and they are regulated at several levels. The signals of carcinogenesis modulate the central control points of the apoptotic pathways, including inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins and FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP). The tumor cells may use some of several molecular mechanisms to suppress apoptosis and acquire resistance to apoptotic agents, for example, by the expression of antiapoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 or by the downregulation or mutation of proapoptotic proteins such as BAX. In this review, we provide the main regulatory molecules that govern the main basic mechanisms, extrinsic and intrinsic, of apoptosis in normal cells. We discuss how carcinogenesis could be developed via defective apoptotic pathways or their convergence. We listed some molecules which could be targeted to stimulate apoptosis in different cancers. Together, we briefly discuss the development of some promising cancer treatment strategies which target apoptotic inhibitors including Bcl-2 family proteins, IAPs, and c-FLIP for apoptosis induction. PMID:25013758

RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells.

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Subauste, M Cecilia; Ventura-Holman, Tereza; Du, Liqin; Subauste, Jose S; Chan, Shing-Leng; Yu, Victor C; Maher, Joseph F

2009-12-01

Evasion of apoptosis plays an important role in colon cancer progression. Following loss of the Apc tumor suppressor gene in mice, the gene encoding Fem1b is upregulated early in neoplastic intestinal epithelium. Fem1b is a pro-apoptotic protein that interacts with Fas, TNFR1 and Apaf-1, and increased expression of Fem1b induces apoptosis of cancer cells. Fem1b is a homolog of FEM-1, a protein in Caenorhabditis elegans that is negatively regulated by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. To study Fem1b regulation in colon cancer progression, we used apoptotis-sensitive SW480 cells, derived from a primary colon cancer, and their isogenic, apoptosis-resistant counterparts SW620 cells, derived from a subsequent metastatic lesion in the same patient. Treatment with proteasome inhibitor increased Fem1b protein levels in SW620 cells, but not in SW480 cells. In SW620 cells we found that endogenous Fem1b co-immunoprecipitates in complexes with RACK1, a protein known to mediate ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of other pro-apoptotic proteins and to be upregulated in colon cancer. Full-length Fem1b, or the N-terminal region of Fem1b, associated with RACK1 when co-expressed in HEK293T cells, and RACK1 stimulated ubiquitination of Fem1b. RACK1 overexpression in SW620 cells led to downregulation of Fem1b protein levels. Conversely, downregulation of RACK1 led to upregulation of Fem1b protein levels, associated with induction of apoptosis, and this apoptosis was inhibited by blocking Fem1b protein upregulation. In conclusion, RACK1 downregulates levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Fem1b in metastatic, apoptosis-resistant colon cancer cells, which may promote apoptosis-resistance during progression of colon cancer.

Parallel screening of FDA-approved antineoplastic drugs for identifying sensitizers of TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, David J; Parsons, Christine E; Han, Haiyong; Jayaraman, Arul; Rege, Kaushal

2011-01-01

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) and agonistic antibodies to death receptor 4 and 5 are promising candidates for cancer therapy due to their ability to induce apoptosis selectively in a variety of human cancer cells, while demonstrating little cytotoxicity in normal cells. Although TRAIL and agonistic antibodies to DR4 and DR5 are considered safe and promising candidates in cancer therapy, many malignant cells are resistant to DR-mediated, TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In the current work, we screened a small library of fifty-five FDA and foreign-approved anti-neoplastic drugs in order to identify candidates that sensitized resistant prostate and pancreatic cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. FDA-approved drugs were screened for their ability to sensitize TRAIL resistant prostate cancer cells to TRAIL using an MTT assay for cell viability. Analysis of variance was used to identify drugs that exhibited synergy with TRAIL. Drugs demonstrating the highest synergy were selected as leads and tested in different prostate and pancreatic cancer cell lines, and one immortalized human pancreatic epithelial cell line. Sequential and simultaneous dosing modalities were investigated and the annexin V/propidium iodide assay, in concert with fluorescence microscopy, was employed to visualize cells undergoing apoptosis. Fourteen drugs were identified as having synergy with TRAIL, including those whose TRAIL sensitization activities were previously unknown in either prostate or pancreatic cancer cells or both. Five leads were tested in additional cancer cell lines of which, doxorubicin, mitoxantrone, and mithramycin demonstrated synergy in all lines. In particular, mitoxantrone and mithramycin demonstrated significant synergy with TRAIL and led to reduction of cancer cell viability at concentrations lower than 1 μM. At these low concentrations, mitoxantrone demonstrated selectivity toward malignant cells over normal pancreatic epithelial cells

Parallel screening of FDA-approved antineoplastic drugs for identifying sensitizers of TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells

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Taylor David J

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL and agonistic antibodies to death receptor 4 and 5 are promising candidates for cancer therapy due to their ability to induce apoptosis selectively in a variety of human cancer cells, while demonstrating little cytotoxicity in normal cells. Although TRAIL and agonistic antibodies to DR4 and DR5 are considered safe and promising candidates in cancer therapy, many malignant cells are resistant to DR-mediated, TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In the current work, we screened a small library of fifty-five FDA and foreign-approved anti-neoplastic drugs in order to identify candidates that sensitized resistant prostate and pancreatic cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Methods FDA-approved drugs were screened for their ability to sensitize TRAIL resistant prostate cancer cells to TRAIL using an MTT assay for cell viability. Analysis of variance was used to identify drugs that exhibited synergy with TRAIL. Drugs demonstrating the highest synergy were selected as leads and tested in different prostate and pancreatic cancer cell lines, and one immortalized human pancreatic epithelial cell line. Sequential and simultaneous dosing modalities were investigated and the annexin V/propidium iodide assay, in concert with fluorescence microscopy, was employed to visualize cells undergoing apoptosis. Results Fourteen drugs were identified as having synergy with TRAIL, including those whose TRAIL sensitization activities were previously unknown in either prostate or pancreatic cancer cells or both. Five leads were tested in additional cancer cell lines of which, doxorubicin, mitoxantrone, and mithramycin demonstrated synergy in all lines. In particular, mitoxantrone and mithramycin demonstrated significant synergy with TRAIL and led to reduction of cancer cell viability at concentrations lower than 1 μM. At these low concentrations, mitoxantrone demonstrated selectivity toward

Simultaneous gene silencing of Bcl-2, XIAP and Survivin re-sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells towards apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rückert, Felix; Samm, Nicole; Lehner, Anne-Kathrin; Saeger, Hans-Detlev; Grützmann, Robert; Pilarsky, Christian

2010-01-01

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma shows a distinct apoptosis resistance, which contributes significantly to the aggressive nature of this tumor and constrains the effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies. Apoptosis resistance is determined by the net balance of the cells pro-and anti-apoptotic 'control mechanisms'. Numerous dysregulated anti-apoptotic genes have been identified in pancreatic cancer and seem to contribute to the high anti-apoptotic buffering capacity. We aimed to compare the benefit of simultaneous gene silencing (SGS) of several candidate genes with conventional gene silencing of single genes. From literature search we identified the anti-apoptotic genes XIAP, Survivin and Bcl-2 as commonly upregulated in pancreatic cancer. We performed SGS and silencing of single candidate genes using siRNA molecules in two pancreatic cancer cell lines. Effectiveness of SGS was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Apoptosis induction was measured by flow cytometry and caspase activation. Simultaneous gene silencing reduced expression of the three target genes effectively. Compared to silencing of a single target or control, SGS of these genes resulted in a significant higher induction of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. In the present study we performed a subliminal silencing of different anti-apoptotic target genes simultaneously. Compared to silencing of single target genes, SGS had a significant higher impact on apoptosis induction in pancreatic cancer cells. Thereby, we give further evidence for the concept of an anti-apoptotic buffering capacity of pancreatic cancer cells

Curcumin induces apoptosis-independent death in oesophageal cancer cells.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Sullivan-Coyne, G

2012-01-31

BACKGROUND: Oesophageal cancer incidence is increasing and survival rates remain extremely poor. Natural agents with potential for chemoprevention include the phytochemical curcumin (diferuloylmethane). We have examined the effects of curcumin on a panel of oesophageal cancer cell lines. METHODS: MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and propidium iodide staining were used to assess viability and DNA content, respectively. Mitotic catastrophe (MC), apoptosis and autophagy were defined by both morphological criteria and markers such as MPM-2, caspase 3 cleavage and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining. Cyclin B and poly-ubiquitinated proteins were assessed by western blotting. RESULTS: Curcumin treatment reduces viability of all cell lines within 24 h of treatment in a 5-50 muM range. Cytotoxicity is associated with accumulation in G2\\/M cell-cycle phases and distinct chromatin morphology, consistent with MC. Caspase-3 activation was detected in two out of four cell lines, but was a minor event. The addition of a caspase inhibitor zVAD had a marginal or no effect on cell viability, indicating predominance of a non-apoptotic form of cell death. In two cell lines, features of both MC and autophagy were apparent. Curcumin-responsive cells were found to accumulate poly-ubiquitinated proteins and cyclin B, consistent with a disturbance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This effect on a key cell-cycle checkpoint regulator may be responsible for the mitotic disturbances and consequent cytotoxicity of this drug. CONCLUSION: Curcumin can induce cell death by a mechanism that is not reliant on apoptosis induction, and thus represents a promising anticancer agent for prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer.

Casticin impairs cell growth and induces cell apoptosis via cell cycle arrest in human oral cancer SCC-4 cells.

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Chou, Guan-Ling; Peng, Shu-Fen; Liao, Ching-Lung; Ho, Heng-Chien; Lu, Kung-Wen; Lien, Jin-Cherng; Fan, Ming-Jen; La, Kuang-Chi; Chung, Jing-Gung

2018-02-01

Casticin, a polymethoxyflavone, present in natural plants, has been shown to have biological activities including anti-cancer activities. Herein, we investigated the anti-oral cancer activity of casticin on SCC-4 cells in vitro. Viable cells, cell cycle distribution, apoptotic cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and Ca 2+ production, levels of ΔΨ m and caspase activity were measured by flow cytometric assay. Cell apoptosis associated protein expressions were examined by Western blotting and confocal laser microscopy. Results indicated that casticin induced cell morphological changes, DNA condensation and damage, decreased the total viable cells, induced G 2 /M phase arrest in SCC-4 cells. Casticin promoted ROS and Ca 2+ productions, decreases the levels of ΔΨ m , promoted caspase-3, -8, and -9 activities in SCC-4 cells. Western blotting assay demonstrated that casticin affect protein level associated with G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. Confocal laser microscopy also confirmed that casticin increased the translocation of AIF and cytochrome c in SCC-4 cells. In conclusion, casticin decreased cell number through G 2 /M phase arrest and the induction of cell apoptosis through caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathways in SCC-4 cells. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A new tellurium-containing amphiphilic molecule induces apoptosis in HCT116 colon cancer cells.

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Du, Peng; Saidu, Nathaniel Edward Bennett; Intemann, Johanna; Jacob, Claus; Montenarh, Mathias

2014-06-01

Chalcogen-based redox modulators over the years have attracted considerable attention as anti-cancer agents. New selenium- and tellurium-containing compounds with a polar head group and aryl-groups of various lengths have recently been reported as biologically active in several organisms. In the present study, we used the most active of the tellurium compound DP41, and its selenium counterpart DP31 to investigate their effects on the human cancer cell line HCT116. Cells were treated with DP41 or DP31 and the formation of superoxide radicals was determined using dihydroethidium. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis was determined by cytofluorimetry. Proteins involved in ER signaling and apoptosis were determined by Western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopy. With 50μM of DP41, we observed an increase in O2(-) formation. There was, however, no such increase in O2(-) after treatment with the corresponding selenium compound under the same conditions. In the case of DP41, the production of O2(-) radicals was followed by an up-regulation of Nrf2, HO-1, phospho-eIF2α and ATF4. CHOP was also induced and cells entered apoptosis. Unlike the cancer cells, normal retinal epithelial ARPE-19 cells did not produce elevated levels of O2(-) radicals nor did they induce the ER signaling pathway or apoptosis. The tellurium-containing compound DP41, in contrast to the corresponding selenium compound, induces O2(-) radical formation and oxidative and ER stress responses, including CHOP activation and finally apoptosis. These results indicate that DP41 is a redox modulating agent with promising anti-cancer potentials. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adipose-derived stromal cells inhibit prostate cancer cell proliferation inducing apoptosis

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Takahara, Kiyoshi [Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka (Japan); Ii, Masaaki, E-mail: masaii@art.osaka-med.ac.jp [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka (Japan); Inamoto, Teruo; Komura, Kazumasa; Ibuki, Naokazu; Minami, Koichiro; Uehara, Hirofumi; Hirano, Hajime; Nomi, Hayahito; Kiyama, Satoshi [Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka (Japan); Asahi, Michio [Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka (Japan); Azuma, Haruhito [Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka (Japan)

2014-04-18

Highlights: • AdSC transplantation exhibits inhibitory effect on tumor progressions of PCa cells. • AdSC-induced PCa cell apoptosis may occur via the TGF-β signaling pathway. • High expression of the TGF-β1 gene in AdSCs. - Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have generated a great deal of interest in the field of regenerative medicine. Adipose-derived stromal cells (AdSCs) are known to exhibit extensive proliferation potential and can undergo multilineage differentiation, sharing similar characteristics to bone marrow-derived MSCs. However, as the effect of AdSCs on tumor growth has not been studied sufficiently, we assessed the degree to which AdSCs affect the proliferation of prostate cancer (PCa) cell. Human AdSCs exerted an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of androgen-responsive (LNCaP) and androgen-nonresponsive (PC3) human PCa cells, while normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) did not, and in fact promoted PCa cell proliferation to a degree. Moreover, AdSCs induced apoptosis of LNCaP cells and PC3 cells, activating the caspase3/7 signaling pathway. cDNA microarray analysis suggested that AdSC-induced apoptosis in both LNCaP and PC3 cells was related to the TGF-β signaling pathway. Consistent with our in vitro observations, local transplantation of AdSCs delayed the growth of tumors derived from both LNCaP- and PC3-xenografts in immunodeficient mice. This is the first preclinical study to have directly demonstrated that AdSC-induced PCa cell apoptosis may occur via the TGF-β signaling pathway, irrespective of androgen-responsiveness. Since autologous AdSCs can be easily isolated from adipose tissue without any ethical concerns, we suggest that therapy with these cells could be a novel approach for patients with PCa.

Adipose-derived stromal cells inhibit prostate cancer cell proliferation inducing apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahara, Kiyoshi; Ii, Masaaki; Inamoto, Teruo; Komura, Kazumasa; Ibuki, Naokazu; Minami, Koichiro; Uehara, Hirofumi; Hirano, Hajime; Nomi, Hayahito; Kiyama, Satoshi; Asahi, Michio; Azuma, Haruhito

2014-01-01

Highlights: • AdSC transplantation exhibits inhibitory effect on tumor progressions of PCa cells. • AdSC-induced PCa cell apoptosis may occur via the TGF-β signaling pathway. • High expression of the TGF-β1 gene in AdSCs. - Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have generated a great deal of interest in the field of regenerative medicine. Adipose-derived stromal cells (AdSCs) are known to exhibit extensive proliferation potential and can undergo multilineage differentiation, sharing similar characteristics to bone marrow-derived MSCs. However, as the effect of AdSCs on tumor growth has not been studied sufficiently, we assessed the degree to which AdSCs affect the proliferation of prostate cancer (PCa) cell. Human AdSCs exerted an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of androgen-responsive (LNCaP) and androgen-nonresponsive (PC3) human PCa cells, while normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) did not, and in fact promoted PCa cell proliferation to a degree. Moreover, AdSCs induced apoptosis of LNCaP cells and PC3 cells, activating the caspase3/7 signaling pathway. cDNA microarray analysis suggested that AdSC-induced apoptosis in both LNCaP and PC3 cells was related to the TGF-β signaling pathway. Consistent with our in vitro observations, local transplantation of AdSCs delayed the growth of tumors derived from both LNCaP- and PC3-xenografts in immunodeficient mice. This is the first preclinical study to have directly demonstrated that AdSC-induced PCa cell apoptosis may occur via the TGF-β signaling pathway, irrespective of androgen-responsiveness. Since autologous AdSCs can be easily isolated from adipose tissue without any ethical concerns, we suggest that therapy with these cells could be a novel approach for patients with PCa

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and IRE-1 signaling cause apoptosis in colon cancer cells in response to andrographolide treatment

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Banerjee, Aditi; Ahmed, Hafiz; Yang, Peixin; Czinn, Steven J.; Blanchard, Thomas G.

2016-01-01

The plant metabolite andrographolide induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. The mechanism(s) by which andrographolide induces apoptosis however, have not been elucidated. The present study was performed to determine the molecular events that promote apoptosis in andrographolide treated cells using T84, HCT116 and COLO 205 colon cancer cell lines. Andrographolide was determined to limit colony formation and Ki67 expression, alter nuclear morphology, increase cytoplasmic histo...

miR-16 promotes the apoptosis of human cancer cells by targeting FEAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Hongwei; Fu, Zheng; Jiang, Xueyuan; Wang, Nan; Wang, Feng; Wang, Xueliang; Zhang, Suyang; Wang, Yanbo; Yan, Xin; Guan, Wen-xian; Zhang, Chen-Yu; Zen, Ke; Zhang, Yujing; Chen, Xi; Zhou, Guangxin

2015-01-01

Although human cancers have heterogeneous combinations of altered oncogenes, some crucial genes are universally dysregulated in most cancers. One such gene, FEAT (faint expression in normal tissues, aberrant overexpression in tumors), is uniformly overexpressed in a variety of human cancers and plays an important role in tumorigenesis by suppressing apoptosis. However, the precise molecular mechanism through which FEAT is upregulated during tumorigenesis remains largely unknown. In this study, we used bioinformatic analyses to search for miRNAs that potentially target FEAT. We examined the expression of FEAT protein level by western blotting and miR-16 level by qRT-PCR assay. Cancer cell lines (A549, MCF-7 and Huh-7) with miR-16 upregulation and FEAT silencing were established and the effects on apoptosis of cancer cells in vitro were assessed. Luciferase reporter assay was also performed to investigate the interaction between miR-16 and FEAT. We identified a specific target site for miR-16 in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of FEAT. Consistent with the bioinformatic analyses, we identified an inverse correlation between the miR-16 and FEAT protein levels in lung cancer, breast cancer, and hepatocellular cancer tissues. We then experimentally validated miR-16 as a direct regulator of FEAT using cell transfection and luciferase assays. Finally, we demonstrated that the repression of FEAT by miR-16 promoted the apoptosis of cancer cells. Our findings provide the first clues regarding the role of miR-16 as a tumor suppressor in cancer cells through the inhibition of FEAT translation. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1458-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Histone deacetylase inhibitors VPA and TSA induce apoptosis and autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells.

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Gilardini Montani, Maria Saveria; Granato, Marisa; Santoni, Claudio; Del Porto, Paola; Merendino, Nicolò; D'Orazi, Gabriella; Faggioni, Alberto; Cirone, Mara

2017-04-01

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are anti-neoplastic agents that are known to affect the growth of different cancer types, but their underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. Here, we compared the effects of two HDACi, i.e., Trichostatin A (TSA) and Valproic Acid (VPA), on the induction of cell death and autophagy in pancreatic cancer-derived cells that exhibit a high metastatic capacity and carry KRAS/p53 double mutations. Cell viability and proliferation tests were carried out using Trypan blue dye exclusion, MTT and BrdU assays. FACS analyses were carried out to assess cell cycle progression, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial depolarization, while Western blot and immunoprecipitation analyses were employed to detect proteins involved in apoptosis and autophagy. We found that both VPA and TSA can induce apoptosis in Panc1 and PaCa44 pancreatic cancer-derived cells by triggering mitochondrial membrane depolarization, Cytochrome c release and Caspase 3 activation, although VPA was more effective than TSA, especially in Panc1 cells. As underlying molecular events, we found that ERK1/2 was de-phosphorylated and that the c-Myc and mutant p53 protein levels were reduced after VPA and, to a lesser extent, after TSA treatment. Up-regulation of p21 and Puma was also observed, concomitantly with mutant p53 degradation. In addition, we found that in both cell lines VPA increased the pro-apoptotic Bim level, reduced the anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 level and increased ROS production and autophagy, while TSA was able to induce these effects only in PaCA44 cells. From our results we conclude that both VPA and TSA can induce pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy. VPA appears have a stronger and broader cytotoxic effect than TSA and, thus, may represent a better choice for anti-pancreatic cancer therapy.

Herbal medicine as inducers of apoptosis in cancer treatment.

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Safarzadeh, Elham; Sandoghchian Shotorbani, Siamak; Baradaran, Behzad

2014-10-01

Cancer is uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Nowadays, cancer is considered as a human tragedy and one of the most prevalent diseases in the wide, and its mortality resulting from cancer is being increased. It seems necessary to identify new strategies to prevent and treat such a deadly disease. Control survival and death of cancerous cell are important strategies in the management and therapy of cancer. Anticancer agents should kill the cancerous cell with the minimal side effect on normal cells that is possible through the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis is known as programmed cell death in both normal and damaged tissues. This process includes some morphologically changes in cells such as rapid condensation and budding of the cell, formation of membrane-enclosed apoptotic bodies with well-preserved organelles. Induction of apoptosis is one of the most important markers of cytotoxic antitumor agents. Some natural compounds including plants induce apoptotic pathways that are blocked in cancer cells through various mechanisms in cancer cells. Multiple surveys reported that people with cancer commonly use herbs or herbal products. Vinca Alkaloids, Texans, podo phyllotoxin, Camptothecins have been clinically used as Plant derived anticancer agents. The present review summarizes the literature published so far regarding herbal medicine used as inducers of apoptosis in cancer.

Cloning and Characterization of Genes that Inhibit TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Shu, Hong-Bing

2003-01-01

...). However, some cancer cells are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis (3, 4, 6-13). The purpose of this proposed study is to clone and characterize such inhibitory genes of TRAIL-induced apoptosis...

Calotropin from Asclepias curasavica induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells.

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Mo, En-Pan; Zhang, Rong-Rong; Xu, Jun; Zhang, Huan; Wang, Xiao-Xiong; Tan, Qiu-Tong; Liu, Fang-Lan; Jiang, Ren-Wang; Cai, Shao-Hui

2016-09-16

Calotropin (M11), an active compound isolated from Asclepias curasavica L., was found to exert strong inhibitory and pro-apoptotic activity specifically against cisplatin-induced resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells (A549/CDDP). Molecular mechanism study revealed that M11 induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase through down-regulating cyclins, CDK1, CDK2 and up-regulating p53 and p21. Furthermore, M11 accelerated apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway which was accompanied by increase Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, increase in reactive oxygen species production, activations of caspases 3 and 9 as well as cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). The activation and phosphorylation of JNK was also found to be involved in M11-induced apoptosis, and SP610025 (specific JNK inhibitor) partially prevented apoptosis induced by M11. In contrast, all of the effects that M11 induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in A549/CDDP cells were not significant in A549 cells. Drugs with higher sensitivity against resistant tumor cells than the parent cells are rather rare. Results of this study supported the potential application of M11 on the non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) with cisplatin resistance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Arctigenin promotes apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via the iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling.

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Huang, Ke; Li, Li-an; Meng, Yuan-guang; You, Yan-qin; Fu, Xiao-yu; Song, Lei

2014-12-01

Arctigenin is a biologically active lignan extracted from the seeds of Arctium lappa and shows anticancer activity against a variety of human cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of arctigenin on ovarian cancer cell proliferation and survival and associated molecular mechanisms. Human ovarian cancer OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells were treated with arctigenin, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. Western blot analysis was used to examine signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and survivin and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. The involvement of STAT3/survivin/iNOS/NO signalling in arctigenin action was checked. Arctigenin treatment resulted in a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Arctigenin-treated cells showed a 4-6 times increase in the percentage of apoptosis, compared with control cells. Pre-treatment with Ac-DEVD-CHO, a specific inhibitor of caspase-3, counteracted the induction of apoptosis by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin and iNOS expression. Arctigenin-induced apoptosis was impaired by pre-transfection with survivin-expressing plasmid or addition of chemical nitric oxide (NO) donors. Additionally, exogenous NO prevented the suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin expression by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment inhibits the proliferation and induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Suppression of iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling is causally linked to the anticancer activity of arctigenin. Therefore, arctigenin may be applicable to anticancer therapy for ovarian cancer. © 2014 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

microRNA-340 induces apoptosis by downregulation of BAG3 in ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells.

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Qu, Fei; Wang, Xiufen

2017-08-01

Aberrant expression of miR-340 has been found in several kinds of cancers including ovarian cancer. Pro-apoptotic and anti-metastasis roles of miR-340 in ovarian cancer have also been reported; however, the underling molecular mechanisms by which miR-340 suppresses ovarian cancer are still unclear. This study focused on the role and molecular mechanism of miR-340 in ovarian cancer. Human ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 cells were used and transfected with miR-340 mimic, miR-340 inhibitor and their correspondingly negative controls (mimic control and inhibitor control). Thereafter, cell viability, apoptosis, and the expressions of apoptosis-associated factors and BAG3 were respectively assessed by MTT assay, flow cytometry, qRT-PCR and Western blotting. SKOV3 cells were then co-transfected with miR-340 inhibitor and BAG3 targeted siRNA, then cell viability, apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-associated factors were retested. Besides, the expressions of main factors in PI3K/AKT pathway were detected. Overexpression of miR-340 suppressed BAG3 cells viability (P BAG3 was negatively regulated by miR-340 (P BAG3 silence significantly induced cell apoptosis (P BAG3 silence abolished miR-340 suppression-induced activation of PI3K and AKT. This study revealed the tumor suppressive role of miR-340 in SKOV3 cells by negative regulation of BAG3. PI3K/AKT pathway might be involved in the regulation of miR-340 and BAG3.

Effects of silk sericin on the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waraporn Kaewkorn

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Sericin is a silk protein woven from silkworm cocoons (Bombyx mori. In animal model, sericin has been reported to have anti-tumoral action against colon cancer. The mechanisms underlying the activity of sericin against cancer cells are not fully understood. The present study investigated the effects of sericin on human colorectal cancer SW480 cells compared to normal colonic mucosal FHC cells. Since the size of the sericin protein may be important for its activity, two ranges of molecular weight were tested. Sericin was found to decrease SW480 and FHC cell viability. The small sericin had higher anti-proliferative effects than that of the large sericin in both cell types. Increased apoptosis of SW480 cells is associated with increased caspase-3 activity and decreased Bcl-2 expression. The anti-proliferative effect of sericin was accompanied by cell cycle arrest at the S phase. Thus, sericin reduced SW480 cell viability by inducing cell apoptosis via caspase-3 activation and down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. The present study provides scientific data that support the protective effect of silk sericin against cancer cells of the colon and suggests that this protein may have significant health benefits and could potentially be developed as a dietary supplement for colon cancer prevention.

[Gefitineb inhibits the growth and induces the apoptosis of mouse I-10 Leydig testicular cancer cells in vitro].

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Ji, Jie; Tong, Xu-hui; Zhang, Xin-yu; Gao, Qin; Li, Bei-bei; Wu, Xiao-xiang

2015-09-01

To observe the inhibitory effect of gefitineb on the proliferation and its inducing effect on the apoptosis of mouse I-10 Leydig testicular cancer cells in vitro. We treated I-10 Leydig testicular cancer cells of mice with gefitineb at 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µmol/L. Then we determined the inhibitory effect of gefitineb on the growth of the cells by MTT, detected their early and late apoptosis by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining and Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining, respectively, and observed the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax and caspase 3/9 by Western blot. Compared with the blank control group, gefitineb significantly inhibited the proliferation of the I-10 cells at 10 and 20 µmol/L (P testicular cancer cells of mice and induce their apoptosis via the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway.

The Roles of ROS and Caspases in TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis and Necroptosis in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Zhang

Full Text Available Death signaling provided by tumor necrosis factor (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL can induce death in cancer cells with little cytotoxicity to normal cells; this cell death has been thought to involve caspase-dependent apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS are also mediators that induce cell death, but their roles in TRAIL-induced apoptosis have not been elucidated fully. In the current study, we investigated ROS and caspases in human pancreatic cancer cells undergoing two different types of TRAIL-induced cell death, apoptosis and necroptosis. TRAIL treatment increased ROS in two TRAIL-sensitive pancreatic cancer cell lines, MiaPaCa-2 and BxPC-3, but ROS were involved in TRAIL-induced apoptosis only in MiaPaCa-2 cells. Unexpectedly, inhibition of ROS by either N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, a peroxide inhibitor, or Tempol, a superoxide inhibitor, increased the annexin V-/propidium iodide (PI+ early necrotic population in TRAIL-treated cells. Additionally, both necrostatin-1, an inhibitor of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1, and siRNA-mediated knockdown of RIP3 decreased the annexin V-/PI+ early necrotic population after TRAIL treatment. Furthermore, an increase in early apoptosis was induced in TRAIL-treated cancer cells under inhibition of either caspase-2 or -9. Caspase-2 worked upstream of caspase-9, and no crosstalk was observed between ROS and caspase-2/-9 in TRAIL-treated cells. Together, these results indicate that ROS contribute to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in MiaPaCa-2 cells, and that ROS play an inhibitory role in TRAIL-induced necroptosis of MiaPaCa-2 and BxPC-3 cells, with caspase-2 and -9 playing regulatory roles in this process.

Iso-suillin from Suillus flavus Induces Apoptosis in Human Small Cell Lung Cancer H446 Cell Line.

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Zhao, Jun-Xia; Zhang, Qing-Shuang; Chen, Ying; Yao, Sheng-Jie; Yan, Yong-Xin; Wang, Ying; Zhang, Jin-Xiu; Wang, Li-An

2016-05-20

The suillin isoform iso-suillin is a natural substance isolated from a petroleum ether extract of the fruiting bodies of the mushroom Suillus flavus. Previous studies have found its inhibition effect on some cancer cells, and we aimed to study its effects on human small cell lung cancer H446 cell line. Cell viability was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay. Cellular morphological changes (apoptosis and necrosis) were evaluated using an electron microscope and Hoechst 33258 staining detected by the inverted microscope. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Protein expression was determined by Western blotting analysis. Here, we describe the ability of iso-suillin to inhibit the growth of H446 cells in time- and dose-dependent way. Iso-suillin had no obvious impact on normal human lymphocyte proliferation at low concentrations (9.09, 18.17, or 36.35 μmol/L) but promoted lymphocyte proliferation at a high concentration (72.70 μmol/L). After treatment of different concentrations of iso-suillin (6.82, 13.63, or 20.45 μmol/L), the apoptosis rate of H446 cells increased with increasing concentrations of iso-suillin (16.70%, 35.54%, and 49.20%, respectively, all P iso-suillin could induce H446 cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway and the death-receptor pathway. Therefore, iso-suillin might have a potential application as a novel drug for lung cancer treatment.

Molecular mechanisms of celery seed extract induced apoptosis via s phase cell cycle arrest in the BGC-823 human stomach cancer cell line.

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Gao, Lin-Lin; Feng, Lei; Yao, Shu-Tong; Jiao, Peng; Qin, Shu-Cun; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Ya-Bin; Li, Fu-Rong

2011-01-01

Mechanisms of apoptosis in tumor cells is an important field of tumor therapy and cancer molecular biology. Loss of cell cycle control, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, is common in cancer. Therefore, the identification of potent and selective cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors is a priority for anti-cancer drug discovery. There are at least two major apoptotic pathways, initiated by caspase-8 and caspase-9, respectively, which can activate caspase cascades. Apoptosis triggered by activation of the mitochondrial-dependent caspase pathway represents the main programmed cell death mechanism. This is activated by various intracellular stresses that induce permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane. Anti-tumor effects of celery seed extract (CSE) and related mechanisms regarding apoptosis were here investigated in human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. CSE was produced by supercritical fluid extraction. Cell viability was analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and apoptosis by flow cytometry using Annexin/PI staining and DAPI staining and a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Cell cycling was evaluated using PI staining with flow cytometry and expression of cell cycle and apoptosis-related proteins cyclin A, CDK2, bcl-2 and bax was assessed by immunohistochemical staining. CSE had an anti-proliferation effect on human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. After treatment, the apoptotic rate significantly increased, with morphological changes typical of apoptosis observed with LSCM by DAPI staining. Cell cycle and apoptosis related proteins, such as cyclin A, CDK2 and bcl-2 were all down-regulated, whereas bax was up-regulated. The molecular determinants of inhibition of cell proliferation as well as apoptosis of CSE may be associated with cycle arrest in the S phase.

The Role of Oxidative Stress in Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Briehl, Margaret

1997-01-01

.... This project is testing the hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the mechanism of apoptosis induced by treatment of human breast cancer cells with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF...

Quercetin Suppresses Twist to Induce Apoptosis in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santhalakshmi Ranganathan

Full Text Available Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid which exerts anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the anti-proliferative effect of quercetin in two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, which differed in hormone receptor. IC50 value (37μM of quercetin showed significant cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells, which was not observed in MDA-MB-231 cells even at 100μM of quercetin treatment. To study the response of cancer cells to quercetin, with respect to different hormone receptors, both the cell lines were treated with a fixed concentration (40μM of quercetin. MCF-7 cells on quercetin treatment showed more apoptotic cells with G1 phase arrest. In addition, quercetin effectively suppressed the expression of CyclinD1, p21, Twist and phospho p38MAPK, which was not observed in MDA-MB-231 cells. To analyse the molecular mechanism of quercetin in exerting an apoptotic effect in MCF-7 cells, Twist was over-expressed and the molecular changes were observed after quercetin administration. Quercetin effectively regulated the expression of Twist, in turn p16 and p21 which induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, quercetin induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells through suppression of Twist via p38MAPK pathway.

AT-406, an IAP inhibitor, activates apoptosis and induces radiosensitization of normoxic and hypoxic cervical cancer cells.

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Lu, Jing; Qin, Qin; Zhan, Liang-Liang; Liu, Jia; Zhu, Hong-Cheng; Yang, Xi; Zhang, Chi; Xu, Li-Ping; Liu, Zhe-Ming; Wang, Di; Cui, He-Qing; Meng, Ciu-Ciu; Cai, Jing; Cheng, Hong-Yan; Sun, Xin-Chen

2014-01-01

IAP antagonists increased the antitumor efficacy of X-irradiation in some types of cancers, but their effects on hypoxic cancer cells remain unclarified. We aims to investigate the radiosensitizing effect of an IAP inhibitor AT-406 on cervical cancer cell lines under both normoxia and hypoxia conditions. Hela and Siha cells were treated to investigate the effects of drug administration on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and radiosensitivity. Western blot analysis was used to determine the role of AT-406 in inhibition of IAPs. The pathway of apoptosis was characterized by caspases activity assay. AT-406 potently sensitized Hela cells but not Siha cells to radiation under normoxia. Notably, the radiosensitizing effect of AT-406 on hypoxic cells was more evident than on normoxic cells in both cell lines. Further mechanism studies by western blot showed that under normoxia AT-406 decreased the level of cIAP1 in Hela cells in a dose-dependent manner; while additional downregulation of XIAP expression was induced by AT-406 treatment under hypoxia in both cell lines. Finally, AT-406 works on both extrinsic death receptor and intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis pathways to activate apoptosis. Totally, AT-406 acts as a strong radiosensitizer in human cervical cancer cells, especially in hypoxic condition.

Galiellalactone induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the ATM/ATR pathway in prostate cancer cells.

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García, Víctor; Lara-Chica, Maribel; Cantarero, Irene; Sterner, Olov; Calzado, Marco A; Muñoz, Eduardo

2016-01-26

Galiellalactone (GL) is a fungal metabolite that presents antitumor activities on prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. In this study we show that GL induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, caspase-dependent apoptosis and also affected the microtubule organization and migration ability in DU145 cells. GL did not induce double strand DNA break but activated the ATR and ATM-mediated DNA damage response (DDR) inducing CHK1, H2AX phosphorylation (fH2AX) and CDC25C downregulation. Inhibition of the ATM/ATR activation with caffeine reverted GL-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and DNA damage measured by fH2AX. In contrast, UCN-01, a CHK1 inhibitor, prevented GL-induced cell cycle arrest but enhanced apoptosis in DU145 cells. Furthermore, we found that GL did not increase the levels of intracellular ROS, but the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) completely prevented the effects of GL on fH2AX, G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In contrast to NAC, other antioxidants such as ambroxol and EGCG did not interfere with the activity of GL on cell cycle. GL significantly suppressed DU145 xenograft growth in vivo and induced the expression of fH2AX in the tumors. These findings identify for the first time that GL activates DDR in prostate cancer.

The Paradox of Oestradiol-Induced Breast Cancer Cell Growth and Apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Maximov, Philipp Y; Lewis-Wambi, Joan S; Jordan, V Craig

2009-05-01

High dose oestrogen therapy was used as a treatment for postmenopausal patients with breast cancer from the 1950s until the introduction of the safer antioestrogen, tamoxifen in the 1970s. The anti-tumour mechanism of high dose oestrogen therapy remained unknown. There was no enthusiasm to study these signal transduction pathways as oestrogen therapy has almost completely been eliminated from the treatment paradigm. Current use of tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors seek to create oestrogen deprivation that prevents the growth of oestrogen stimulated oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer cells. However, acquired resistance to antihormonal therapy does occur, but it is through investigation of laboratory models that a vulnerability of the cancer cell has been discovered and is being investigated to provide new opportunities in therapy with the potential for discovering new cancer-specific apoptotic drugs. Laboratory models of resistance to raloxifene and tamoxifen, the selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and aromatase inhibitors demonstrate an evolution of drug resistance so that after many years of oestrogen deprivation, the ER positive cancer cell reconfigures the survival signal transduction pathways so oestrogen now becomes an apoptotic trigger rather than a survival signal. Current efforts are evaluating the mechanisms of oestrogen-induced apoptosis and how this new biology of oestrogen action can be amplified and enhanced, thereby increasing the value of this therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of breast cancer. Several synergistic approaches to therapeutic enhancement are being advanced which involve drug combinations to impair survival signaling with the use of specific agents and to impair bcl-2 that protects the cancer cell from apoptosis. We highlight the historical understanding of oestrogen's role in cell survival and death and specifically illustrate the progress that has been made in the last five years to understand the

Broad targeting of resistance to apoptosis in cancer

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Mohammad, Ramzi M.; Muqbil, Irfana; Lowe, Leroy; Yedjou, Clement; Hsu, Hsue-Yin; Lin, Liang-Tzung; Siegelin, Markus David; Fimognari, Carmela; Kumar, Nagi B.; Dou, Q. Ping; Yang, Huanjie; Samadi, Abbas K.; Russo, Gian Luigi; Spagnuolo, Carmela; Ray, Swapan K.; Chakrabarti, Mrinmay; Morre, James D.; Coley, Helen M.; Honoki, Kanya; Fujii, Hiromasa; Georgakilas, Alexandros G.; Amedei, Amedeo; Niccolai, Elena; Amin, Amr; Ashraf, S. Salman; Helferich, William G.; Yang, Xujuan; Boosani, Chandra S.; Guha, Gunjan; Bhakta, Dipita; Ciriolo, Maria Rosa; Aquilano, Katia; Chen, Sophie; Mohammed, Sulma I.; Keith, W. Nicol; Bilsland, Alan; Halicka, Dorota; Nowsheen, Somaira; Azmi, Asfar S.

2015-01-01

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is natural way of removing aged cells from the body. Most of the anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction and related cell death networks to eliminate malignant cells. However, in cancer, de-regulated apoptotic signaling, particularly the activation of an anti-apoptotic systems, allows cancer cells to escape this program leading to uncontrolled proliferation resulting in tumor survival, therapeutic resistance and recurrence of cancer. This resistance is a complicated phenomenon that emanates from the interactions of various molecules and signaling pathways. In this comprehensive review we discuss the various factors contributing to apoptosis resistance in cancers. The key resistance targets that are discussed include (1) Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins; (2) autophagy processes; (3) necrosis and necroptosis; (4) heat shock protein signaling; (5) the proteasome pathway; (6) epigenetic mechanisms; and (7) aberrant nuclear export signaling. The shortcomings of current therapeutic modalities are highlighted and a broad spectrum strategy using approaches including (a) gossypol; (b) epigallocatechin-3-gallate; (c) UMI-77 (d) triptolide and (e) selinexor that can be used to overcome cell death resistance is presented. This review provides a roadmap for the design of successful anti-cancer strategies that overcome resistance to apoptosis for better therapeutic outcome in patients with cancer. PMID:25936818

Tenascin-C induces resistance to apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cell through activation of ERK/NF-κB pathway.

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Shi, Meiyan; He, Xiaodan; Wei, Wei; Wang, Juan; Zhang, Ti; Shen, Xiaohong

2015-06-01

As a glycol-protein located in extracellular matrix (ECM), tenascin-C (TNC) is absent in most normal adult tissues but is highly expressed in the majority of malignant solid tumors. Pancreatic cancer is characterized by an abundant fibrous tissue rich in TNC. Although it was reported that TNC's expression increased in the progression from low-grade precursor lesions to invasive cancer and was associated with tumor differentiation in human pancreatic cancer, studies on the relations between TNC and tumor progression in pancreatic cancer were rare. In this study, we performed an analysis to determine the effects of TNC on modulating cell apoptosis and chemo-resistance and explored its mechanisms involving activation in pancreatic cancer cell. The expressions of TNC, ERK1/2/p-ERK1/2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Then the effects of exogenous and endogenous TNC on the regulation of tumor proliferation, apoptosis and gemcitabine cytotoxicity were investigated. The associations among the TNC knockdown, TNC stimulation and expressions of ERK1/2/NF-κB/p65 and apoptotic regulatory proteins were also analyzed in cell lines. The mechanism of TNC on modulating cancer cell apoptosis and drug resistant through activation of ERK1/2/NF-κB/p65 signals was evaluated. The effect of TNC on regulating cell cycle distribution was also tested. TNC, ERK1/2/p-ERK1/2, and apoptotic regulatory proteins Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 were highly expressed in human pancreatic cancer tissues. In vitro, exogenous TNC promoted pancreatic cancer cell growth also mediates basal as well as starved and drug-induced apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. The effects of TNC on anti-apoptosis were induced by the activation state of ERK1/2/NF-κB/p65 signals in pancreatic cell. TNC phosphorylate ERK1/2 to induce NF-κB/p65 nucleus translocation. The latter contributes to promote Bcl-xL, Bcl-2 protein expressions and reduce caspase activity, which inhibit cell apoptotic

Herbal Medicine as Inducers of Apoptosis in Cancer Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham Safarzadeh

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Cancer is uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Nowadays, cancer is considered as a human tragedy and one of the most prevalent diseases in the wide, and its mortality resulting from cancer is being increased. It seems necessary to identify new strategies to prevent and treat such a deadly disease. Control survival and death of cancerous cell are important strategies in the management and therapy of cancer. Anticancer agents should kill the cancerous cell with the minimal side effect on normal cells that is possible through the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis is known as programmed cell death in both normal and damaged tissues. This process includes some morphologically changes in cells such as rapid condensation and budding of the cell, formation of membrane-enclosed apoptotic bodies with well-preserved organelles. Induction of apoptosis is one of the most important markers of cytotoxic antitumor agents. Some natural compounds including plants induce apoptotic pathways that are blocked in cancer cells through various mechanisms in cancer cells. Multiple surveys reported that people with cancer commonly use herbs or herbal products. Vinca Alkaloids, Texans, podo phyllotoxin, Camptothecins have been clinically used as Plant derived anticancer agents. The present review summarizes the literature published so far regarding herbal medicine used as inducers of apoptosis in cancer.

Oxidative phosphorylation-dependent regulation of cancer cell apoptosis in response to anticancer agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, N; Kumar, S; Marlowe, T; Chaudhary, A K; Kumar, R; Wang, J; O'Malley, J; Boland, P M; Jayanthi, S; Kumar, T K S; Yadava, N; Chandra, D

2015-11-05

Cancer cells tend to develop resistance to various types of anticancer agents, whether they adopt similar or distinct mechanisms to evade cell death in response to a broad spectrum of cancer therapeutics is not fully defined. Current study concludes that DNA-damaging agents (etoposide and doxorubicin), ER stressor (thapsigargin), and histone deacetylase inhibitor (apicidin) target oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for apoptosis induction, whereas other anticancer agents including staurosporine, taxol, and sorafenib induce apoptosis in an OXPHOS-independent manner. DNA-damaging agents promoted mitochondrial biogenesis accompanied by increased accumulation of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial protein-folding machinery, and mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Induction of mitochondrial biogenesis occurred in a caspase activation-independent mechanism but was reduced by autophagy inhibition and p53-deficiency. Abrogation of complex-I blocked DNA-damage-induced caspase activation and apoptosis, whereas inhibition of complex-II or a combined deficiency of OXPHOS complexes I, III, IV, and V due to impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis did not modulate caspase activity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that inhibition of caspase activation in response to anticancer agents associates with decreased release of mitochondrial cytochrome c in complex-I-deficient cells compared with wild type (WT) cells. Gross OXPHOS deficiencies promoted increased release of apoptosis-inducing factor from mitochondria compared with WT or complex-I-deficient cells, suggesting that cells harboring defective OXPHOS trigger caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent apoptosis in response to anticancer agents. Interestingly, DNA-damaging agent doxorubicin showed strong binding to mitochondria, which was disrupted by complex-I-deficiency but not by complex-II-deficiency. Thapsigargin-induced caspase activation was reduced upon abrogation of complex-I or gross OXPHOS deficiency

Cordycepin, a Natural Antineoplastic Agent, Induces Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells via Caspase-dependent Pathways.

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Wang, Di; Zhang, Yongfeng; Lu, Jiahui; Wang, Yang; Wang, Junyue; Meng, Qingfan; Lee, Robert J; Wang, Di; Teng, Lesheng

2016-01-01

Cordycepin, a major compound separated from Cordyceps sinensis, is known as a potential novel candidate for cancer therapy. Breast cancer, the most typical cancer diagnosed among women, remains a global health problem. In this study, the anti-breast cancer property of cordycepin and its underlying mechanisms was investigated. The direct effects of cordycepin on breast cancer cells both in in vitro and in vivo experiments were evaluated. Cordycepin exerted cytotoxicity in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells confirmed by reduced cell viability, inhibition of cell proliferation, enhanced lactate dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species accumulation, induced mitochondrial dysfunction and nuclear apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Cordycepin increased the activation of pro-apoptotic proteins, including caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3 and Bax, and suppressed the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2). The inhibition on MCF-7-xenografted tumor growth in nude mice further confirmed cordycepin's anti-breast cancer effect. These aforementioned results reveal that cordycepin induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells via caspase-dependent pathways. The data shed light on the possibility of cordycepin being a safe agent for breast cancer treatment.

The Role of Oxidative Stress in Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Briehl, Margaret

1998-01-01

.... This project is aimed at testing the hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the mechanism of apoptosis induced by treatment of human breast cancer cells with tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF...

Effects and mechanism of GA-13315 on the proliferation and apoptosis of KB cells in oral cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Shan; Tang, Jingxia

2017-08-01

The present study describes the effects and mechanism of GA-13315 on the proliferation and apoptosis of KB cells in oral cancer. Oral cancer is twice as common in men than women. More than 90% of oral cancers in men and 85% in women are linked to lifestyle and environmental factors. PPP2R2B methylation may be associated with survival and prognosis in patients with gliomas. In tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis, the mechanism of PPP2R2B remains unclear. In the present study, we found that PPP2R2B expression of H1299 cells is significantly decreased after being treated by GA-13315. KB cells were isolated from patients with oral cancer and treated with GA-13315 (5 µM). Cells without GA-13315 treatment served as the control group. An MTT experiment was performed to detect the post-treatment cell growth between the groups. A flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Western blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods were used for detecting the expression of PPP2R2B. Compared with the control group, the cell proliferation of the treatment group slowed after being treated with GA-13315. The difference was statistically significant (Poral cancer were weakened after being treated by GA-13315. GA-13315 can accelerate the apoptosis of oral cancer cells and presents a dose correlation. The biological effect is exerted through the decrease of PPP2R2B.

Arctigenin induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells through ROS/p38MAPK pathway.

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Li, Qing-chun; Liang, Yun; Tian, Yuan; Hu, Guang-rui

2016-01-01

In the current study the antiproliferative effect of arctigenin, plant lignin, was evaluated on human colon cancer cell line HT-29. Furthermore, attempts were made to explore the signaling mechanism which may be responsible for its effect. Cell growth inhibition was assessed by MTT and LDH assays. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to determine cell arrest in the cell cycle phase and apoptosis. Furthermore, to confirm the apoptotic activity of arctigenin, caspase-9 and -3 activities analysis was performed. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) were investigated to determine their role in inducing apoptosis in arctigenin-treated HT-29 colon cancer cell line. MTT and LDH results demonstrated significant cell growth inhibitory effect of arctigenin on HT-29 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, increase in cell number arrested at G2/M phase was observed in flow cytometric analysis upon arctigenin treatment. In addition, arctigenin increased the apoptotic ratio in a dose-dependent manner. The involvement of intrinsic apoptotic pathway was indicated by the activation of caspase-9 and -3. Moreover, increased ROS production, activation of p38 MAPK and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) also revealed the role of intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway in cell growth inhibition after arctigenin exposure. Arctigenin induces apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells by regulating ROS and p38 MAPK pathways.

EGF signalling pathway regulates colon cancer stem cell proliferation and apoptosis.

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Feng, Y; Dai, X; Li, X; Wang, H; Liu, J; Zhang, J; Du, Y; Xia, L

2012-10-01

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) compose a subpopulation of cells within a tumour that can self-renew and proliferate. Growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) promote cancer stem cell proliferation in many solid tumours. This study assesses whether EGF, bFGF and IGF signalling pathways are essential for colon CSC proliferation and self-renewal. Colon CSCs were cultured in serum-free medium (SFM) with one of the following growth factors: EGF, bFGF or IGF. Characteristics of CSC gene expression were evaluated by real time PCR. Tumourigenicity of CSCs was determined using a xenograft model in vivo. Effects of EGF receptor inhibitors, Gefitinib and PD153035, on CSC proliferation, apoptosis and signalling were evaluated using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and western blotting. Colon cancer cell HCT116 transformed to CSCs in SFM. Compared to other growth factors, EGF was essential to support proliferation of CSCs that expressed higher levels of progenitor genes (Musashi-1, LGR5) and lower levels of differential genes (CK20). CSCs promoted more rapid tumour growth than regular cancer cells in xenografts. EGFR inhibitors suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of CSCs by inhibiting autophosphorylation of EGFR and downstream signalling proteins, such as Akt kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2). This study indicates that EGF signalling was essential for formation and maintenance of colon CSCs. Inhibition of the EGF signalling pathway may provide a useful strategy for treatment of colon cancer. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Physcion induces mitochondria-driven apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells via downregulating EMMPRIN.

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Chen, Xuehong; Gao, Hui; Han, Yantao; Ye, Junli; Xie, Jing; Wang, Chunbo

2015-10-05

Physcion, an anthraquinone derivative widely isolated and characterized from both terrestrial and marine sources, has anti-tumor effects on a variety of carcinoma cells, mainly through inhibition of cell proliferation, apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying its role in tumor progression. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in physcion-induced apoptosis in human colorectal cancer (CRC) lines HCT116. Our results showed that physcion inhibited tumor cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and induced cell apoptosis via intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. Our results also revealed that physcion treatment significantly inhibited extracelluar matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) expression in HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner and overexpression of EMMPRIN protein markedly reduced physcion-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, our results strongly indicated the modulating effect of physcion on EMMPRIN is correlated with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) signaling pathway. Our data provide the first experimental evidence that physcion induces mitochondrial apoptosis in CRC cells by downregulating of EMMPRIN via AMPK/HIF-1α signaling pathway and suggest a new mechanism to explain its anti-tumor effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Belinostat-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells involve activation of TAK1-AMPK signaling axis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Bing; Wang, Xin-bao; Chen, Li-yu; Huang, Ling; Dong, Rui-zen

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Belinostat activates AMPK in cultured pancreatic cancer cells. •Activation of AMPK is important for belinostat-induced cytotoxic effects. •ROS and TAK1 are involved in belinostat-induced AMPK activation. •AMPK activation mediates mTOR inhibition by belinostat. -- Abstract: Pancreatic cancer accounts for more than 250,000 deaths worldwide each year. Recent studies have shown that belinostat, a novel pan histone deacetylases inhibitor (HDACi) induces apoptosis and growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the current study, we found that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation was required for belinostat-induced apoptosis and anti-proliferation in PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells. A significant AMPK activation was induced by belinostat in PANC-1 cells. Inhibition of AMPK by RNAi knockdown or dominant negative (DN) mutation significantly inhibited belinostat-induced apoptosis in PANC-1 cells. Reversely, AMPK activator AICAR and A-769662 exerted strong cytotoxicity in PANC-1 cells. Belinostat promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in PANC-1 cells, increased ROS induced transforming growth factor-β-activating kinase 1 (TAK1)/AMPK association to activate AMPK. Meanwhile, anti-oxidants N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) and MnTBAP as well as TAK1 shRNA knockdown suppressed belinostat-induced AMPK activation and PANC-1 cell apoptosis. In conclusion, we propose that belinostat-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition require the activation of ROS-TAK1-AMPK signaling axis in cultured pancreatic cancer cells

Belinostat-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells involve activation of TAK1-AMPK signaling axis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Bing, E-mail: wangbin69@yahoo.com; Wang, Xin-bao; Chen, Li-yu; Huang, Ling; Dong, Rui-zen

2013-07-19

Highlights: •Belinostat activates AMPK in cultured pancreatic cancer cells. •Activation of AMPK is important for belinostat-induced cytotoxic effects. •ROS and TAK1 are involved in belinostat-induced AMPK activation. •AMPK activation mediates mTOR inhibition by belinostat. -- Abstract: Pancreatic cancer accounts for more than 250,000 deaths worldwide each year. Recent studies have shown that belinostat, a novel pan histone deacetylases inhibitor (HDACi) induces apoptosis and growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the current study, we found that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation was required for belinostat-induced apoptosis and anti-proliferation in PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells. A significant AMPK activation was induced by belinostat in PANC-1 cells. Inhibition of AMPK by RNAi knockdown or dominant negative (DN) mutation significantly inhibited belinostat-induced apoptosis in PANC-1 cells. Reversely, AMPK activator AICAR and A-769662 exerted strong cytotoxicity in PANC-1 cells. Belinostat promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in PANC-1 cells, increased ROS induced transforming growth factor-β-activating kinase 1 (TAK1)/AMPK association to activate AMPK. Meanwhile, anti-oxidants N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) and MnTBAP as well as TAK1 shRNA knockdown suppressed belinostat-induced AMPK activation and PANC-1 cell apoptosis. In conclusion, we propose that belinostat-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition require the activation of ROS-TAK1-AMPK signaling axis in cultured pancreatic cancer cells.

Licochalcone A induces apoptosis in KB human oral cancer cells via a caspase-dependent FasL signaling pathway.

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Kim, Jae-Sung; Park, Mi-Ra; Lee, Sook-Young; Kim, Do Kyoung; Moon, Sung-Min; Kim, Chun Sung; Cho, Seung Sik; Yoon, Goo; Im, Hee-Jeong; You, Jae-Seek; Oh, Ji-Su; Kim, Su-Gwan

2014-02-01

Licochalcone A (Lico-A) is a natural phenol licorice compound with multiple bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and osteogenesis-inducing properties. In the present study, we investigated the Lico-A-induced apoptotic effects and examined the associated apoptosis pathway in KB human oral cancer cells. Lico-A decreased the number of viable KB oral cancer cells. However, Lico-A did not have an effect on primary normal human oral keratinocytes. In addition, the IC50 value of Lico-A was determined to be ~50 µM following dose-dependent stimulation. KB oral cancer cells stimulated with Lico-A for 24 h showed chromatin condensation by DAPI staining, genomic DNA fragmentation by agarose gel electrophoresis and a gradually increased apoptotic cell population by FACS analysis. These data suggest that Lico-A induces apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells. Additionally, Lico‑A‑induced apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells was mediated by the expression of factor associated suicide ligand (FasL) and activated caspase-8 and -3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Furthermore, in the KB oral cancer cells co-stimulation with a caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-fmk) and Lico-A significantly abolished the apoptotic phenomena. Our findings demonstrated that Lico‑A-induced apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells involves the extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, which involves a caspase-dependent FasL-mediated death receptor pathway. Our data suggest that Lico-A be developed as a chemotherapeutic agent for the management of oral cancer.

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors induce apoptosis in oral cavity cancer cells by increased expression of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyung-Su; Yoon, Joo-Heon; Kim, Jin Kook; Baek, Seung Joon; Eling, Thomas E.; Lee, Won Jae; Ryu, Ji-Hwan; Lee, Jeung Gweon; Lee, Joo-Hwan; Yoo, Jong-Bum

2004-01-01

We have investigated whether NAG-1 is induced in oral cavity cancer cells by various NSAIDs and if apoptosis induced by NSAIDs can be linked directly with the induction of NAG-1. NAG-1 expression was increased by diclofenac, aceclofenac, indomethacin, ibuprofen, and sulindac sulfide, in the order of NAG-1 induction, but not by acetaminophen, piroxicam or NS-398. Diclofenac was the most effective NAG-1 inducer. Incubation with diclofenac inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. The expression of NAG-1 was observed in advance of the induction of apoptosis. Conditioned medium from NAG-1-overexpressing Drosophila cells inhibited SCC 1483 cells proliferation and induced apoptosis. In summary, some NSAIDs induce NAG-1 expression in oral cavity cancer cells and the induced NAG-1 protein appears to mediate apoptosis. Therefore, NSAIDs may be considered as a possible chemopreventive agent against oral cavity cancer

Study on apoptosis of prostate cancer cell induced by 125I seed irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Anyan; Wang Junjie; Wang Jidong; Zhuang Hongqing; Zhao Yong

2007-01-01

Objective: To explore the mechanism of apoptosis induced by 125 I seed irradiation on PC3 cells. Methods: Human prostate cancer cell line PC3 was treated by irradiation of 125 I (2.77 cGy/h) with various dose. Agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA and flows cytometry were used to detect the apoptosis of PC3 cells and indirect immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression of Bcl-2. The activity of Caspase-3 was measured by Caspase Colorimetric Assay Kits. Results: Apoptosis of PC3 cells could be efficiently induced by 125 I seed irradiation. The apoptotic peaks were found by flow cytometry and DNA ladder appeared on 1.8% agarose gel. The activity of Caspase-3 on PC3 cells treated by 125 I seed irradiation was not changed significantly. Bcl-2 gene expression was down-regulated with the sample concentration increased. Conclusion: 125 I irradiation can induce the apoptosis of PC3 cells and the mechanism of apoptosis is related with down regulation of Bcl-2 gene expression and is not related with Caspase-3 activity. (authors)

The ganglioside GM3 is associated with cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human colon cancer cells.

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Tae-Wook Chung

Full Text Available Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, CDDP is a well-known chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of several cancers. However, the precise mechanism underlying apoptosis of cancer cells induced by CDDP remains unclear. In this study, we show mechanistically that CDDP induces GM3-mediated apoptosis of HCT116 cells by inhibiting cell proliferation, and increasing DNA fragmentation and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis signals. CDDP induced apoptosis within cells through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS, regulated the ROS-mediated expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and p53, and induced the degradation of the poly (ADP-ribosyl polymerase (PARP. We also checked expression levels of different gangliosides in HCT116 cells in the presence or absence of CDDP. Interestingly, among the gangliosides, CDDP augmented the expression of only GM3 synthase and its product GM3. Reduction of the GM3 synthase level through ectopic expression of GM3 small interfering RNA (siRNA rescued HCT116 cells from CDDP-induced apoptosis. This was evidenced by inhibition of apoptotic signals by reducing ROS production through the regulation of 12-lipoxigenase activity. Furthermore, the apoptotic sensitivity to CDDP was remarkably increased in GM3 synthase-transfected HCT116 cells compared to that in controls. In addition, GM3 synthase-transfected cells treated with CDDP exhibited an increased accumulation of intracellular ROS. These results suggest the CDDP-induced oxidative apoptosis of HCT116 cells is mediated by GM3.

Evaluation of a curcumin analog as an anti-cancer agent inducing ER stress-mediated apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhiguo; Wang, Yi; Sun, Yusheng; Ren, Luqing; Huang, Yi; Cai, Yuepiao; Weng, Qiaoyou; Shen, Xueqian; Li, Xiaokun; Liang, Guang

2013-01-01

Recent advances have highlighted the importance of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in cell death processes. Pharmacological interventions that effectively enhance tumor cell death through activating ER stress have attracted a great deal of attention for anti-cancer therapy. A bio-evaluation on 113 curcumin analogs against four cancer cell lines was performed through MTT assay. Furthermore, real time cell assay and flow cytometer were used to evaluate the apoptotic induction of (1E,4E)-1,5-bis(5-bromo-2-ethoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one (B82). Western blot, RT-qPCR, and siRNA were then utilized to confirm whether B82-induced apoptosis is mediated through activating ER stress pathway. Finally, the in vivo anti-tumor effect of B82 was evaluated. B82 exhibited strong anti-tumor activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) H460 cells. Treatment with B82 significantly induced apoptosis in H460 cells in vitro and inhibited H460 tumor growth in vivo. Further studies demonstrated that the B82-induced apoptosis is mediated by activating ER stress both in vitro and in vivo. A new monocarbonyl analog of curcumin, B82, exhibited anti-tumor effects on H460 cells via an ER stress-mediated mechanism. B82 could be further explored as a potential anticancer agent for the treatment of NSCLC

Puerariae radix isoflavones and their metabolites inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Y.-J.; Hou, Y.C.; Lin, C.-H.; Hsu, Y.-A.; Sheu, Jim J.C.; Lai, C.-H.; Chen, B.-H.; Lee Chao, Pei-Dawn; Wan Lei; Tsai, F.-J.

2009-01-01

Puerariae radix (PR) is a popular natural herb and a traditional food in Asia, which has antithrombotic and anti-allergic properties and stimulates estrogenic activity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the PR isoflavones puerarin, daidzein, and genistein on the growth of breast cancer cells. Our data revealed that after treatment with PR isoflavones, a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth occurred in HS578T, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 cell lines. Results from cell cycle distribution and apoptosis assays revealed that PR isoflavones induced cell apoptosis through a caspase-3-dependent pathway and mediated cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, we observed that the serum metabolites of PR (daidzein sulfates/glucuronides) inhibited proliferation of the breast cancer cells at a 50% cell growth inhibition (GI 50 ) concentration of 2.35 μM. These results indicate that the daidzein constituent of PR can be metabolized to daidzein sulfates or daidzein glucuronides that exhibit anticancer activities. The protein expression levels of the active forms of caspase-9 and Bax in breast cancer cells were significantly increased by treatment with PR metabolites. These metabolites also increased the protein expression levels of p53 and p21. We therefore suggest that PR may act as a chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic agent against breast cancer by reducing cell viability and inducing apoptosis.

DNA mismatch repair gene MLH1 induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.

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Fukuhara, Shinichiro; Chang, Inik; Mitsui, Yozo; Chiyomaru, Takeshi; Yamamura, Soichiro; Majid, Shahana; Saini, Sharanjot; Hirata, Hiroshi; Deng, Guoren; Gill, Ankurpreet; Wong, Darryn K; Shiina, Hiroaki; Nonomura, Norio; Dahiya, Rajvir; Tanaka, Yuichiro

2014-11-30

Mismatch repair (MMR) enzymes have been shown to be deficient in prostate cancer (PCa). MMR can influence the regulation of tumor development in various cancers but their role on PCa has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the functional effects of the mutL-homolog 1 (MLH1) gene on growth of PCa cells. The DU145 cell line has been established as MLH1-deficient and thus, this cell line was utilized to determine effects of MLH1 by gene expression. Lack of MLH1 protein expression was confirmed by Western blotting in DU145 cells whereas levels were high in normal PWR-1E and RWPE-1 prostatic cells. MLH1-expressing stable transfectant DU145 cells were then created to characterize the effects this MMR gene has on various growth properties. Expression of MLH1 resulted in decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion properties. Lack of cell growth in vivo also indicated a tumor suppressive effect by MLH1. Interestingly, MLH1 caused an increase in apoptosis along with phosphorylated c-Abl, and treatment with MLH1 siRNAs countered this effect. Furthermore, inhibition of c-Abl with STI571 also abrogated the effect on apoptosis caused by MLH1. These results demonstrate MLH1 protects against PCa development by inducing c-Abl-mediated apoptosis.

Long non-coding RNA ANRIL is up-regulated in bladder cancer and regulates bladder cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Hongxue; Li, Xuechao; Song, Yarong; Zhang, Peng; Xiao, Yajun; Xing, Yifei

2015-01-01

Antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) is a member of long non-coding RNAs and has been reported to be dysregulated in several human cancers. However, the role of ANRIL in bladder cancer remains unclear. This present study aimed to investigate whether and how ANRIL involved in bladder cancer. Our results showed up-regulation of ANRIL in bladder cancer tissues versus the corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues. To explore the specific mechanisms, ANRIL was silenced by small interfering RNA or short hairpin RNA transfection in human bladder cancer T24 and EJ cells. Knockdown of ANRIL repressed cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis, along with decreased expression of Bcl-2 and increased expressions of Bax, cytoplasmic cytochrome c and Smac and cleaved caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP. However, no change of cleaved caspase-8 level was observed. Furthermore, in vivo experiment confirmed that knockdown of ANRIL inhibited tumorigenic ability of EJ cells in nude mice. Meanwhile, in accordance with in vitro study, knockdown of ANRIL inhibited expression of Bcl-2 and up-regulated expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase-9, but did not affect cleaved caspase-8 level. In conclusion, we first report that ANRIL possibly serves as an oncogene in bladder cancer and regulates bladder cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. - Highlights: • We first report the role of ANRIL in bladder cancer. • ANRIL is obviously up-regulated in bladder cancer tissues. • ANRIL regulates bladder cancer cell proliferation and cell apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway.

DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest: a hallmark of apoptosis induced by crocin from kashmiri saffron in a human pancreatic cancer cell line.

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Bakshi, Hamid; Sam, Smitha; Rozati, Roya; Sultan, Phalisteen; Islam, Tajamul; Rathore, Babita; Lone, Zahoor; Sharma, Manik; Triphati, Jagrati; Saxena, Ramesh Chand

2010-01-01

Apoptosis, a widely important mechanism that contributes to cell growth reduction, is reported to be induced by Crocus sativus in different cancer types. The present study was designed to elucidate apoptosis induction by crocin, a main component of Crocus sativus in a human pancreatic cancer cell line (BxPC-3). Cell viability was measured by MTT assay, Hoechest33258 staining was used to detect the chromatin condensation characteristic of apoptosis, and DNA fragmentation was assessed by gel electrophoresis and cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry. Crocin induced apoptosis and G1-phase cell cycle arrest of BxPC-3 cells, while decreasing cell viability in a dose dependent and time dependent manner. Cells treated with 10μg/L crocin exhibited apoptotic morphology (brightly blue-fluorescent condensed nuclei on Hoechst 33258 staining) and reduction of volume. DNA analysis revealed typical ladders as early as 12 hours after treatment indicative of apoptosis. Our preclinical study demonstrated a pancreatic cancer cell line to be highly sensitive to crocin-mediated growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death. Although the molecular mechanisms of crocin action are not yet clearly understood, it appears to have potential as a therapeutic agent.

Orlistat Reduces Proliferation and Enhances Apoptosis in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells (PANC-1).

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Sokolowska, Ewa; Presler, Malgorzata; Goyke, Elzbieta; Milczarek, Ryszard; Swierczynski, Julian; Sledzinski, Tomasz

2017-11-01

Pancreatic cancer is a disease with very poor prognosis, and none of currently available pharmacotherapies have proven to be efficient in this indication. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) gene as a potential therapeutic target in proliferating human pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1), and verify if orlistat, originally developed as an anti-obesity drug, inhibits PANC-1 proliferation. The effects of orlistat on gene expression, lipogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis was studied in PANC-1 cell culture. Expression of FASN increased during proliferation of PANC-1. Inhibition of FASN by orlistat resulted in a significant reduction of PANC-1 proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of these cells. This study showed, to our knowledge for the first time, that orlistat exhibits significant antitumor activity against PANC-1 cells. This implies that orlistat analogs with good oral bioavailability may find application in pharmacotherapy of pancreatic cancer. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Rel/Nuclear factor-kappa B apoptosis pathways in human cervical cancer cells

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Shehata, Marlene F

2005-01-01

Cervical cancer is considered a common yet preventable cause of death in women. It has been estimated that about 420 women out of the 1400 women diagnosed with cervical cancer will die during 5 years from diagnosis. This review addresses the pathogenesis of cervical cancer in humans with a special emphasis on the human papilloma virus as a predominant cause of cervical cancer in humans. The current understanding of apoptosis and regulators of apoptosis as well as their implication in carcinogenesis will follow. A special focus will be given to the role of Rel/NF-κB family of genes in the growth and chemotherapeutic treatment of the malignant HeLa cervical cells emphasizing on Xrel3, a cRel homologue. PMID:15857509

Characterization of the effects of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition in the regulation of apoptosis in human small and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Alam, Mahmood

2012-02-03

BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX-2) is overexpressed in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but is not expressed in small cell lung cancer. Selective COX-2 inhibitors have been shown to induce apoptosis in NSCLC cells, an effect which is associated with the regulation of intracellular MAP kinase (MAPK) signal pathways. Our aims were to characterize the effects of COX-2 inhibition by rofecoxib on apoptosis in human NSCLC and small cell lung cancer cell lines. METHODS: The human NSCLC cell line NCI-H2126 and small cell lung cancer cell line DMS-79 were used. Constitutive COX-2 protein levels were first determined by Western blot test. Levels of apoptosis were evaluated by using propidium iodide staining on FACScan analysis after incubation of NCI-H2126 and DMS-79 with p38 MAPK inhibitor SB202190 (25 ?microM), NF-kappaB inhibitor SN50 (75 microg\\/mL), and rofecoxib at 100 and 250 microM. All statistical analysis was performed by analysis of variance. RESULTS: Western blot test confirmed the presence of COX-2 enzyme in NCI-H2126 and absence in DMS-79. Interestingly, rofecoxib treatment demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in apoptosis in both cell lines. Given this finding, the effect of rofecoxib on NF-kappaB and p38 MAPK pathways was also examined. Apoptosis in both cell lines was unaltered by SN50, either alone or in combination with rofecoxib. A similar phenomenon was observed in NCI-H2126 cells treated with SB202190, either alone or in combination with rofecoxib. In contrast, p38 MAPK inhibition greatly upregulated DMS-79 apoptosis in a manner that was unaltered by the addition of rofecoxib. CONCLUSIONS: Rofecoxib led to a dose-dependent increase in apoptosis in both tumor cell lines. This effect occurred independently of COX-2, NF-kappaB, and p38 MAPK pathways in DMS-79 cells. As such, rofecoxib must act on alternative pathways to regulate apoptosis in human small cell lung cancer cells.

The hormone response element mimic sequence of GAS5 lncRNA is sufficient to induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells

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Pickard, Mark R.; Williams, Gwyn T.

2016-01-01

Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) lncRNA promotes apoptosis, and its expression is down-regulated in breast cancer. GAS5 lncRNA is a decoy of glucocorticoid/related receptors; a stem-loop sequence constitutes the GAS5 hormone response element mimic (HREM), which is essential for the regulation of breast cancer cell apoptosis. This preclinical study aimed to determine if the GAS5 HREM sequence alone promotes the apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Nucleofection of hormone-sensitive and –insensitive breast cancer cell lines with a GAS5 HREM DNA oligonucleotide increased both basal and ultraviolet-C-induced apoptosis, and decreased culture viability and clonogenic growth, similar to GAS5 lncRNA. The HREM oligonucleotide demonstrated similar sequence specificity to the native HREM for its functional activity and had no effect on endogenous GAS5 lncRNA levels. Certain chemically modified HREM oligonucleotides, notably DNA and RNA phosphorothioates, retained pro-apoptotic. activity. Crucially the HREM oligonucleotide could overcome apoptosis resistance secondary to deficient endogenous GAS5 lncRNA levels. Thus, the GAS5 lncRNA HREM sequence alone is sufficient to induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells, including triple-negative breast cancer cells. These findings further suggest that emerging knowledge of structure/function relationships in the field of lncRNA biology can be exploited for the development of entirely novel, oligonucleotide mimic-based, cancer therapies. PMID:26862727

14-3-3 zeta is a molecular target in guggulsterone induced apoptosis in Head and Neck cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macha, Muzafar A; Matta, Ajay; Chauhan, SS; Siu, KW Michael; Ralhan, Ranju

2010-01-01

The five-year survival rates for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are less than 50%, and the prognosis has not improved, despite advancements in standard multi-modality therapies. Hence major emphasis is being laid on identification of novel molecular targets and development of multi-targeted therapies. 14-3-3 zeta, a multifunctional phospho-serine/phospho-threonine binding protein, is emerging as an effector of pro-survival signaling by binding to several proteins involved in apoptosis (Bad, FKHRL1 and ASK1) and may serve as an appropriate target for head and neck cancer therapy. Herein, we determined effect of guggulsterone (GS), a farnesoid X receptor antagonist, on 14-3-3 zeta associated molecular pathways for abrogation of apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells. Head and neck cancer cells were treated with guggulsterone (GS). Effect of GS-treatment was evaluated using cell viability (MTT) assay and apoptosis was verified by annexin V, DNA fragmentation and M30 CytoDeath antibody assay. Mechanism of GS-induced apoptosis was determined by western blotting and co-IP assays using specific antibodies. Using in vitro models of head and neck cancer, we showed 14-3-3 zeta as a key player regulating apoptosis in GS treated SCC4 cells. Treatment with GS releases BAD from the inhibitory action of 14-3-3 zeta in proliferating HNSCC cells by activating protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). These events initiate the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, as revealed by increased levels of cytochrome c in cytoplasmic extracts of GS-treated SCC4 cells. In addition, GS treatment significantly reduced the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2, xIAP, Mcl1, survivin, cyclin D1 and c-myc, thus committing cells to apoptosis. These events were followed by activation of caspase 9, caspase 8 and caspase 3 leading to cleavage of its downstream target, poly-ADP-ribose phosphate (PARP). GS targets 14-3-3 zeta associated cellular pathways for reducing

FOXO3-mediated up-regulation of Bim contributes to rhein-induced cancer cell apoptosis.

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Wang, Jiao; Liu, Shu; Yin, Yancun; Li, Mingjin; Wang, Bo; Yang, Li; Jiang, Yangfu

2015-03-01

The anthraquinone compound rhein is a natural agent in the traditional Chinese medicine rhubarb. Preclinical studies demonstrate that rhein has anticancer activity. Treatment of a variety of cancer cells with rhein may induce apoptosis. Here, we report that rhein induces atypical unfolded protein response in breast cancer MCF-7 cells and hepatoma HepG2 cells. Rhein induces CHOP expression, eIF2α phosphorylation and caspase cleavage, while it does not induce glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) expression in both MCF-7 and HepG2 cells. Meanwhile, rhein inhibits thapsigargin-induced GRP78 expression and X box-binding protein 1 splicing. In addition, rhein inhibits Akt phosphorylation and stimulates FOXO transactivation activity. Rhein induces Bim expression in MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, which can be abrogated by FOXO3a knockdown. Knockdown of FOXO3a or Bim abrogates rhein-induced caspase cleavage and apoptosis. The chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate acid antagonizes the induction of FOXO activation, Bim expression and caspase cleavage by rhein, indicating that protein misfolding may be involved in triggering these deleterious effects. We conclude that FOXO3a-mediated up-regulation of Bim is a key mechanism underlying rhein-induced cancer cells apoptosis.

β-Elemene-induced autophagy protects human gastric cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Jing; Zhang, Ye; Qu, Jinglei; Xu, Ling; Hou, Kezuo; Zhang, Jingdong; Qu, Xiujuan; Liu, Yunpeng

2011-01-01

β-Elemene, a compound found in an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promising anti-cancer effects against a broad spectrum of tumors. The mechanism by which β-elemene kills cells remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the anti-tumor effect of β-elemene on human gastric cancer cells and the molecular mechanism involved. β-Elemene inhibited the viability of human gastric cancer MGC803 and SGC7901 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The suppression of cell viability was due to the induction of apoptosis. A robust autophagy was observed in the cells treated with β-elemene; it was characterized by the increase of punctate LC3 dots, the cellular morphology, and the increased levels of LC3-II protein. Further study showed that β-elemene treatment up-regulated Atg5-Atg12 conjugated protein but had little effect on other autophagy-related proteins. PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K1 activity was inhibited by β-elemene. Knockdown of Beclin 1 with small interfering RNA, or co-treatment with the autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine or chlorochine enhanced significantly the antitumor effects of β-elemene. Our data provides the first evidence that β-elemene induces protective autophagy and prevents human gastric cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis. A combination of β-elemene with autophagy inhibitor might thus be a useful therapeutic option for advanced gastric cancer

Angelica sinensis polysaccharides promotes apoptosis in human breast cancer cells via CREB-regulated caspase-3 activation

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Zhou, Wei-Jie; Wang, Sheng; Hu, Zhuang; Zhou, Zhen-Yu; Song, Cai-Juan

2015-01-01

Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) is purified from the fresh roots of Angelica sinensis (AS). This traditional Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years for treating gynecological diseases and used in functional foods for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as inflammation and cancer. The antitumor activity of ASP is related to its biological activities, because it suppresses a variety of pro-proliferative or anti-apoptotic factors that are dramatically expressed in cancer cells of given types. In this study, we show that angelica sinensis polysaccharide induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells of T47D over-expressing the Cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), inducing apoptosis-related signaling pathway activity. The result also found that ASP caused cell death was linked to caspase activity, accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and Bax translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondria. We found that ASP significantly affected the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), Bcl-2 Associated X Protein (Bax), Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and apoptotic protease activating facter-1 (Apaf1) protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. DAPI staining and Flow cytometry were used to analyze apoptosis. The nude mice xenograft model was used to evaluate the antitumor effect of ASP in vivo. ASP has profound antitumor effect on T47D cells, probably by inducing apoptosis through CREB signaling pathway. Thus, these results suggest that ASP would be a promising therapeutic agent for breast cancer. - Highlights: • CREB and Caspase-3 signaling pathways are involved in the ASP induced breast cancer cells apoptosis. • ROCK1/Mlc signaling pathway plays a critical role in this ASP-mediated apoptosis. • Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) affected the PARP, Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Apaf1 protein expression. • The activation of CREB and ROCK1 promotes caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induced

Angelica sinensis polysaccharides promotes apoptosis in human breast cancer cells via CREB-regulated caspase-3 activation

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Zhou, Wei-Jie; Wang, Sheng [Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Huaihe Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng 475000 (China); Hu, Zhuang, E-mail: zhuanghu475000@sina.com [Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Huaihe Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng 475000 (China); Zhengzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou 475000 (China); Zhou, Zhen-Yu; Song, Cai-Juan [Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Huaihe Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng 475000 (China); Zhengzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou 475000 (China)

2015-11-20

Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) is purified from the fresh roots of Angelica sinensis (AS). This traditional Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years for treating gynecological diseases and used in functional foods for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as inflammation and cancer. The antitumor activity of ASP is related to its biological activities, because it suppresses a variety of pro-proliferative or anti-apoptotic factors that are dramatically expressed in cancer cells of given types. In this study, we show that angelica sinensis polysaccharide induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells of T47D over-expressing the Cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), inducing apoptosis-related signaling pathway activity. The result also found that ASP caused cell death was linked to caspase activity, accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and Bax translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondria. We found that ASP significantly affected the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), Bcl-2 Associated X Protein (Bax), Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and apoptotic protease activating facter-1 (Apaf1) protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. DAPI staining and Flow cytometry were used to analyze apoptosis. The nude mice xenograft model was used to evaluate the antitumor effect of ASP in vivo. ASP has profound antitumor effect on T47D cells, probably by inducing apoptosis through CREB signaling pathway. Thus, these results suggest that ASP would be a promising therapeutic agent for breast cancer. - Highlights: • CREB and Caspase-3 signaling pathways are involved in the ASP induced breast cancer cells apoptosis. • ROCK1/Mlc signaling pathway plays a critical role in this ASP-mediated apoptosis. • Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) affected the PARP, Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Apaf1 protein expression. • The activation of CREB and ROCK1 promotes caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induced

Alpha cyano-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

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Hamdan, Lamia; Arrar, Zoheir; Al Muataz, Yacoub; Suleiman, Lutfi; Négrier, Claude; Mulengi, Joseph Kajima; Boukerche, Habib

2013-01-01

This study investigated the underlying mechanism of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid (ACCA), on the growth of breast cancer cells and normal immortal epithelial cells, and compared their cytotoxic effects responses. Treatment of breast cancer cells (MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-231) with ACCA resulted in dose- and time-dependent decrease of cell proliferation, viability in colony formation assay, and programmed cell death (apoptosis) with minimal effects on non-tumoral cells. The ability of ACCA to suppress growth in cancer cells not expressing or containing defects in p53 gene indicates a lack of involvement of this critical tumor suppressor element in mediating ACCA-induced growth inhibition. Induction of apoptosis correlated with an increase in Bax protein, an established inducer of programmed cell death, and the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2, an established inhibitor of apoptosis. We also documented the ability of ACCA to inhibit the migration and invasion of MDA-231 cells with ACCA in vitro. Additionally, tumor growth of MDA-231 breast cancer cells in vivo was dramatically affected with ACCA. On the basis of its selective anticancer inhibitory activity on tumor cells, ACCA may represent a promising therapeutic drug that should be further evaluated as a chemotherapeutic agent for human breast cancer.

Alpha cyano-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

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Lamia Hamdan

Full Text Available This study investigated the underlying mechanism of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid (ACCA, on the growth of breast cancer cells and normal immortal epithelial cells, and compared their cytotoxic effects responses. Treatment of breast cancer cells (MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-231 with ACCA resulted in dose- and time-dependent decrease of cell proliferation, viability in colony formation assay, and programmed cell death (apoptosis with minimal effects on non-tumoral cells. The ability of ACCA to suppress growth in cancer cells not expressing or containing defects in p53 gene indicates a lack of involvement of this critical tumor suppressor element in mediating ACCA-induced growth inhibition. Induction of apoptosis correlated with an increase in Bax protein, an established inducer of programmed cell death, and the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2, an established inhibitor of apoptosis. We also documented the ability of ACCA to inhibit the migration and invasion of MDA-231 cells with ACCA in vitro. Additionally, tumor growth of MDA-231 breast cancer cells in vivo was dramatically affected with ACCA. On the basis of its selective anticancer inhibitory activity on tumor cells, ACCA may represent a promising therapeutic drug that should be further evaluated as a chemotherapeutic agent for human breast cancer.

Evasion of Apoptosis as a Cellular Stress Response in Cancer

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Simone Fulda

2010-01-01

Full Text Available One of the hallmarks of human cancers is the intrinsic or acquired resistance to apoptosis. Evasion of apoptosis can be part of a cellular stress response to ensure the cell's survival upon exposure to stressful stimuli. Apoptosis resistance may contribute to carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and also treatment resistance, since most current anticancer therapies including chemotherapy as well as radio- and immunotherapies primarily act by activating cell death pathways including apoptosis in cancer cells. Hence, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms regarding how cellular stress stimuli trigger antiapoptotic mechanisms and how this contributes to tumor resistance to apoptotic cell death is expected to provide the basis for a rational approach to overcome apoptosis resistance mechanisms in cancers.

Licochalcone A induces apoptosis in KB human oral cancer cells via a caspase-dependent FasL signaling pathway

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KIM, JAE-SUNG; PARK, MI-RA; LEE, SOOK-YOUNG; KIM, DO KYOUNG; MOON, SUNG-MIN; KIM, CHUN SUNG; CHO, SEUNG SIK; YOON, GOO; IM, HEE-JEONG; YOU, JAE-SEEK; OH, JI-SU; KIM, SU-GWAN

2014-01-01

Licochalcone A (Lico-A) is a natural phenol licorice compound with multiple bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and osteogenesis-inducing properties. In the present study, we investigated the Lico-A-induced apoptotic effects and examined the associated apoptosis pathway in KB human oral cancer cells. Lico-A decreased the number of viable KB oral cancer cells. However, Lico-A did not have an effect on primary normal human oral keratinocytes. In addition, the IC50 value of Lico-A was determined to be ~50 μM following dose-dependent stimulation. KB oral cancer cells stimulated with Lico-A for 24 h showed chromatin condensation by DAPI staining, genomic DNA fragmentation by agarose gel electrophoresis and a gradually increased apoptotic cell population by FACS analysis. These data suggest that Lico-A induces apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells. Additionally, Lico-A-induced apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells was mediated by the expression of factor associated suicide ligand (FasL) and activated caspase-8 and −3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Furthermore, in the KB oral cancer cells co-stimulation with a caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-fmk) and Lico-A significantly abolished the apoptotic phenomena. Our findings demonstrated that Lico-A-induced apoptosis in KB oral cancer cells involves the extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway, which involves a caspase-dependent FasL-mediated death receptor pathway. Our data suggest that Lico-A be developed as a chemotherapeutic agent for the management of oral cancer. PMID:24337492

Re: Engineered Nanoparticles Induce Cell Apoptosis: Potential for Cancer Therapy

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Fehmi Narter

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs have been widely applied in industry, biology and medicine recently (i.e. clothes, sunscreens, cosmetics, foods, diagnostic medicine, imaging and drug delivery. There are many kinds of manufactured nanomaterial products including TiO2, ZnO, CeO2, Fe2O3, and CuO (as metal oxide nanoparticles as well as gold, silver, platinum and palladium (as metal nanoparticles, and other carbon-based ENP’s such as carbon nanotububes and quantum dots. ENPs with their sizes no larger than 100 nm are able to enter the human body and accumulate in organs and cause toxic effects. In many researches, ENP effects on the cancer cells of different organs with related cell apoptosis were noted (AgNP, nano-Cr2O3, Au-Fe2O3 NPs, nano-TiO2, nano-HAP, nano-Se, MoO3 nanoplate, Realgar nanoparticles. ENPs, with their unique properties, such as surface charge, particle size, composition and surface modification with tissue recognition ligands or antibodies, has been increasingly explored as a tool to carry small molecular weight drugs as well as macromolecules for cancer therapy, thus generating the new concept “nanocarrier”. Direct induction of cell apoptosis by ENPs provides an opportunity for cancer treatment. In the century of nanomedicine that depends on development of the nanotechnology, ENPs have a great potential for application in cancer treatment with minimal side effects.

Laminarin Induces Apoptosis of Human Colon Cancer LOVO Cells through a Mitochondrial Pathway

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He Zhang

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Many scientific studies have shown that laminarin has anti-tumor effects, but the anti-tumor mechanism was unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of laminarin on the induction of apoptosis in human colon cancer LOVO cells and the molecular mechanism involved. LOVO cells were treated with different concentrations of laminarin at different times. Morphology observations were performed to determine the effects of laminarin on apoptosis of LOVO cells. Flow cytometry (FCM was used to detect the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS and pH. Laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM was used to analyze intracellular calcium ion concentration, mitochondrion permeability transition pore (MPTP and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP. Western blotd were performed to analyze the expressions of Cyt-C, Caspase-9 and -3. The results showed the apoptosis morphology, which showed cell protuberance, concentrated cytoplasm and apoptotic bodies, was obvious after 72 h treatment. Laminarin treatment for 24 h increased the intracellular level of ROS and Ca²⁺; decreased pH value; activated intracellular MPTP and decreased MMP in dose-dependent manners. It also induced the release of Cyt-C and the activation of Caspase-9 and -3. In conclusion, laminarin induces LOVO cell apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway, suggesting that it could be a potent agent for cancer prevention and treatment.

Intrinsic mechanism of estradiol-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells resistant to estrogen deprivation.

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Lewis, Joan S; Meeke, Kathleen; Osipo, Clodia; Ross, Eric A; Kidawi, Noman; Li, Tianyu; Bell, Eric; Chandel, Navdeep S; Jordan, V Craig

2005-12-07

We previously developed an estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cell line (MCF-7:5C) that is resistant to long-term estrogen deprivation and undergoes rapid and complete apoptosis in the presence of physiologic concentrations of 17beta-estradiol. Here, we investigated the role of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in this process. Apoptosis in MCF-7:5C cells treated with estradiol, fulvestrant, or vehicle (control) was investigated by annexin V-propidium iodide double staining and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Apoptosis was also analyzed in MCF-7:5C cells transiently transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to apoptotic pathway components. Expression of apoptotic pathway intermediates was measured by western blot analysis. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential (psim) was determined by rhodamine-123 retention assay. Mitochondrial pathway activity was determined by cytochrome c release and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein. Tumorigenesis was studied in ovariectomized athymic mice that were injected with MCF-7:5C cells. Differences between the treatment groups and control group were determined by two-sample t test or one-factor analysis of variance. All statistical tests were two-sided. MCF-7:5C cells treated with estradiol underwent apoptosis and showed increased expression of proapoptotic proteins, decreased psim, enhanced cytochrome c release, and PARP cleavage compared with cells treated with fulvestrant or vehicle. Blockade of Bax, Bim, and p53 mRNA expression by siRNA reduced estradiol-induced apoptosis relative to control by 76% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 73% to 79%, P estradiol-induced apoptosis in long-term estrogen-deprived breast cancer cells. Physiologic concentrations of estradiol could potentially be used to induce apoptosis and tumor regression in tumors that have developed resistance to aromatase inhibitors.

The cardiac glycoside oleandrin induces apoptosis in human colon cancer cells via the mitochondrial pathway.

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Pan, Li; Zhang, Yuming; Zhao, Wanlu; Zhou, Xia; Wang, Chunxia; Deng, Fan

2017-07-01

Evidence indicates that the cardiac glycoside oleandrin exhibits cytotoxic activity against several different types of cancer. However, the specific mechanisms underlying oleandrin-induced anti-tumor effects remain largely unknown. The present study examined the anti-cancer effect and underlying mechanism of oleandrin on human colon cancer cells. The cytotoxicity and IC50 of five small molecule compounds (oleandrin, neriifolin, strophanthidin, gitoxigenin, and convallatoxin) in human colon cancer cell line SW480 cells and normal human colon cell line NCM460 cells were determined by cell counting and MTT assays, respectively. Apoptosis was determined by staining cells with annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometry. Intracellular Ca 2+ was determined using Fluo-3 AM,glutathione (GSH) levels were measured using a GSH detection kit,and the activity of caspase-3, -9 was measured using a peptide substrate. BAX, pro-caspase-3, -9, cytochrome C and BCL-2 expression were determined by Western blotting. Oleandrin significantly decreased cell viabilities in SW480, HCT116 and RKO cells. The IC50 for SW480 cells was 0.02 µM, whereas for NCM460 cells 0.56 µM. More interestingly, the results of flow cytometry showed that oleandrin potently induced apoptosis in SW480 and RKO cells. Oleandrin downregulated protein expression of pro-caspase-3, -9, but enhanced caspase-3, -9 activities. These effects were accompanied by upregulation of protein expression of cytochrome C and BAX, and downregulation of BCL-2 protein expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, oleandrin increased intracellular Ca 2+ concentration, but decreased GSH concentration in the cells. The present results suggest that oleandrin induces apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells via the mitochondrial pathway. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of anti-cancer property of oleandrin.

Echinacoside Induces Apoptosis in Human SW480 Colorectal Cancer Cells by Induction of Oxidative DNA Damages

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Liwei Dong

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Echinacoside is a natural compound with potent reactive oxygen species (ROS-scavenging and anti-oxidative bioactivities, which protect cells from oxidative damages. As cancer cells are often under intense oxidative stress, we therefore tested if Echinacoside treatment would promote cancer development. Surprisingly, we found that Echinacoside significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of a panel of cancer cell lines. Treatment of the human SW480 cancer cells with Echinacoside resulted in marked apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, together with a significant increase in active caspase 3 and cleaved PARP, and upregulation of the G1/S-CDK blocker CDKN1B (p21. Interestingly, immunocytochemistry examination of drug-treated cancer cells revealed that Echinacoside caused a significant increase of intracellular oxidized guanine, 8-oxoG, and dramatic upregulation of the double-strand DNA break (DSB-binding protein 53BP1, suggesting that Echinacoside induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in SW480 cancer cells via induction of oxidative DNA damages. These results establish Echinacoside as a novel chemical scaffold for development of anticancer drugs.

Milk fermented by Propionibacterium freudenreichii induces apoptosis of HGT-1 human gastric cancer cells.

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Fabien J Cousin

Full Text Available Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The "economically developed countries" life style, including diet, constitutes a risk factor favoring this cancer. Diet modulation may lower digestive cancer incidence. Among promising food components, dairy propionibacteria were shown to trigger apoptosis of human colon cancer cells, via the release of short-chain fatty acids acetate and propionate.A fermented milk, exclusively fermented by P. freudenreichii, was recently designed. In this work, the pro-apoptotic potential of this new fermented milk was demonstrated on HGT-1 human gastric cancer cells. Fermented milk supernatant induced typical features of apoptosis including chromatin condensation, formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA laddering, cell cycle arrest and emergence of a subG1 population, phosphatidylserine exposure at the plasma membrane outer leaflet, reactive oxygen species accumulation, mitochondrial transmembrane potential disruption, caspase activation and cytochrome c release. Remarkably, this new fermented milk containing P. freudenreichii enhanced the cytotoxicity of camptothecin, a drug used in gastric cancer chemotherapy.Such new probiotic fermented milk may thus be useful as part of a preventive diet designed to prevent gastric cancer and/or as a food supplement to potentiate cancer therapeutic treatments.

Molecular basis for the interplay of apoptosis and proliferation mediated by Bcl-xL:Bim interactions in pancreatic cancer cells

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Abrol, Ravinder; Edderkaoui, Mouad; Goddard, William A.; Pandol, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Direct role of Bcl-2 protein interactions in cell proliferation is not clear. ► Designed Bcl-xL mutants show opposite effects on apoptosis and proliferation. ► Disrupting Bcl-xL:Bim interaction increased apoptosis in pancreatic cancer. ► Disrupting Bcl-xL:Bim interaction decreased proliferation in pancreatic cancer. ► Bcl-xL:Bim interaction can control both apoptosis and proliferation. -- Abstract: A major mechanism through which cancer cells avoid apoptosis is by promoting the association of anti-apoptotic members of the pro-survival Bcl-2 protein family (like Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL) with BH 3 domain-only proteins (like Bim and Bid). Apoptosis and cell proliferation have been shown to be linked for many cancers but the molecular basis for this link is far from understood. We have identified the Bcl-xL:Bim protein–protein interface as a direct regulator of proliferation and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. We were able to predict and subsequently verify experimentally the effect of various Bcl-xL single-point mutants (at the position A142) on binding to Bim by structural analysis and computational modeling of the inter-residue interactions at the Bcl-xL:Bim protein–protein interface. The mutants A142N, A142Q, and A142Y decreased binding of Bim to Bcl-xL and A142S increased this binding. The Bcl-xL mutants, with decreased affinity for Bim, caused an increase in apoptosis and a corresponding decrease in cell proliferation. However, we could prevent these effects by introducing a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted at Bim. These results show a novel role played by the Bcl-xL:Bim interaction in regulating proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells at the expense of apoptosis. This study presents a physiologically relevant model of the Bcl-xL:Bim interface that can be used for rational therapeutic design for the inhibition of proliferation and cancer cell resistance to apoptosis.

Targeting ceramide metabolic pathway induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines

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Vethakanraj, Helen Shiphrah; Babu, Thabraz Ahmed; Sudarsanan, Ganesh Babu; Duraisamy, Prabhu Kumar; Ashok Kumar, Sekar, E-mail: sekarashok@gmail.com

2015-08-28

The sphingolipid ceramide is a pro apoptotic molecule of ceramide metabolic pathway and is hydrolyzed to proliferative metabolite, sphingosine 1 phosphate by the action of acid ceramidase. Being upregulated in the tumors of breast, acid ceramidase acts as a potential target for breast cancer therapy. We aimed at targeting this enzyme with a small molecule acid ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 in human breast cancer cell lines MCF 7 and MDA MB 231. Ceranib 2 effectively inhibited the growth of both the cell lines in dose and time dependant manner. Morphological apoptotic hallmarks such as chromatin condensation, fragmented chromatin were observed in AO/EtBr staining. Moreover, ladder pattern of fragmented DNA observed in DNA gel electrophoresis proved the apoptotic activity of Ceranib 2 in breast cancer cell lines. The apoptotic events were associated with significant increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bad, Bax and Bid) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl 2). Interestingly, increase in sub G1 population of cell cycle phase analysis and elevated Annexin V positive cells after Ceranib 2 treatment substantiated its apoptotic activity in MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines. Thus, we report Ceranib 2 as a potent therapeutic agent against both ER{sup +} and ER{sup −} breast cancer cell lines. - Highlights: • Acid Ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 induced apoptosis in Breast cancer cell lines (MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines). • Apoptosis is mediated by DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest. • Ceranib 2 upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and down regulated anti-apoptotic gene expression. • More potent compared to the standard drug Tamoxifen.

Targeting ceramide metabolic pathway induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vethakanraj, Helen Shiphrah; Babu, Thabraz Ahmed; Sudarsanan, Ganesh Babu; Duraisamy, Prabhu Kumar; Ashok Kumar, Sekar

2015-01-01

The sphingolipid ceramide is a pro apoptotic molecule of ceramide metabolic pathway and is hydrolyzed to proliferative metabolite, sphingosine 1 phosphate by the action of acid ceramidase. Being upregulated in the tumors of breast, acid ceramidase acts as a potential target for breast cancer therapy. We aimed at targeting this enzyme with a small molecule acid ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 in human breast cancer cell lines MCF 7 and MDA MB 231. Ceranib 2 effectively inhibited the growth of both the cell lines in dose and time dependant manner. Morphological apoptotic hallmarks such as chromatin condensation, fragmented chromatin were observed in AO/EtBr staining. Moreover, ladder pattern of fragmented DNA observed in DNA gel electrophoresis proved the apoptotic activity of Ceranib 2 in breast cancer cell lines. The apoptotic events were associated with significant increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bad, Bax and Bid) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic gene (Bcl 2). Interestingly, increase in sub G1 population of cell cycle phase analysis and elevated Annexin V positive cells after Ceranib 2 treatment substantiated its apoptotic activity in MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines. Thus, we report Ceranib 2 as a potent therapeutic agent against both ER + and ER − breast cancer cell lines. - Highlights: • Acid Ceramidase inhibitor, Ceranib 2 induced apoptosis in Breast cancer cell lines (MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 cell lines). • Apoptosis is mediated by DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest. • Ceranib 2 upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and down regulated anti-apoptotic gene expression. • More potent compared to the standard drug Tamoxifen

Urtica dioica dichloromethane extract induce apoptosis from intrinsic pathway on human prostate cancer cells (PC3).

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Mohammadi, A; Mansoori, B; Aghapour, M; Baradaran, B

2016-03-31

Prostate cancer is considered as the major cause of death among men around the world. There are a number of medicinal plants triggering apoptosis response in cancer cells, thus have a therapeutic potential. Therefore, further studies to characterize beneficial properties of these plants in order to introduce novel anti-cancer drugs are the interest of recent researches on the alternative medicine. On the other hand, due to traditional uses and availability of Urtica dioica extract, we decided to evaluate the efficacy of this medicinal herb on pc3 prostate cancer cell line. In the present study the cytotoxic effects of Urtica dioica extract were assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and trypan blue viability dye. Then, DNA fragmentation and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay were exploited to measure cell death and apoptosis stage. The expression levels of caspase 3, caspase 9 and Bcl-2 genes were quantified by Real-Time PCR. Finally, Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. MTT assay showed that dichloromethanolic extract of Urtica dioica significantly inhibited the cell growth. According to the DNA fragmentation and TUNEL assay results, the herbal extract was able to induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Our findings also demonstrated that the plant extract substantially increases the caspase 3 and 9 mRNA expression, while decreases Bcl-2. Cell cycle arrest was occurred in G2 stage, due to the results of flow cytometry. These results indicate that dichloromethanolic extract of Urtica dioica can successfully induce apoptosis in PC3 cells. Therefore, it could be used as a novel therapeutic candidate for prostate tumor treatment.

Calreticulin is a fine tuning molecule in epibrassinolide-induced apoptosis through activating endoplasmic reticulum stress in colon cancer cells.

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Obakan-Yerlikaya, Pinar; Arisan, Elif Damla; Coker-Gurkan, Ajda; Adacan, Kaan; Ozbey, Utku; Somuncu, Berna; Baran, Didem; Palavan-Unsal, Narcin

2017-06-01

Epibrassinolide (EBR), a member of brassinostreoids plant hormones with cell proliferation promoting role in plants, is a natural polyhydroxysteroid with structural similarity to steroid hormones of vertebrates. EBR has antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing effect in various cancer cells. Although EBR has been shown to affect survival and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathways in a p53-independent manner, the exact molecular targets of EBR are still under investigation. Our recent SILAC (Stable Isotope Labeling by Amino Acids in Cell Culture) data showed that the most significantly altered protein after EBR treatment was calreticulin (CALR). CALR, a chaperone localized in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen, plays role in protein folding and buffering Ca 2+ ions. The alteration of CALR may cause ER stress and unfolded protein response correspondingly the induction of apoptosis. Unfolded proteins are conducted to 26S proteasomal degradation following ubiquitination. Our study revealed that EBR treatment caused ER stress and UPR by altering CALR expression causing caspase-dependent apoptosis in HCT 116, HT29, DLD-1, and SW480 colon cancer cells. Furthermore, 48 h EBR treatment did not caused UPR in Fetal Human Colon cells (FHC) and Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast cells (MEF). In addition our findings showed that HCT 116 colon cancer cells lacking Bax and Puma expression still undergo UPR and related apoptosis. CALR silencing and rapamycin co-treatment prevented EBR-induced UPR and apoptosis, whereas 26S proteasome inhibition further increased the effect of EBR in colon cancer cells. All these findings showed that EBR is an ER stress and apoptotic inducer in colon cancer cells without affecting non-malignant cells. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Brazilian Red Propolis Induces Apoptosis-Like Cell Death and Decreases Migration Potential in Bladder Cancer Cells

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Karine Rech Begnini

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Natural products continue to be an invaluable resource of anticancer drug discovery in recent years. Propolis is known for its biological activities such as antimicrobial and antitumor effects. This study assessed the effects of Brazilian red propolis (BRP on apoptosis and migration potential in human bladder cancer cells. The effect of BRP ethanolic extract (25, 50, and 100 μg/mL on 5637 cells was determined by MTT, LIVE/DEAD, and migration (scratch assay assays. Apoptosis induction was investigated through flow cytometry and gene expression profile was investigated by qRT-PCR. Results showed cytotoxicity on MTT and LIVE/DEAD assays, with IC50 values of 95 μg/mL in 24 h of treatment. Cellular migration of 5637 cells was significantly inhibited through lower doses of BRP ethanolic extract (25 and 50 μg/mL. Flow cytometry analyses showed that BRP induced cytotoxicity through apoptosis-like mechanisms in 5637 cells and qRT-PCR revealed increased levels of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, p53, AIF, and antioxidant enzymes genes. Data suggest that BRP may be a potential source of drugs to bladder cancer treatment.

Brazilian red propolis induces apoptosis-like cell death and decreases migration potential in bladder cancer cells.

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Begnini, Karine Rech; Moura de Leon, Priscila Marques; Thurow, Helena; Schultze, Eduarda; Campos, Vinicius Farias; Martins Rodrigues, Fernanda; Borsuk, Sibele; Dellagostin, Odir Antônio; Savegnago, Lucielli; Roesch-Ely, Mariana; Moura, Sidnei; Padilha, Francine F; Collares, Tiago; Pêgas Henriques, João Antonio; Seixas, Fabiana Kömmling

2014-01-01

Natural products continue to be an invaluable resource of anticancer drug discovery in recent years. Propolis is known for its biological activities such as antimicrobial and antitumor effects. This study assessed the effects of Brazilian red propolis (BRP) on apoptosis and migration potential in human bladder cancer cells. The effect of BRP ethanolic extract (25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) on 5637 cells was determined by MTT, LIVE/DEAD, and migration (scratch assay) assays. Apoptosis induction was investigated through flow cytometry and gene expression profile was investigated by qRT-PCR. Results showed cytotoxicity on MTT and LIVE/DEAD assays, with IC50 values of 95 μg/mL in 24 h of treatment. Cellular migration of 5637 cells was significantly inhibited through lower doses of BRP ethanolic extract (25 and 50 μg/mL). Flow cytometry analyses showed that BRP induced cytotoxicity through apoptosis-like mechanisms in 5637 cells and qRT-PCR revealed increased levels of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, p53, AIF, and antioxidant enzymes genes. Data suggest that BRP may be a potential source of drugs to bladder cancer treatment.

Exogenous and Endogeneous Disialosyl Ganglioside GD1b Induces Apoptosis of MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

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Sun-Hyung Ha

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Gangliosides have been known to play a role in the regulation of apoptosis in cancer cells. This study has employed disialyl-ganglioside GD1b to apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells using exogenous treatment of the cells with GD1b and endogenous expression of GD1b in MCF-7 cells. First, apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was observed after treatment of GD1b. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with GD1b reduced cell growth rates in a dose and time dependent manner during GD1b treatment, as determined by XTT assay. Among the various gangliosides, GD1b specifically induced apoptosis of the MCF-7 cells. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence assays showed that GD1b specifically induces apoptosis in the MCF-7 cells with Annexin V binding for apoptotic actions in early stage and propidium iodide (PI staining the nucleus of the MCF-7 cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with GD1b activated apoptotic molecules such as processed forms of caspase-8, -7 and PARP (Poly(ADP-ribose polymerase, without any change in the expression of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis molecules such as Bax and Bcl-2. Second, to investigate the effect of endogenously produced GD1b on the regulation of cell function, UDP-gal: β1,3-galactosyltransferase-2 (GD1b synthase, Gal-T2 gene has been transfected into the MCF-7 cells. Using the GD1b synthase-transfectants, apoptosis-related signal proteins linked to phenotype changes were examined. Similar to the exogenous GD1b treatment, the cell growth of the GD1b synthase gene-transfectants was significantly suppressed compared with the vector-transfectant cell lines and transfection activated the apoptotic molecules such as processed forms of caspase-8, -7 and PARP, but not the levels of expression of Bax and Bcl-2. GD1b-induced apoptosis was blocked by caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD. Therefore, taken together, it was concluded that GD1b could play an important role in the regulation of breast cancer apoptosis.

Increased Susceptibility to Apoptosis and Growth Arrest of Human Breast Cancer Cells Treated by a Snake Venom-Loaded Silica Nanoparticles

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Gamal Badr

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The development of effective treatments against metastatic cancers, including breast cancer, is among the most important challenges in current experimental and clinical cancer research. We recently demonstrated that Walterinnesia aegyptia venom (WEV, either alone or in combination with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NP, resulted in the growth arrest and apoptosis of different cancer cell lines. Aims: In the present study, we evaluated the impact of WEV alone and WEV+NP on human breast cancer cells isolated from cancer biopsies. Methods: The potential effects of WEV alone and WEV+NP on the proliferation, induction of apoptosis and generation of free radicals in breast cancer cells isolated from 80 patients clinically diagnosed with breast cancer were evaluated by flow cytometry and ELISA. Results: WEV alone and WEV+NP inhibited the proliferation, altered the cell cycle and enhanced the induction of apoptosis of the breast cancer cells by increasing the activities of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9. In addition, the combination of WEV and NP robustly sensitized the breast cancer cells to growth arrest and apoptosis by increasing the generation of free radicals, including reactive oxygen species (ROS, hydroperoxide and nitric oxide. The combination of WEV with NP significantly enhanced the anti-tumor effect of WEV in breast cancer cells. Conclusion: Our data indicate the therapeutic potential of the nanoparticle-sustained delivery of snake venom for the treatment of breast cancer.

MicroRNA-101 inhibits cell proliferation, promotes cell apoptosis and increases sensitivity of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells to paclitaxel

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Qiu-Lin Ke

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore the effect that miR-101 inhibits breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation and increases the chemosensitivity of paclitaxel to breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and its influence on protein expression level of target gene Bcl2. Methods: miR-101 was artificially synthesized, it used liposome 3000 to transfect MDA-MB-231 cells, and experiment was divided into three groups: blank control group, negative control group and miR-101 group. MTT assay was used to detect the effect of miR-101 on MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation and chemosensitivity of paclitaxel-mediated MDA-MB-231 cells; flow cytometer was used to detect cell apoptosis. Real-time PCR and Western bloting were used to detect the changes of mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl2. Results: After miR-101 transfected MDA-MB- 231 cells, cell proliferation ability significantly decreased compared with negative control group, and differences had statistical significance (P<0.01; after paclitaxel was used to process cells, IC50 of miR-101-processing group decreased by 2.45 times compared with blank control group, differences had statistical significance (P<0.05 and differences between blank control group and negative control group had no statistical significance; detection results by flow cytometer showed that both early-stage and late-stage apoptosis rates of MDA-MB-231 cells of miR-101 group were significantly higher than those of negative control group (P<0.05, and early-stage apoptosis rate was more significant (P<0.01; after transfection of miR-101, mRNA and protein levels of Bcl2 of MDA-MB-231 cells significantly decreased, and differences had statistical significance (P<0.05. Conclusion: miR-101 can inhibit breast cancer MDAMB- 231 cell proliferation through targeting and downregulating Bcl2, thereby increasing the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to paclitaxel and promoting cell apoptosis.

Curcumin induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells through iron chelation

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Yang C

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Chunguang Yang,1,* Xueyou Ma,1,* Zhihua Wang,1 Xing Zeng,1 Zhiquan Hu,1 Zhangqun Ye,1 Guanxin Shen2 1Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, 2Department of Immunology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Curcumin induces apoptosis and autophagy in different cancer cells. Moreover, chemical and biological experiments have evidenced that curcumin is a biologically active iron chelator and induces cytotoxicity through iron chelation. We thus hypothesized that curcumin may induce apoptosis and autophagy in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC cells through its iron-chelating properties.Materials and methods: CRPC cells were loaded with curcumin alone or in combination with ferric ammonium citrate (FAC. Cytotoxicity was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick end labeling (TUNEL assay and caspase activity. Autophagy status was analyzed by the detection of autophagosomes and light chain 3-II (LC3-II using transmission electron microscopy and Western blot. Iron-binding activity of curcumin was assessed by spectrophotometry and MTT assay. The expression levels of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1 and iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1 were examined by Western blot.Results: Curcumin induced apoptosis and autophagy in CRPC cells. Combining curcumin with autophagy inhibitors (3-methyladenine [3-MA] synergized the apoptotic effect of curcumin. Moreover, curcumin bound to FAC at a ratio of ~1:1, as assessed by spectrophotometry and MTT assay. Apoptosis and autophagy induced by curcumin were counteracted by equal amounts of FAC. At apoptosis- and autophagy-inducing concentrations, curcumin enhanced the expression levels of TfR1 and IRP1, indicative of iron deprivation induced by curcumin

Pinpointing differences in cisplatin-induced apoptosis in adherent and non-adherent cancer cells

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Tastesen, Hanne Sørup; Holm, Jacob Bak; Poulsen, Kristian Arild

2010-01-01

Platinum compounds are used in the treatment of cancer. We demonstrate that cisplatin-induced (10 µM) apoptosis (caspase-3 activity) is pronounced within 18 hours in non-adherent Ehrlich ascites tumour cells (EATC), whereas there is no increase in caspase-3 activity in the adherent Ehrlich Lettré...... ascites tumour cells (ELA). Loss of KCl and cell shrinkage are hallmarks in apoptosis and has been shown in EATC. However, we find no reduction in cell volume and only a minor loss of K(+) which is accompanied by net uptake of Na(+) following 18 hours cisplatin exposure in ELA. Glutathione and taurine...

Effects of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meena, Ramovatar; Kesari, Kavindra Kumar; Rani, Madhu; Paulraj, R.

2012-01-01

The study aimed to correlate cell proliferation inhibition with oxidative stress and p53 protein expression in cancerous cells. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ) is the essential component of inorganic composition in human bone. It has been found to have obvious inhibitory function on growth of many kinds of tumor cells and its nanoparticle has stronger anti-cancerous effect than macromolecule microparticles. Human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) were cultured and treated with HAP nanoparticles at various concentrations. Cells viability was detected with MTT colorimetric assay. The morphology of the cancerous cells was performed by transmission electron microscopy and the expression of a cell apoptosis related gene (p53) was determined by ELISA assay and flow cytometry (FCM). The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in HAP exposed cells was measured by H 2 DCFDA staining. DNA damage was measured by single-cell gel electrophoresis assay. The statistical analysis was done by one way ANOVA. The cellular proliferation inhibition rate was significantly (p < 0.05) increasing in a dose-dependent manner of HAP nanoparticles. Cell apoptotic characters were observed after MCF-7 cells were treated by HAP nanoparticles for 48 h. Moreover, ELISA assay and FCM shows a dose-dependent activation of p53 in MCF-7 cells treated with nanoHAP. These causative factors of the above results may be justified by an overproduction of ROS. In this study, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the level of intracellular ROS in HAP-treated cells was observed. This study shows that HAP inhibits the growth of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells as well as induces cell apoptosis. This study shows that HAP NPs Induce the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and activate p53, which may be responsible for DNA damage and cell apoptosis.

Apigenin induces apoptosis by targeting inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and Ku70–Bax interaction in prostate cancer

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Shukla, Sanjeev; Fu, Pingfu; Gupta, Sanjay

2014-01-01

Dysfunction of the apoptotic pathway in prostate cancer cells confers apoptosis resistance towards various therapies. A novel strategy to overcome resistance is to directly target the apoptotic pathway in cancer cells. Apigenin, an anticancer agent, selectively toxic to cancer cells induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through mechanisms which are not fully explored. In the present study we provide novel insight into the mechanisms of apoptosis induction by apigenin. Treatment of androgen-refractory human prostate cancer PC-3 and DU145 cells with apigenin resulted in dose-dependent suppression of XIAP, c-IAP1, c-IAP2 and survivin protein levels. Apigenin treatment resulted in significant decrease in cell viability and apoptosis induction with the increase of cytochrome C in time-dependent manner. These effects of apigenin were accompanied by decrease in Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 and increase in the active form of Bax protein. The apigenin-mediated increase in Bax was due to dissociation of Bax from Ku70 which is essential for apoptotic activity of Bax. Apigenin treatment resulted in the inhibition of class I histone deacetylases and HDAC1 protein expression, thereby increasing the acetylation of Ku70 and the dissociation of Bax resulting in apoptosis of cancer cells. Furthermore, apigenin significantly reduced HDAC1 occupancy at the XIAP promoter, suggesting that histone deacetylation might be critical for XIAP downregulation. These results suggest that apigenin targets inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and Ku70–Bax interaction in the induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and in athymic nude mouse xenograft model endorsing its in vivo efficacy. PMID:24563225

Cancer stem cells in solid tumors: is 'evading apoptosis' a hallmark of cancer?

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Enderling, Heiko; Hahnfeldt, Philip

2011-08-01

Conventional wisdom has long held that once a cancer cell has developed it will inevitably progress to clinical disease. Updating this paradigm, it has more recently become apparent that the tumor interacts with its microenvironment and that some environmental bottlenecks, such as the angiogenic switch, must be overcome for the tumor to progress. In parallel, attraction has been drawn to the concept that there is a minority population of cells - the cancer stem cells - bestowed with the exclusive ability to self-renew and regenerate the tumor. With therapeutic targeting issues at stake, much attention has shifted to the identification of cancer stem cells, the thinking being that the remaining non-stem population, already fated to die, will play a negligible role in tumor development. In fact, the newly appreciated importance of intercellular interactions in cancer development also extends in a unique and unexpected way to interactions between the stem and non-stem compartments of the tumor. Here we discuss recent findings drawn from a hybrid mathematical-cellular automaton model that simulates growth of a heterogeneous solid tumor comprised of cancer stem cells and non-stem cancer cells. The model shows how the introduction of cell fate heterogeneity paradoxically influences the tumor growth dynamic in response to apoptosis, to reveal yet another bottleneck to tumor progression potentially exploitable for disease control. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and IRE-1 signaling cause apoptosis in colon cancer cells in response to andrographolide treatment.

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Banerjee, Aditi; Ahmed, Hafiz; Yang, Peixin; Czinn, Steven J; Blanchard, Thomas G

2016-07-05

The plant metabolite andrographolide induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. The mechanism(s) by which andrographolide induces apoptosis however, have not been elucidated. The present study was performed to determine the molecular events that promote apoptosis in andrographolide treated cells using T84, HCT116 and COLO 205 colon cancer cell lines. Andrographolide was determined to limit colony formation and Ki67 expression, alter nuclear morphology, increase cytoplasmic histone-associated-DNA-fragments, and increase cleaved caspase-3 levels. Andrographolide also induced significantly higher expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins GRP-78 and IRE-1 by 48 h but not PERK or ATF6. Apoptosis signaling molecules BAX, spliced XBP-1 and CHOP were also significantly increased. Moreover, chemical inhibition of ER stress or IRE-1 depletion with siRNA in andrographolide treated cells significantly limited expression of IRE-1 and CHOP as determined by immunofluorescence staining, real time PCR, or immunobloting. This was accompanied by a decreased BAX/Bcl-2 ratio. Andrographolide significantly promotes cancer cell death compared to normal cells. These data demonstrate that andrographolide associated ER stress contributes to apoptosis through the activation of a pro-apoptotic GRP-78/IRE-1/XBP-1/CHOP signaling pathway.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine inhibit bladder cancer cell growth by targeting basal autophagy and enhancing apoptosis

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Yi-Chia Lin

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Chloroquine (CQ and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, two antimalarial drugs, are suggested to have potential anticancer properties. in the present study, we investigated the effects of CQ and HCQ on cell growth of bladder cancer with emphasis on autophagy inhibition and apoptosis induction in vitro. The results showed that CQ and HCQ inhibited the proliferation of multiple human bladder cell lines (including RT4, 5637, and T24 in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, especially in advanced bladder cancer cell lines (5637 and T24 compared to immortalized uroepithelial cells (SV-Huc-1 or other reference cancer cell lines (PC3 and MCF-7. We found that 24-hour treatment of CQ or HCQ significantly decreased the clonogenic formation in 5637 and T24 cells compared to SV-Huc-1. As human bladder cancer tumor exhibits high basal level of autophagic activities, we detected the autophagic flux in cells treated with CQ and HCQ, showing an alternation in LC3 flux in CQ- or HCQ-treated cells. Moreover, bladder cancer cells treated with CQ and HCQ underwent apoptosis, resulting in increased caspase 3/7 activities, increased level of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP, caspase 3, and DNA fragmentation. Given these results, targeting autophagy with CQ and HCQ represents an effective cancer therapeutic strategy against human bladder cancer.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine inhibit bladder cancer cell growth by targeting basal autophagy and enhancing apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yi-Chia; Lin, Ji-Fan; Wen, Sheng-I; Yang, Shan-Che; Tsai, Te-Fu; Chen, Hung-En; Chou, Kuang-Yu; Hwang, Thomas I-Sheng

2017-05-01

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), two antimalarial drugs, are suggested to have potential anticancer properties. in the present study, we investigated the effects of CQ and HCQ on cell growth of bladder cancer with emphasis on autophagy inhibition and apoptosis induction in vitro. The results showed that CQ and HCQ inhibited the proliferation of multiple human bladder cell lines (including RT4, 5637, and T24) in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, especially in advanced bladder cancer cell lines (5637 and T24) compared to immortalized uroepithelial cells (SV-Huc-1) or other reference cancer cell lines (PC3 and MCF-7). We found that 24-hour treatment of CQ or HCQ significantly decreased the clonogenic formation in 5637 and T24 cells compared to SV-Huc-1. As human bladder cancer tumor exhibits high basal level of autophagic activities, we detected the autophagic flux in cells treated with CQ and HCQ, showing an alternation in LC3 flux in CQ- or HCQ-treated cells. Moreover, bladder cancer cells treated with CQ and HCQ underwent apoptosis, resulting in increased caspase 3/7 activities, increased level of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), caspase 3, and DNA fragmentation. Given these results, targeting autophagy with CQ and HCQ represents an effective cancer therapeutic strategy against human bladder cancer. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

Effect of Evodiamine on Inducing Apoptosis of Human Gastric Cancer Cell Line SGC-7901 in Vitro

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LIU Shao-ping

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis-inducing effect of evodiamine in human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells. Methods: After 48 or 24 h exposure to different concentrations of evodiamine, cell proliferation was analyzed using tetrazolium blue (MTT assay while apoptosis and cell-cycle phase distribution using flow cytometry. Results: In 0.01～30.00 μg/mL range of concentrations, evodiamine inhibited the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in dose-dependent manner, and the overall mean IC50 was (3.79±0.16 μg/mL; the apoptosis rate was increased from 3.4% to 7.0%, 13.8% and 36.3% at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.5 and 30 μg/mL of evodiamine, respectively; the percentage of cells accumulated in G2/M phase was increased from 17.26% to 98.92% in the cells treated with evodiamine for 24 h in 0.01～30.00 μg/mL range of concentrations. Conclusion: Evodiamine can inhibit the proliferation, induce apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 in vitro and arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase.

Tumor associated macrophages protect colon cancer cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis through IL-1beta-dependent stabilization of Snail in tumor cells.

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Pawan Kaler

2010-07-01

Full Text Available We recently reported that colon tumor cells stimulate macrophages to release IL-1beta, which in turn inactivates GSK3beta and enhances Wnt signaling in colon cancer cells, generating a self-amplifying loop that promotes the growth of tumor cells.Here we describe that macrophages protect HCT116 and Hke-3 colon cancer cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Inactivation of IL-1beta by neutralizing IL-1beta antibody, or silencing of IL-1beta in macrophages inhibited their ability to counter TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Accordingly, IL-1beta was sufficient to inhibit TRAIL-induced apoptosis. TRAIL-induced collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi and activation of caspases were prevented by macrophages or by recombinant IL-1beta. Pharmacological inhibition of IL-1beta release from macrophages by vitamin D(3, a potent chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer, restored the ability of TRAIL to induce apoptosis of tumor cells cultured with macrophages. Macrophages and IL-1beta failed to inhibit TRAIL-induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells expressing dnIkappaB, dnAKT or dnTCF4, confirming that they oppose TRAIL-induced cell death through induction of Wnt signaling in tumor cells. We showed that macrophages and IL-1beta stabilized Snail in tumor cells in an NF-kappaB/Wnt dependent manner and that Snail deficient tumor cells were not protected from TRAIL-induced apoptosis by macrophages or by IL-1beta, demonstrating a crucial role of Snail in the resistance of tumor cells to TRAIL.We have identified a positive feedback loop between tumor cells and macrophages that propagates the growth and promotes the survival of colon cancer cells: tumor cells stimulate macrophages to secrete IL-1beta, which in turn, promotes Wnt signaling and stabilizes Snail in tumor cells, conferring resistance to TRAIL. Vitamin D(3 halts this amplifying loop by interfering with the release of IL-1beta from macrophages. Accordingly, vitamin D(3 sensitizes tumor cells to TRAIL

High LET radiation enhances apoptosis in mutated p53 cancer cells through Caspase-9 activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamakawa, Nobuhiro; Takahashi, Akihisa; Mori, Eiichiro; Imai, Yuichiro; Ohnishi, Ken; Kirita, Tadaaki; Ohnishi, Takeo; Furusawa, Yoshiya

2008-01-01

Although mutations in the p53 gene can lead to resistance to radiotherapy, chemotherapy and thermotherapy, high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation induces apoptosis regardless of p53 gene status in cancer cells. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms involved in high LET radiation-induced apoptosis. Human gingival cancer cells (Ca9-22 cells) containing a mutated p53 (mp53) gene were irradiated with X-rays, C-ion (13-100 KeV/μm), or Fe-ion beams (200 KeV/μm). Cellular sensitivities were determined using colony forming assays. Apoptosis was detected and quantified with Hoechst 33342 staining. The activity of Caspase-3 was analyzed with Western blotting and flow cytometry. Cells irradiated with high LET radiation showed a high sensitivity with a high frequency of apoptosis induction. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values for the surviving fraction and apoptosis induction increased in a LET-dependent manner. Both RBE curves reached a peak at 100 KeV/μm, and then decreased at values over 100 KeV/μm. When cells were irradiated with high LET radiation, Caspase-3 was cleaved and activated, leading to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. In addition, Caspase-9 inhibitor suppressed Caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induction resulting from high LET radiation to a greater extent than Caspase-8 inhibitor. These results suggest that high LET radiation enhances apoptosis by activation of Caspase-3 through Caspase-9, even in the presence of mp53. (author)

A polysaccharide fraction of adlay seed (Coixlachryma-jobi L.) induces apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells

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Lu, Xiangyi; Liu, Wei; Wu, Junhua; Li, Mengxian [Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Wang, Juncheng; Wu, Jihui [School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230022 (China); Luo, Cheng, E-mail: Luo58@yahoo.com [Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China)

2013-01-11

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A polysaccharide from adlay seed, its molecular mass, optical rotation and sugars was determined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We demonstrated that a polysaccharide from adlay can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The polysaccharide inhibited the metabolism and proliferation of NSCLC A549 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The polysaccharide may trigger apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent pathway. -- Abstract: Different seed extracts from Coix lachryma-jobi (adlay seed) have been used for the treatment of various cancers in China, and clinical data support the use of these extracts for cancer therapy; however, their underlying molecular mechanisms have not been well defined. A polysaccharide fraction, designated as CP-1, was extracted from the C.lachryma-jobi L. var. using the ethanol subsiding method. CP-1 induced apoptosis in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by MTT assay. Apoptotic bodies were observed in the cells by scanning electronic microscopy. Apoptosis and DNA accumulation during S-phase of the cell cycle were determined by annexin V-FITC and PI staining, respectively, and measured by flow cytometry. CP-1 also extended the comet tail length on single cell gel electrophoresis, and disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential. Further analysis by western blotting showed that the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 proteins was increased. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CP-1 is capable of inhibiting A549 cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis via a mechanism primarily involving the activation of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. The assay data suggest that in addition to its nutritional properties, CP-1 is a very promising candidate polysaccharide for the development of anti-cancer medicines.

A polysaccharide fraction of adlay seed (Coixlachryma-jobi L.) induces apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Xiangyi; Liu, Wei; Wu, Junhua; Li, Mengxian; Wang, Juncheng; Wu, Jihui; Luo, Cheng

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A polysaccharide from adlay seed, its molecular mass, optical rotation and sugars was determined. ► We demonstrated that a polysaccharide from adlay can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. ► The polysaccharide inhibited the metabolism and proliferation of NSCLC A549 cells. ► The polysaccharide may trigger apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent pathway. -- Abstract: Different seed extracts from Coix lachryma-jobi (adlay seed) have been used for the treatment of various cancers in China, and clinical data support the use of these extracts for cancer therapy; however, their underlying molecular mechanisms have not been well defined. A polysaccharide fraction, designated as CP-1, was extracted from the C.lachryma-jobi L. var. using the ethanol subsiding method. CP-1 induced apoptosis in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by MTT assay. Apoptotic bodies were observed in the cells by scanning electronic microscopy. Apoptosis and DNA accumulation during S-phase of the cell cycle were determined by annexin V-FITC and PI staining, respectively, and measured by flow cytometry. CP-1 also extended the comet tail length on single cell gel electrophoresis, and disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential. Further analysis by western blotting showed that the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 proteins was increased. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CP-1 is capable of inhibiting A549 cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis via a mechanism primarily involving the activation of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. The assay data suggest that in addition to its nutritional properties, CP-1 is a very promising candidate polysaccharide for the development of anti-cancer medicines.

TGFβ1 induces apoptosis in invasive prostate cancer and bladder cancer cells via Akt-independent, p38 MAPK and JNK/SAPK-mediated activation of caspases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Azayzih, Ahmad; Gao, Fei; Goc, Anna; Somanath, Payaningal R.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► TGFβ induced apoptosis in invasive prostate cancer and bladder cancer cells. ► TGFβ inhibited prostate/bladder cancer cell proliferation and colony/foci formation. ► TGFβ induced prostate/bladder cancer cell apoptosis independent of Akt inhibition. ► TGFβ inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation in prostate/bladder cancer cells. ► TGFβ induced p38 MAPK and JNK-mediated activation of caspases-9, -8 and -3. -- Abstract: Recent findings indicate that advanced stage cancers shun the tumor suppressive actions of TGFβ and inexplicably utilize the cytokine as a tumor promoter. We investigated the effect of TGFβ1 on the survival and proliferation of invasive prostate (PC3) and bladder (T24) cancer cells. Our study indicated that TGFβ1 decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in invasive human PC3 and T24 cells via activation of p38 MAPK-JNK-Caspase9/8/3 pathway. Surprisingly, no change in the phosphorylation of pro-survival Akt kinase was observed. We postulate that TGFβ1 pathway may be utilized for specifically targeting urological cancers without inflicting side effects on normal tissues.

Linalool Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Leukemia Cells and Cervical Cancer Cells through CDKIs

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Mei-Yin Chang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Plantaginaceae, a popular traditional Chinese medicine, has long been used for treating various diseases from common cold to cancer. Linalool is one of the biologically active compounds that can be isolated from Plantaginaceae. Most of the commonly used cytotoxic anticancer drugs have been shown to induce apoptosis in susceptible tumor cells. However, the signaling pathway for apoptosis remains undefined. In this study, the cytotoxic effect of linalool on human cancer cell lines was investigated. Water-soluble tetrazolium salts (WST-1 based colorimetric cellular cytotoxicity assay, was used to test the cytotoxic ability of linalool against U937 and HeLa cells, and flow cytometry (FCM and genechip analysis were used to investigate the possible mechanism of apoptosis. These results demonstrated that linalool exhibited a good cytotoxic effect on U937 and HeLa cells, with the IC50 value of 2.59 and 11.02 μM, respectively, compared with 5-FU with values of 4.86 and 12.31 μM, respectively. After treating U937 cells with linalool for 6 h, we found an increased sub-G1 peak and a dose-dependent phenomenon, whereby these cells were arrested at the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, by using genechip analysis, we observed that linalool can promote p53, p21, p27, p16, and p18 gene expression. Therefore, this study verified that linalool can arrest the cell cycle of U937 cells at the G0/G1 phase and can arrest the cell cycle of HeLa cells at the G2/M phase. Its mechanism facilitates the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinases inhibitors (CDKIs p53, p21, p27, p16, and p18, as well as the non-expression of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs activity.

Chromatin status of apoptosis genes correlates with sensitivity to chemo-, immune- and radiation therapy in colorectal cancer cell lines.

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Benard, Anne; Janssen, Connie M; van den Elsen, Peter J; van Eggermond, Marja C J A; Hoon, Dave S B; van de Velde, Cornelis J H; Kuppen, Peter J K

2014-12-01

The apoptosis pathway of programmed cell death is frequently deregulated in cancer. An intact apoptosis pathway is required for proper response to anti-cancer treatment. We investigated the chromatin status of key apoptosis genes in the apoptosis pathway in colorectal cancer cell lines in relation to apoptosis induced by chemo-, immune- or radiation therapy. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we measured the presence of transcription-activating histone modifications H3Ac and H3K4me3 and silencing modifications H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 at the gene promoter regions of key apoptosis genes Bax, Bcl2, Caspase-9, Fas (CD95) and p53. Cell lines DLD1, SW620, Colo320, Caco2, Lovo and HT29 were treated with cisplatin, anti-Fas or radiation. The apoptotic response was measured by flow cytometry using propidium iodide and annexin V-FITC. The chromatin status of the apoptosis genes reflected the activation status of the intrinsic (Bax, Bcl2, Caspase-9 and p53) and extrinsic (Fas) pathways. An active intrinsic apoptotic pathway corresponded to sensitivity to cisplatin and radiation treatment of cell lines DLD1, SW620 and Colo320. An active Fas promoter corresponded to an active extrinsic apoptotic pathway in cell line DLD1. mRNA expression data correlated with the chromatin status of the apoptosis genes as measured by ChIP. In conclusion, the results presented in this study indicate that the balance between activating and silencing histone modifications, reflecting the chromatin status of apoptosis genes, can be used to predict the response of tumor cells to different anti-cancer therapies and could provide a novel target to sensitize tumors to obtain adequate treatment responses.

Induction of apoptosis by pinostrobin in human cervical cancer cells: Possible mechanism of action.

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Alka Jaudan

Full Text Available Pinostrobin (PN is a naturally occurring dietary bioflavonoid, found in various medicinal herbs/plants. Though anti-cancer potential of many such similar constituents has been demonstrated, critical biochemical targets and exact mechanism for their apoptosis-inducing actions have not been fully elucidated. The present study was aimed to investigate if PN induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells (HeLa of human origin. It is demonstrated that PN at increasing dose effectivity reduced the cell viability as well as GSH and NO2- levels. Condensed nuclei with fragmented chromatin and changes in mitochondrial matrix morphology clearly indicated the role of mitochondria in PN induced apoptosis. A marked reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential and increased ROS production after PN treatment showed involvement of free radicals, which in turn further augment ROS levels. PN treatment resulted in DNA damage, which could have been triggered by an increase in ROS levels. Decrease in apoptotic cells in the presence of caspase 3 inhibitor in PN-treated cells suggested that PN induced apoptosis via caspase dependent pathways. Additionally, a significant increase in the expression of proteins of extrinsic (TRAIL R1/DR4, TRAIL R2/DR5, TNF RI/TNFRSF1A, FADD, Fas/TNFRSF6 and intrinsic pathway (Bad, Bax, HTRA2/Omi, SMAC/Diablo, cytochrome C, Pro-Caspase-3, Cleaved Caspase-3 was observed in the cells exposed to PN. Taken together, these observations suggest that PN efficiently induces apoptosis through ROS mediated extrinsic and intrinsic dependent signaling pathways, as well as ROS mediated mitochondrial damage in HeLa cells.

3-Bromopyruvate and sodium citrate induce apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 by inhibiting glycolysis and promoting mitochondria-regulated apoptosis pathway

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Guo, Xingyu; Zhang, Xiaodong; Wang, Tingan, E-mail: moonsonlife@yahoo.com; Xian, Shulin; Lu, Yunfei, E-mail: doctorlife@126.com

2016-06-17

Cancer cells are mainly dependent on glycolysis to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and intermediates required for cell growth and proliferation. Thus, inhibition of glycolysis might be of therapeutic value in antitumor treatment. Our previously studies had found that both 3-bromopyruvate (BP) and sodium citrate (SCT) can inhibit tumor growth and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism involved in the BP and SCT mediated antitumor activity is not entirely clear. In this work, it is demonstrated that BP inhibits the enzyme hexokinase (HK) activity and SCT suppresses the phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity respectively, both the two agents decrease viability, ATP generation and lactate content in the human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803. These effects are directly correlated with blockage of glycolysis. Furthermore, BP and SCT can induce the characteristic manifestations of mitochondria-regulated apoptosis, such as down-regulation of anti-apoptosis proteins Bcl-2 and Survivin, up-regulation of pro-apoptosis protein Bax, activation of caspase-3, as well as leakage of cytochrome c (Cyt-c). In summary, our results provided evidences that BP and SCT inhibit the MGC-803 cells growth and proliferation might be correlated with inhibiting glycolysis and promoting mitochondria-regulated apoptosis. -- Highlights: •Blockage of glycolysis might be a novel way to anticancer. •Both 3-bromopyruvate and sodium citrate could inhibit glycolysis and regulate mitochondrial pathway in cancer cells. •Both 3-bromopyruvate and sodium citrate would be the novel agents on treatment of gastric cancer.

3-Bromopyruvate and sodium citrate induce apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 by inhibiting glycolysis and promoting mitochondria-regulated apoptosis pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Xingyu; Zhang, Xiaodong; Wang, Tingan; Xian, Shulin; Lu, Yunfei

2016-01-01

Cancer cells are mainly dependent on glycolysis to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and intermediates required for cell growth and proliferation. Thus, inhibition of glycolysis might be of therapeutic value in antitumor treatment. Our previously studies had found that both 3-bromopyruvate (BP) and sodium citrate (SCT) can inhibit tumor growth and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism involved in the BP and SCT mediated antitumor activity is not entirely clear. In this work, it is demonstrated that BP inhibits the enzyme hexokinase (HK) activity and SCT suppresses the phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity respectively, both the two agents decrease viability, ATP generation and lactate content in the human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803. These effects are directly correlated with blockage of glycolysis. Furthermore, BP and SCT can induce the characteristic manifestations of mitochondria-regulated apoptosis, such as down-regulation of anti-apoptosis proteins Bcl-2 and Survivin, up-regulation of pro-apoptosis protein Bax, activation of caspase-3, as well as leakage of cytochrome c (Cyt-c). In summary, our results provided evidences that BP and SCT inhibit the MGC-803 cells growth and proliferation might be correlated with inhibiting glycolysis and promoting mitochondria-regulated apoptosis. -- Highlights: •Blockage of glycolysis might be a novel way to anticancer. •Both 3-bromopyruvate and sodium citrate could inhibit glycolysis and regulate mitochondrial pathway in cancer cells. •Both 3-bromopyruvate and sodium citrate would be the novel agents on treatment of gastric cancer.

Co-Operation Between FADD and Bin1 in Prostate Cancer Apoptosis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Thorburn, Andrew

2004-01-01

Evasion of apoptosis is a hallmark of cancer (Hanahan and Weinberg, 2000). Consequently, it is sometimes thought that cancer cells are generally resistant to apoptosis while normal cells are sensitive...

Milk Fermented by Propionibacterium freudenreichii Induces Apoptosis of HGT-1 Human Gastric Cancer Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Cousin, Fabien J.; Jouan-Lanhouet, Sandrine; Dimanche-Boitrel, Marie-Thérèse; Corcos, Laurent; Jan, Gwénaël

2012-01-01

Background Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The “economically developed countries” life style, including diet, constitutes a risk factor favoring this cancer. Diet modulation may lower digestive cancer incidence. Among promising food components, dairy propionibacteria were shown to trigger apoptosis of human colon cancer cells, via the release of short-chain fatty acids acetate and propionate. Methodology/Principal Findings A fermented milk, exclusively fermented by P. freudenreichii, was recently designed. In this work, the pro-apoptotic potential of this new fermented milk was demonstrated on HGT-1 human gastric cancer cells. Fermented milk supernatant induced typical features of apoptosis including chromatin condensation, formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA laddering, cell cycle arrest and emergence of a subG1 population, phosphatidylserine exposure at the plasma membrane outer leaflet, reactive oxygen species accumulation, mitochondrial transmembrane potential disruption, caspase activation and cytochrome c release. Remarkably, this new fermented milk containing P. freudenreichii enhanced the cytotoxicity of camptothecin, a drug used in gastric cancer chemotherapy. Conclusions/Significance Such new probiotic fermented milk may thus be useful as part of a preventive diet designed to prevent gastric cancer and/or as a food supplement to potentiate cancer therapeutic treatments. PMID:22442660

Polydatin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in laryngeal cancer and HeLa cells via suppression of the PDGF/AKT signaling pathway.

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Li, Haixia; Shi, Baoyuan; Li, Yanyun; Yin, Fengfang

2017-07-01

Polydatin (PD), a stilbene compound extracted from Polygonum cuspidatum, is suggested to possess anti-cancer activities, including inhibition of cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis. The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/AKT signaling pathway plays complex roles in tumor suppression. However, the effect of PD on the PDGF/AKT signaling pathway in laryngeal cancer and HeLa cells has not been explored. MTT assay and flow cytometry showed that PD inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in Hep-2 and AMC-HN-8 cells. Western blot analysis indicated that PD inhibited the expression levels of PDGF-B and phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) in both cells. Treatment of PDGF-B siRNA or PDGFR inhibitor found that after the PDGF signaling was inactivated, p-AKT expression was significantly decreased in Hep-2 cells. Tumor xenograft experiment in nude mice indicated PD significantly inhibited the growth of Hep-2 cells in vivo. In conclusion, PD inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in laryngeal cancer and HeLa cells via inactivation of the PDGF/AKT signaling pathway. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Compound K induced apoptosis via endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release through ryanodine receptor in human lung cancer cells

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Dong-Hyun Shin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Extended endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress may initiate apoptotic pathways in cancer cells, and ER stress has been reported to possibly increase tumor death in cancer therapy. We previously reported that caspase-8 played an important role in compound K-induced apoptosis via activation of caspase-3 directly or indirectly through Bid cleavage, cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 activation in HL-60 human leukemia cells. The mechanisms leading to apoptosis in A549 and SK-MES-1 human lung cancer cells and the role of ER stress have not yet been understood. Methods: The apoptotic effects of compound K were analyzed using flow cytometry, and the changes in protein levels were determined using Western blot analysis. The intracellular calcium levels were monitored by staining with Fura-2/AM and Fluo-3/AM. Results: Compound K-induced ER stress was confirmed through increased phosphorylation of eIF2α and protein levels of GRP78/BiP, XBP-1S, and IRE1α in human lung cancer cells. Moreover, compound-K led to the accumulation of intracellular calcium and an increase in m-calpain activities that were both significantly inhibited by pretreatment either with BAPTA-AM (an intracellular Ca2+ chelator or dantrolene (an RyR channel antagonist. These results were correlated with the outcome that compound K induced ER stress-related apoptosis through caspase-12, as z-ATAD-fmk (a specific inhibitor of caspase-12 partially ameliorated this effect. Interestingly, 4-PBA (ER stress inhibitor dramatically improved the compound K-induced apoptosis. Conclusion: Cell survival and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis during ER stress in human lung cancer cells are important factors in the induction of the compound K-induced apoptotic pathway. Keywords: apoptosis, calcium, compound K, ER stress, lung cancer cells

Andrographolide induces apoptotic and non-apoptotic death and enhances tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-mediated apoptosis in gastric cancer cells

OpenAIRE

Lim, Sung-Chul; Jeon, Ho Jong; Kee, Keun Hong; Lee, Mi Ja; Hong, Ran; Han, Song Iy

2017-01-01

Andrographolide, a natural compound isolated from Andrographis paniculata, has been reported to possess antitumor activity. In the present study, the effect of andrographolide in human gastric cancer (GC) cells was investigated. Andrographolide induced cell death with apoptotic and non-apoptotic features. At a low concentration, andrographolide potentiated apoptosis and reduction of clonogenicity triggered by recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (rhTRAIL)....

Cellular effect of styrene substituted biscoumarin caused cellular apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Perumalsamy, Haribalan; Sankarapandian, Karuppasamy; Kandaswamy, Narendran; Balusamy, Sri Renukadevi; Periyathambi, Dhaiveegan; Raveendiran, Nanthini

2017-11-01

Coumarins occurs naturally across plant kingdoms exhibits significant pharmacological properties and pharmacokinetic activity. The conventional, therapeutic agents are often associated with poor stability, absorption and increased side effects. Therefore, identification of a drug that has little or no-side effect on humans is consequential. Here, we investigated the antiproliferative activity of styrene substituted biscoumarin against various human breast cancer cell lines, such as MCF-7, (ER-) MDA-MB-231 and (AR+) MDA-MB-453. Styrene substituted biscoumarin induced cell death by apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cell line was analyzed. Antiproliferative activity of Styrene substituted biscoumarin was performed by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Styrene substituted biscoumarin induced apoptosis was assessed by Hoechst staining, Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (Annexin V-FITC/PI) staining and flow cytometric analysis. Migratory and proliferating characteristic of breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 was also analyzed by wound healing and colony formation assay. Furthermore, mRNA expression of BAX and BCL-2 were quantified using qRT-PCR and protein expression level analyzed by Western blot. The inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) of styrene substituted biscoumarin was assayed against three breast cancer cell lines. The inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) value of styrene substituted biscoumarin toward MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453 and MCF-7 cell lines was 5.63, 7.30 and 10.84μg/ml respectively. Styrene substituted biscoumarin induced apoptosis was detected by Hoechst staining, DAPI/PI analysis and flow-cytometric analysis. The migration and proliferative efficiency of MDA-MB-231 cells were completely arrested upon styrene substituted biscoumarin treatment. Also, mRNA gene expression and protein expression of pro-apoptotic (BAX) and anti-apoptotic (BCL-2) genes were analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis upon

Molecular basis for the interplay of apoptosis and proliferation mediated by Bcl-xL:Bim interactions in pancreatic cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abrol, Ravinder, E-mail: abrol@wag.caltech.edu [Materials and Process Simulation Center, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Edderkaoui, Mouad [Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90073 (United States); Goddard, William A. [Materials and Process Simulation Center, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Pandol, Stephen J., E-mail: stephen.pandol@va.gov [Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90073 (United States)

2012-06-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Direct role of Bcl-2 protein interactions in cell proliferation is not clear. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Designed Bcl-xL mutants show opposite effects on apoptosis and proliferation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Disrupting Bcl-xL:Bim interaction increased apoptosis in pancreatic cancer. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Disrupting Bcl-xL:Bim interaction decreased proliferation in pancreatic cancer. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bcl-xL:Bim interaction can control both apoptosis and proliferation. -- Abstract: A major mechanism through which cancer cells avoid apoptosis is by promoting the association of anti-apoptotic members of the pro-survival Bcl-2 protein family (like Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL) with BH{sub 3} domain-only proteins (like Bim and Bid). Apoptosis and cell proliferation have been shown to be linked for many cancers but the molecular basis for this link is far from understood. We have identified the Bcl-xL:Bim protein-protein interface as a direct regulator of proliferation and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. We were able to predict and subsequently verify experimentally the effect of various Bcl-xL single-point mutants (at the position A142) on binding to Bim by structural analysis and computational modeling of the inter-residue interactions at the Bcl-xL:Bim protein-protein interface. The mutants A142N, A142Q, and A142Y decreased binding of Bim to Bcl-xL and A142S increased this binding. The Bcl-xL mutants, with decreased affinity for Bim, caused an increase in apoptosis and a corresponding decrease in cell proliferation. However, we could prevent these effects by introducing a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted at Bim. These results show a novel role played by the Bcl-xL:Bim interaction in regulating proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells at the expense of apoptosis. This study presents a physiologically relevant model of the Bcl-xL:Bim interface that can be used for rational therapeutic design for the

Sildenafil (Viagra) sensitizes prostate cancer cells to doxorubicin-mediated apoptosis through CD95

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Das, Anindita; Durrant, David; Mitchell, Clint; Dent, Paul; Batra, Surinder K.; Kukreja, Rakesh C.

2016-01-01

We previously reported that Sildenafil enhances apoptosis and antitumor efficacy of doxorubicin (DOX) while attenuating its cardiotoxic effect in prostate cancer. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which sildenafil sensitizes DOX in killing of prostate cancer (PCa) cells, DU145. The death receptor Fas (APO-1 or CD95) induces apoptosis in many carcinoma cells, which is negatively regulated by anti-apoptotic molecules such as FLIP (Fas-associated death domain (FADD) interleukin-1-converting enzyme (FLICE)-like inhibitory protein). Co-treatment of PCa cells with sildenafil and DOX for 48 hours showed reduced expression of both long and short forms of FLIP (FLIP-L and -S) as compared to individual drug treatment. Over-expression of FLIP-s with an adenoviral vector attentuated the enhanced cell-killing effect of DOX and sildenafil. Colony formation assays also confirmed that FLIP-S over-expression inhibited the DOX and sildenafil-induced synergistic killing effect as compared to the cells infected with an empty vector. Moreover, siRNA knock-down of CD95 abolished the effect of sildenafil in enhancing DOX lethality in cells, but had no effect on cell killing after treatment with a single agent. Sildenafil co-treatment with DOX inhibited DOX-induced NF-κB activity by reducing phosphorylation of IκB and nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit, in addition to down regulation of FAP-1 (Fas associated phosphatase-1, a known inhibitor of CD95-mediated apoptosis) expression. This data provides evidence that the CD95 is a key regulator of sildenafil and DOX mediated enhanced cell death in prostate cancer. PMID:26716643

Sensitization of human colon cancer cells to sodium butyrate-induced apoptosis by modulation of sphingosine kinase 2 and protein kinase D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Min; Liu, Yungang; Zou, Fei

2012-01-01

Sphingosine kinases (SphKs) have been recognized as important proteins regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Of the two isoforms of SphK (SphK1 and SphK2), little is known about the functions of SphK2. Sodium butyrate (NaBT) has been established as a promising chemotherapeutic agent, but the precise mechanism for its effects is unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of SphK2 in NaBT-induced apoptosis of HCT116 colon cancer cells. The results indicated that following NaBT treatment SphK2 was translocated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, leading to its accumulation in the cytoplasm; in the meantime, only mild apoptosis occurred. However, downregulation of SphK2 resulted in sensitized apoptosis, and overexpression of SphK2 led to even lighter apoptosis; these strongly indicate an inhibitory role of SphK2 in cell apoptosis induced by NaBT. After knocking down protein kinase D (PKD), another protein reported to be critical in cell proliferation/apoptosis process, by using siRNA, blockage of cytoplasmic accumulation of SphK2 and sensitized apoptosis following NaBT treatment were observed. The present study suggests that PKD and SphK2 may form a mechanism for the resistance of cancer cells to tumor chemotherapies, such as HCT116 colon cancer cells to NaBT, and these two proteins may become molecular targets for designation of new tumor-therapeutic drugs. -- Highlights: ► In the present study sodium butyrate (10 mM) induced mild apoptosis of cancer cells. ► The apoptosis was negatively regulated by cytoplasmic Sphingosine Kinase 2 (SphK2). ► Translocation of SphK2 from nucleus to cytoplasm was mediated by protein kinase D. ► Downregulation of SphK2 or protein kinase D leads to sensitized cell apoptosis.

Apoptosis and radiosensitivity induced by N-acety1 phytosphingosine, in human cancer cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. H.; Kim, K. S.; Han, Y. S.; Jeon, S. J.; Song, J. Y.; Jung, I. S.; Hong, S. H.; Yun, Y. S.; Park, J. S.

2004-01-01

Ceramide is a key lipid molecule in signal transduction with a role in various regulatory pathways including differentiation, proliferation and especially apoptosis. Ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis is associated with accumulation of ceramide, and the sphingomyelinase deficiency results in radioresistance. We investigated the exogenous treatment of N-acetyl-phytosphingosine (NAPS), an analogue of N-acetyl-sphingosine (C 2 -Ceramide), and C 2 -ceramide exert apoptotic effect on human T cell lymphoma Jurkat cells and breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. NAPS and C 2 -Ceramide has cytotoxic effect in time- and dose-dependent manner, and increased caspase-3, 8 activity. However, NAPS induced apoptosis more effectively, and increased caspase activity induced by NAPS is more higher than C 2 -ceramide. Moreover, NAPS decreased clonogenicity of irradiated cells and increased radiation-induced apoptosis significantly. Increased cell death by irradiation in the presence of NAPS is owing to the increase of caspase activity. These data suggest that NAPS might be used for lead as a new type of radiosensitizing agent increasing radiation-induced apoptosis

Mitochondrial dysfunction is responsible for fatty acid synthase inhibition-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells by PdpaMn.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiang; Du, Xia; Zhou, Bingjie; Li, Jing; Lu, Wenlong; Chen, Qiuyun; Gao, Jing

2017-12-01

Targeting cellular metabolism is becoming a hallmark to overcome drug resistance in breast cancer treatment. Activation of fatty acid synthase (FASN) has been shown to promote breast cancer cell growth. However, there is no concrete report underlying the mechanism associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in relation to fatty acid synthase inhibition-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. The current study is aimed at exploring the effect of the novel manganese (Mn) complex, labeled as PdpaMn, on lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in breast cancer cells. Herein, we observed that PdpaMn displayed strong cytotoxicity on breast cancer cell lines and selectively targeted the tumor without affecting the normal organs or cells in vivo. We also observed that PdpaMn could bind to TE domain of FASN and decrease the activity and the level of expression of FASN, which is an indication that FASN could serve as a target of PdpaMn. In addition, we demonstrated that PdpaMn increased intrinsic apoptosis in breast cancer cells relayed by a suppressed the level of expression of FASN, followed by the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and the activation of caspases-9. Instigated by the above observations, we hypothesized that PdpaMn-induced apoptosis events are dependent on mitochondrial dysfunction. Indeed, we found that mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse, mitochondrial oxygen consumption reduction and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release were deeply repressed. Furthermore, our results showed that PdpaMn significantly increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the protection conferred by the free radical scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) indicates that PdpaMn-induced apoptosis through an oxidative stress-associated mechanism. More so, the above results have demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction participated in FASN inhibition-induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells by PdpaMn. Therefore, PdpaMn may be considered as a good candidate

Vitamin K2 Induces Mitochondria-Related Apoptosis in Human Bladder Cancer Cells via ROS and JNK/p38 MAPK Signal Pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Fengsen; Yu, Yuejin; Guan, Rijian; Xu, Zhiliang; Liang, Huageng; Hong, Ling

2016-01-01

The effects of vitamin K2 on apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells have been well established in previous studies. However, the apoptotic effect of vitamin K2 on bladder cancer cells has not been evaluated. The aim of this study is to examine the apoptotic activity of Vitamin K2 in bladder cancer cells and investigate the underlying mechanism. In this study, Vitamin K2 induced apoptosis in bladder cancer cells through mitochondria pathway including loss of mitochondria membrane potential, cytochrome C release and caspase-3 cascade. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAPK was detected in Vitamin K2-treated cells and both SP600125 (an inhibitor of JNK) and SB203580 (an inhibitor of p38 MAPK) completely abolished the Vitamin K2-induced apoptosis and loss of mitochondria membrane potential. Moreover, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected in bladder cancer cells, upon treatment of vitamin K2 and the anti-oxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) almost blocked the Vitamin K2-triggered apoptosis, loss of mitochondria membrane potential and activation of JNK and p38 MAPK. Taken together, these findings revealed that Vitamin K2 induces apoptosis in bladder cancer cells via ROS-mediated JNK/p38 MAPK and Mitochondrial pathways.

Methyl Sartortuoate Inhibits Colon Cancer Cell Growth by Inducing Apoptosis and G2/M-Phase Arrest.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Qiusheng; Li, Shoufeng; Lai, Wei; Xu, Heyang; Zhang, Yang; Zeng, Yujie; Lan, Wenjian; Chu, Zhonghua

2015-08-17

The potential anti-neoplastic activity of terpenoids is of continued interest. In this study, we investigate whether methyl sartortuoate, a terpenoid isolated from soft coral, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a human colon cancer cell line. Culture studies found that methyl sartortuoate inhibited colon cancer cell (LoVo and RKO) growth and caused apoptotic death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, by activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3, p53 and Bax, and inactivation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) apoptosis regulating proteins. Methyl sartortuoate treatment led to reduced expression of cdc2 and up-regulated p21 and p53, suggesting that Methyl sartortuoate induced G2-M arrest through modulation of p53/p21/cdc2 pathways. Methyl sartortuoate also up-regulated phospho-JNK and phospho-p38 expression levels. This resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G2-M phase and apoptosis in LoVo and RKO cells. Treatment with the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 prevented methyl sartortuoate-induced apoptosis in LoVo cells. Moreover, methyl sartortuoate also prevented neoplasm growth in NOD-SCID nude mice inoculated with LoVo cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that methyl sartortuoate is capable of leading to activation of caspase-8, -9, -3, increasing p53 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio apoptosis through MAPK-dependent apoptosis and results in G2-M phase arrest in LoVo and RKO cells. Thus, methyl sartortuoate may be a promising anticancer candidate.

KAEMPFEROL, A FLAVONOID COMPOUND FROM GYNURA MEDICA INDUCED APOPTOSIS AND GROWTH INHIBITION IN MCF-7 BREAST CANCER CELL.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Xiaofang; Zuo, Jiangcheng; Tan, Chao; Xian, Sheng; Luo, Chunhua; Chen, Sai; Yu, Liangfang; Luo, Yucheng

2016-01-01

Kaempferol, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to induce cancer cell apoptosis and cell growth inhibition in several tumors. Previously we have conducted a full investigation on the chemical constituents of Gynura medica , kaempferol and its glycosides are the major constituents of G. medica . Here we investigated the growth inhibition and apoptosis induction effect of kaempferol extracted from G. medica . The inhibition effects of kaempferol were evaluated by MTS assay and soft agar colony formation assay. Fluorescence staining and western blotting were be used to study the apoptosis. The structure was identified by 1 H- NMR), 13 C-NMR and ESI-MS analyses. Our results showed that kaempferol's inhibition of MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth may through inducing apoptosis and downregulation of Bcl2 expression. Kaempferol is a promising cancer preventive and therapeutic agent for breast cancer. List of non-standard abbreviations: MTS: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography, NMR: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, ESI-MS Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectral, PARP: Poly ADP-ribose polymerase.

Fatty acid synthase inhibition triggers apoptosis during S phase in human cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Weibo; Simpson, P Jeanette; McFadden, Jill M; Townsend, Craig A; Medghalchi, Susan M; Vadlamudi, Aravinda; Pinn, Michael L; Ronnett, Gabriele V; Kuhajda, Francis P

2003-11-01

C75, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS), induces apoptosis in cultured human cancer cells. Its proposed mechanism of action linked high levels of malonyl-CoA after FAS inhibition to potential downstream effects including inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) with resultant inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. Recent data has shown that C75 directly stimulates CPT-1 increasing fatty acid oxidation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells despite inhibitory concentrations of malonyl-CoA. In light of these findings, we have studied fatty acid metabolism in MCF7 human breast cancer cells to elucidate the mechanism of action of C75. We now report that: (a) in the setting of increased fatty acid oxidation, C75 inhibits fatty acid synthesis; (b) C273, a reduced form of C75, is unable to inhibit fatty acid synthesis and is nontoxic to MCF7 cells; (c) C75 and 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA), an inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, both cause a significant reduction of fatty acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine, the major membrane phospholipid, within 2 h; (d) pulse chase studies with [(14)C]acetate labeling of membrane lipids show that both C75 and TOFA accelerate the decay of (14)C-labeled lipid from membranes within 2 h; (e) C75 also promotes a 2-3-fold increase in oxidation of membrane lipids within 2 h; and (f) because interference with phospholipid synthesis during S phase is known to trigger apoptosis in cycling cells, we performed double-labeled terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated nick end labeling and BrdUrd analysis with both TOFA and C75. C75 triggered apoptosis during S phase, whereas TOFA did not. Moreover, application of TOFA 2 h before C75 blocked the C75 induced apoptosis, whereas etomoxir did not. Taken together these data indicate that FAS inhibition and its downstream inhibition of phospholipid production is a necessary part of the mechanism of action of C75. CPT-1 stimulation does not likely play a role in the

Arctigenin anti-tumor activity in bladder cancer T24 cell line through induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis.

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Yang, Shucai; Ma, Jing; Xiao, Jianbing; Lv, Xiaohong; Li, Xinlei; Yang, Huike; Liu, Ying; Feng, Sijia; Zhang, Yafang

2012-08-01

Bladder cancer is the most common neoplasm in the urinary system. This study assesses arctigenin anti-tumor activity in human bladder cancer T24 cells in vitro and the underlying molecular events. The flow cytometry analysis was used to detect cell-cycle distribution and apoptosis. Western blotting was used to detect changes in protein expression. The data showed that arctigenin treatment reduced viability of bladder cancer T24 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner after treatment with arctigenin (10, 20, 40, 80, and 100 μmol/L) for 24 hr and 48 hr. Arctigenin treatment clearly arrested tumor cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Apoptosis was detected by hoechst stain and flow cytometry after Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining. Early and late apoptotic cells were accounted for 2.32-7.01% and 3.07-7.35%, respectively. At the molecular level, arctigenin treatment decreased cyclin D1 expression, whereas CDK4 and CDK6 expression levels were unaffected. Moreover, arctigenin selectively altered the phosphorylation of members of the MAPK superfamily, decreasing phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and activated phosphorylation of p38 significantly in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that arctigenin may inhibit cell viability and induce apoptosis by direct activation of the mitochondrial pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway may play an important role in the anti-tumor effect of arctigenin. The data from the current study demonstrate the usefulness of arctigenin in bladder cancer T24 cells, which should further be evaluated in vivo before translation into clinical trials for the chemoprevention of bladder cancer. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Death Receptor-Induced Apoptosis Signalling Regulation by Ezrin Is Cell Type Dependent and Occurs in a DISC-Independent Manner in Colon Cancer Cells

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Iessi, Elisabetta; Zischler, Luciana; Etringer, Aurélie; Bergeret, Marion; Morlé, Aymeric; Jacquemin, Guillaume; Morizot, Alexandre; Shirley, Sarah; Lalaoui, Najoua; Elifio-Esposito, Selene L.; Fais, Stefano; Garrido, Carmen; Solary, Eric; Micheau, Olivier

2015-01-01

Ezrin belongs to the ERM (ezrin-radixin-moesin) protein family and has been demonstrated to regulate early steps of Fas receptor signalling in lymphoid cells, but its contribution to TRAIL-induced cell death regulation in adherent cancer cells remains unknown. In this study we report that regulation of FasL and TRAIL-induced cell death by ezrin is cell type dependant. Ezrin is a positive regulator of apoptosis in T-lymphoma cell line Jurkat, but a negative regulator in colon cancer cells. Using ezrin phosphorylation or actin-binding mutants, we provide evidence that negative regulation of death receptor-induced apoptosis by ezrin occurs in a cytoskeleton- and DISC-independent manner, in colon cancer cells. Remarkably, inhibition of apoptosis induced by these ligands was found to be tightly associated with regulation of ezrin phosphorylation on serine 66, the tumor suppressor gene WWOX and activation of PKA. Deficiency in WWOX expression in the liver cancer SK-HEP1 or the pancreatic Mia PaCa-2 cell lines as well as WWOX silencing or modulation of PKA activation by pharmacological regulators, in the colon cancer cell line SW480, abrogated regulation of TRAIL signalling by ezrin. Altogether our results show that death receptor pro-apoptotic signalling regulation by ezrin can occur downstream of the DISC in colon cancer cells. PMID:26010871

Death Receptor-Induced Apoptosis Signalling Regulation by Ezrin Is Cell Type Dependent and Occurs in a DISC-Independent Manner in Colon Cancer Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabetta Iessi

Full Text Available Ezrin belongs to the ERM (ezrin-radixin-moesin protein family and has been demonstrated to regulate early steps of Fas receptor signalling in lymphoid cells, but its contribution to TRAIL-induced cell death regulation in adherent cancer cells remains unknown. In this study we report that regulation of FasL and TRAIL-induced cell death by ezrin is cell type dependant. Ezrin is a positive regulator of apoptosis in T-lymphoma cell line Jurkat, but a negative regulator in colon cancer cells. Using ezrin phosphorylation or actin-binding mutants, we provide evidence that negative regulation of death receptor-induced apoptosis by ezrin occurs in a cytoskeleton- and DISC-independent manner, in colon cancer cells. Remarkably, inhibition of apoptosis induced by these ligands was found to be tightly associated with regulation of ezrin phosphorylation on serine 66, the tumor suppressor gene WWOX and activation of PKA. Deficiency in WWOX expression in the liver cancer SK-HEP1 or the pancreatic Mia PaCa-2 cell lines as well as WWOX silencing or modulation of PKA activation by pharmacological regulators, in the colon cancer cell line SW480, abrogated regulation of TRAIL signalling by ezrin. Altogether our results show that death receptor pro-apoptotic signalling regulation by ezrin can occur downstream of the DISC in colon cancer cells.

Effect of Flavopiridol on Radiation-induced Apoptosis of Human Laryngeal and Lung Cancer Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Suzy; Kwon, Eun Kyung; Lee, B. S.; Lee, Seung Hee; Park, B. S.; Wu, Hong Gyun

2007-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the flavopiridol effect on radiation-induced apoptosis and expression of apoptosisrelated genes of human laryngeal and lung cancer cells. Materials and Methods: A human laryngeal cancer cell line, AMC-HN3 and a human lung cancer cell line, NCI-H460, were used in the study. The cells were divided into four groups according to the type of treatment: 1) control groups; 2) cells that were only irradiated; 3) cells treated only with flavopiridol; 4) cells treated with flavopiridol and radiation simultaneously. The cells were irradiated with 10 Gy of X-rays using a 4 MV linear accelerator. Flavopiridol was administered to the media at a concentration of 100 nM for 24 hours. We compared the fraction of apoptotic cells of each group 24 hours after the initiation of treatment. The fraction of apoptotic cells was detected by measurement of the sub-G1 fractions from a flow cytometric analysis. The expression of apoptosis-regulating genes, including cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), p53, p21, cyclin D1, and phosphorylated Akt (protein kinase B) were analyzed by Western blotting. Results: The sub-G1 fraction of cells was significantly increased in the combination treatment group, as compared to cells exposed to radiation alone or flavopiridol alone. Western blotting also showed an increased expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP expression in cells of the combination treatment group, as compared with cells exposed to radiation alone or flavopiridol alone. Treatment with flavopiridol down regulated cyclin D1 expression of both cell lines but its effect on p53 and p21 expression was different according to each individual cell line. Flavopiridol did not affect the expression of phophorylated Akt in both cell lines. Conclusion: Treatment with flavopiridol increased radiation-induced apoptosis of both the human laryngeal and lung cancer cell lines. Flavopiridol effects on p53 and p21 expression were different according

Suberoyl bis-hydroxamic acid induces p53-dependent apoptosis of MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhi-gang ZHUANG; Fei FEI; Ying CHEN; Wei JIN

2008-01-01

Aim: To study the effects of suberoyl bis-hydroxamic acid (SBHA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylases, on the apoptosis of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Meth-ods: Apoptosis in MCF-7 cells induced by SBHA was demonstrated by flow cytometric analysis, morphological observation, and DNA ladder. Mitochondrial membrane potential (△ψm) was measured using the fluorescent probe JC-1. The expressions of p53, p21, Bax, and PUMA were determined using RT-PCR or Western blotting analysis after the MCF-7 cells were treated with SBHA or p53 siRNA. Results: SBHA induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. The expressions of p53, p21, Bax, and PUMA were induced, and △ψm collapsed after treatment with SBHA. p53 siRNA abrogated the SBHA-induced apoptosis and the expressions of p53, p21, Bax, and PUMA. Conclusion: The activation of the p53 pathway is involved in SBHA-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells.

MicroRNA-1 promotes apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells by targeting apoptosis inhibitor-5 (API-5).

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Li, Dong; Liu, Yu; Li, Hua; Peng, Jing-Jing; Tan, Yan; Zou, Qiang; Song, Xiao-Feng; Du, Min; Yang, Zheng-Hui; Tan, Yong; Zhou, Jin-Jun; Xu, Tao; Fu, Zeng-Qiang; Feng, Jian-Qiong; Cheng, Peng; chen, Tao; Wei, Dong; Su, Xiao-Mei; Liu, Huan-Yi; Qi, Zhong-Chun; Tang, Li-Jun; Wang, Tao; Guo, Xin; Hu, Yong-He; Zhang, Tao

2015-01-02

Although microRNA-1 (miR-1) is a known liver cancer suppressor, the role of miR-1 in apoptosis of hepatoma cells has remained largely unknown. Our study shows that ectopic miR-1 overexpression induced apoptosis of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API-5) was found to be a potential regulator of miR-1 induced apoptosis, using a bioinformatics approach. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between miR-1 and API-5 expression was observed in human liver cancer tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. Negative regulation of API-5 expression by miR-1 was demonstrated to promote apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Our study provides a novel regulatory mechanism of miR-1 in the apoptosis of hepatoma cells. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

γ-Tocotrienol Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis via the Mitochondrial Pathway in Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells

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Weili Xu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available γ-Tocotrienol, a kind of isoprenoid phytochemical, has antitumor activity. However, there is limited evidence that it has an effect on cervical cancer. In this study, the capacity to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells and the mechanism underlying these effects were examined. The results indicated that a γ-tocotrienol concentration over 30 μM inhibited the growth of HeLa cells with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50 of 46.90 ± 3.50 μM at 24 h, and significantly down-regulated the expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA and Ki-67. DNA flow cytometric analysis indicated that γ-tocotrienol arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and reduced the S phase in HeLa cells. γ-tocotrienol induced apoptosis of HeLa cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. γ-tocotrienol-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was accompanied by down-regulation of Bcl-2, up-regulation of Bax, release of cytochrome from mitochondria, activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and subsequent poly (ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP cleavage. These results suggested that γ-tocotrienol could significantly inhibit cell proliferation through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, and induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Thus, our findings revealed that γ-tocotrienol may be considered as a potential agent for cervical cancer therapy.

γ-Tocotrienol Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis Via the Mitochondrial Pathway in Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Weili; Mi, Yaqing; He, Pan; He, Shenghua; Niu, Lingling

2017-08-04

γ-Tocotrienol, a kind of isoprenoid phytochemical, has antitumor activity. However, there is limited evidence that it has an effect on cervical cancer. In this study, the capacity to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells and the mechanism underlying these effects were examined. The results indicated that a γ-tocotrienol concentration over 30 μM inhibited the growth of HeLa cells with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 46.90 ± 3.50 μM at 24 h, and significantly down-regulated the expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67. DNA flow cytometric analysis indicated that γ-tocotrienol arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and reduced the S phase in HeLa cells. γ-tocotrienol induced apoptosis of HeLa cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. γ-tocotrienol-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was accompanied by down-regulation of Bcl-2, up-regulation of Bax, release of cytochrome from mitochondria, activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and subsequent poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. These results suggested that γ-tocotrienol could significantly inhibit cell proliferation through G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, and induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Thus, our findings revealed that γ-tocotrienol may be considered as a potential agent for cervical cancer therapy.

[Effects of metformin on human oral cancer KB cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro].

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Wang, Fang; Xu, Jincheng; Xia, Fei; Liu, Zhe; Zhao, Surong; Liu, Hao; Jiang, Zhiwen

2014-02-01

To investigate the effects of metformin on the proliferation and apoptosis of human oral cancer cell line KB in vitro. Human oral cancer cell line KB was exposed to different doses of metformin (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mmol/L), and the changes in cell viability were detected using MTT assay. Colony formation of the cells was observed following an 8-day metformin exposure. The changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were measured by JC-1 assay, and PI staining was used to observe the cell apoptosis. Western blotting was employed to detect the changes in the protein expressions of GRP78 and activated caspase-3. Metformin exposure caused time- and dose-dependent suppression of KB cell proliferation, and exposure to 5 mmol/L metformin for 24, 48 and 72 h resulted in cell survival rates of 68.0%, 36.9%, and 14.5%, respectively. Metformin significantly inhibited KB cell colony formation. Exposure of the cells to increased concentrations of metformin gradually increased the apoptotic rate and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Metformin caused an initial up-regulation followed by a down-regulation of GRP78 expression in KB cells and increased the expression of activated caspase-3. Metformin can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of KB cells, the mechanism of which may involve the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Lipid Metabolism, Apoptosis and Cancer Therapy

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Chunfa Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Lipid metabolism is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, and generates a variety of bioactive lipid molecules. These bioactive lipid molecules known as signaling molecules, such as fatty acid, eicosanoids, diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, lysophophatidic acid, ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol-3 phosphate, and cholesterol, are involved in the activation or regulation of different signaling pathways. Lipid metabolism participates in the regulation of many cellular processes such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, survival, apoptosis, inflammation, motility, membrane homeostasis, chemotherapy response, and drug resistance. Bioactive lipid molecules promote apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway by modulating mitochondrial membrane permeability and activating different enzymes including caspases. In this review, we discuss recent data in the fields of lipid metabolism, lipid-mediated apoptosis, and cancer therapy. In conclusion, understanding the underlying molecular mechanism of lipid metabolism and the function of different lipid molecules could provide the basis for cancer cell death rationale, discover novel and potential targets, and develop new anticancer drugs for cancer therapy.

Murine Lung Cancer Increases CD4+ T Cell Apoptosis and Decreases Gut Proliferative Capacity in Sepsis.

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Lyons, John D; Mittal, Rohit; Fay, Katherine T; Chen, Ching-Wen; Liang, Zhe; Margoles, Lindsay M; Burd, Eileen M; Farris, Alton B; Ford, Mandy L; Coopersmith, Craig M

2016-01-01

Mortality is significantly higher in septic patients with cancer than in septic patients without a history of cancer. We have previously described a model of pancreatic cancer followed by sepsis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in which cancer septic mice have higher mortality than previously healthy septic mice, associated with increased gut epithelial apoptosis and decreased T cell apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this represents a common host response by creating a new model in which both the type of cancer and the model of sepsis are altered. C57Bl/6 mice received an injection of 250,000 cells of the lung cancer line LLC-1 into their right thigh and were followed three weeks for development of palpable tumors. Mice with cancer and mice without cancer were then subjected to cecal ligation and puncture and sacrificed 24 hours after the onset of sepsis or followed 7 days for survival. Cancer septic mice had a higher mortality than previously healthy septic mice (60% vs. 18%, p = 0.003). Cancer septic mice had decreased number and frequency of splenic CD4+ lymphocytes secondary to increased apoptosis without changes in splenic CD8+ numbers. Intestinal proliferation was also decreased in cancer septic mice. Cancer septic mice had a higher bacterial burden in the peritoneal cavity, but this was not associated with alterations in local cytokine, neutrophil or dendritic cell responses. Cancer septic mice had biochemical evidence of worsened renal function, but there was no histologic evidence of renal injury. Animals with cancer have a significantly higher mortality than previously healthy animals following sepsis. The potential mechanisms associated with this elevated mortality differ significantly based upon the model of cancer and sepsis utilized. While lymphocyte apoptosis and intestinal integrity are both altered by the combination of cancer and sepsis, the patterns of these alterations vary greatly depending on the models used.

Murine Lung Cancer Increases CD4+ T Cell Apoptosis and Decreases Gut Proliferative Capacity in Sepsis.

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John D Lyons

Full Text Available Mortality is significantly higher in septic patients with cancer than in septic patients without a history of cancer. We have previously described a model of pancreatic cancer followed by sepsis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in which cancer septic mice have higher mortality than previously healthy septic mice, associated with increased gut epithelial apoptosis and decreased T cell apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this represents a common host response by creating a new model in which both the type of cancer and the model of sepsis are altered.C57Bl/6 mice received an injection of 250,000 cells of the lung cancer line LLC-1 into their right thigh and were followed three weeks for development of palpable tumors. Mice with cancer and mice without cancer were then subjected to cecal ligation and puncture and sacrificed 24 hours after the onset of sepsis or followed 7 days for survival.Cancer septic mice had a higher mortality than previously healthy septic mice (60% vs. 18%, p = 0.003. Cancer septic mice had decreased number and frequency of splenic CD4+ lymphocytes secondary to increased apoptosis without changes in splenic CD8+ numbers. Intestinal proliferation was also decreased in cancer septic mice. Cancer septic mice had a higher bacterial burden in the peritoneal cavity, but this was not associated with alterations in local cytokine, neutrophil or dendritic cell responses. Cancer septic mice had biochemical evidence of worsened renal function, but there was no histologic evidence of renal injury.Animals with cancer have a significantly higher mortality than previously healthy animals following sepsis. The potential mechanisms associated with this elevated mortality differ significantly based upon the model of cancer and sepsis utilized. While lymphocyte apoptosis and intestinal integrity are both altered by the combination of cancer and sepsis, the patterns of these alterations vary greatly depending on

KDM6B Elicits Cell Apoptosis by Promoting Nuclear Translocation of FOXO1 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Jun Ma

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and the cause of most cancer-related deaths. The molecular mechanisms that are involved in NSCLC development are currently not well understood. Accumulating evidence shows that histone demethylases play important roles in the regulation of pathological developmental processes in many diseases, including various types of cancers. Methods: Mitochondrial membrane potential assays, migration and invasion assays, caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity assays and western blot analysis were used in this research. Results: We found that overexpression of KDM6B, a demethylase that acts on histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27, inhibited cell growth by initiating mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and by attenuating the invasion-metastasis cascade in NSCLC cells. Moreover, our results showed that KDM6B directly interacted with FOXO1 and that overexpression of KDM6B promoted nuclear accumulation of FOXO1. The effects of KDM6B on cell apoptosis and metastasis were weakened by knockdown of FOXO1 expression. On the contrary, knocking down expression of KDM6B inhibited cell apoptosis and promoted cell growth by mitigating the nuclear translocation of FOXO1 in NSCLC cells. Conclusions: These findings suggest that KDM6B may act in a pro-apoptotic role in NSCLC by causing the nuclear translocation of FOXO1.

Amarogentin Induces Apoptosis of Liver Cancer Cells via Upregulation of p53 and Downregulation of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase in Mice

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Li, Runqin; Zhang, Yinglin

2016-01-01

Background and Objective: Amarogentin has been reported to have a preventive effect on liver cancer via inducing cancer cell apoptosis. We attempted to elucidate the roles of p53-associated apoptosis pathways in the chemopreventive mechanism of amarogentin. The findings of this study will facilitate the development of a novel supplementary strategy for the treatment of liver cancer. Materials and Methods: The purity of amarogentin was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The inhibitory ratios of the liver cell lines were determined using a Cell Counting Kit-8 following treatment with a gradient concentration of amarogentin. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry using annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide kits. The gene and protein expression of p53-associated molecules, such as Akt, human telomerase reverse transcriptase, RelA, and p38, was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining in liver cancer cells and mouse tumor tissues after treatment with amarogentin. Results: The inhibitory effect of amarogentin on cell proliferation was more obvious in liver cancer cells, and amarogentin was more likely to induce the apoptosis of liver cancer cells than that of normal liver cells. The gene and protein expression levels of Akt, RelA, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase were markedly higher in the control group than in the preventive group and treatment groups. Only the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase was downregulated, accompanied by the upregulation of p53. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that amarogentin promotes apoptosis of liver cancer cells by the upregulation of p53 and downregulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase and prevents the malignant transformation of these cells. PMID:27402632

Mitochondrial Apoptosis Induced by Chamaemelum Nobile Extract in Breast Cancer Cells.

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Mostafapour Kandelous, Hirsa; Salimi, Misha; Khori, Vahid; Rastkari, Noushin; Amanzadeh, Amir; Salimi, Mona

2016-01-01

Chamaemelum nobile ( Asteraceae ) commonly known as 'Roman chamomile' is a medicinal plant used for numerous diseases in traditional medicine, although its anticancer activity is unknown. The present study was carried out to investigate the anticancer as well as apoptotic activity of ethyl acetate fraction of C. nobile on different cancerous cell lines. The cells were treated with varying concentrations (0.001- 0.25 mg/mL) of this fraction for 24, 48 and 72 h. Apoptosis induced in MCF-7 cells following treatment with ethyl acetate fraction was measured using Annexin V/PI, flowcytometry and western blotting analysis. The results showed that C. nobile ethyl acetate fraction revealed relatively high antiproliferative activity on MCF-7 cells; however, it caused minimal growth inhibitory response in normal cells. The involvement of apoptosis as a major cause of the fraction-induced cell death was confirmed by annexin-V/PI assay. In addition, ethyl acetate fraction triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by decreasing the Bcl-2 as well as increasing of Bax protein expressions and subsequently increasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Furthermore, decreased proliferation of MCF-7 cells in the presence of the fraction was associated with G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. These findings confirm that ethyl acetate fraction of C.nobile may contain a diversity of phytochemicals which suppress the proliferation of MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis.

Autophagy Inhibition Enhances the Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis Induced by Mangrove (Avicennia marina) Extract in Human Breast Cancer Cells

KAUST Repository

Esau, Luke

2015-01-10

Aims: Avicennia marina (AM) is a widely distributed mangrove plant that has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for the treatment of a number of diseases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the leaf ethyl acetate extract of AM for its cytotoxic and apoptotic potential along with in-depth investigations of its mechanism of action in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Study Design: The ethyl acetate extract of leaves and stems of AM was tested against estrogen positive breast cancer cell line MCF-7 using various assays. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, from July 2013-June 2014. Methodology: Dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition of cancer cells was measured using MTT assay. The mechanisms of apoptosis induction were determined using various assays: phosphatidylserine exposure, caspase-3/7 activation, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell cycle analysis, autophagy, and protein expression using western blotting. The modulation of apoptotic genes (p53, Mdm2, NF-kB, Bad, Bax, Bcl-2 and Casp7) was also determined using real time PCR. Results: The AM extract inhibited breast cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis in a concentration dependent manner. We demonstrated a non-classical mode of apoptosis induction in MCF-7 cells by AM extract, where ROS production altered the mitochondrial membrane potential to induce apoptosis. Breast cancer cells treated with 200 µg/ml concentration of AM extract showed increased ROS production and disrupted MMP but no PARP-1 cleavage and a marked decrease in Caspase-7 protein levels (24 and 48 h) were detected. A significant amount of autophagy was also observed at the same concentration. However, treatment of MCF-7 cells with 200 µg/ml of AM extract along with the inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine, significantly increased the apoptosis from 20% to 45

Melatonin Promotes Apoptosis of Oxaliplatin-resistant Colorectal Cancer Cells Through Inhibition of Cellular Prion Protein.

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Lee, Jun Hee; Yoon, Yeo Min; Han, Yong-Seok; Yun, Chul Won; Lee, Sang Hun

2018-04-01

Drug resistance restricts the efficacy of chemotherapy in colorectal cancer. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of drug resistance in colorectal cancer cells remains unclear. The level of cellular prion protein (PrP C ) in oxaliplatin-resistant colorectal cancer (SNU-C5/Oxal-R) cells was assessed. PrP C level in SNU-C5/Oxal-R cells was significantly increased compared to that in wild-type (SNU-C5) cells. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were higher in SNU-C5/Oxal-R cells than in SNU-C5 cells. Treatment of SNU-C5/Oxal-R cells with oxaliplatin and melatonin reduced PrP C expression, while suppressing antioxidant enzyme activity and increasing superoxide anion generation. In SNU-C5/Oxal-R cells, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis were significantly increased following co-treatment with oxaliplatin and melatonin compared to treatment with oxaliplatin alone. Co-treatment with oxaliplatin and melatonin increased endoplasmic reticulum stress in and apoptosis of SNU-C5/Oxal-R cells through inhibition of PrP C , suggesting that PrP C could be a key molecule in oxaliplatin resistance of colorectal cancer cells. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Cypripedin, a phenanthrenequinone from Dendrobium densiflorum, sensitizes non-small cell lung cancer H460 cells to cisplatin-mediated apoptosis.

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Wattanathamsan, Onsurang; Treesuwan, Surassawadee; Sritularak, Boonchoo; Pongrakhananon, Varisa

2018-03-01

The life-threatening potential of lung cancer has increased over the years due to its acquisition of chemotherapeutic resistance, especially to cisplatin, a first-line therapy. In response to this development, researchers have turned their attention to several compounds derived from natural origins, including cypripedin (CYP), a phenanthrenequinone substance extracted from Dendrobium densiflorum. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of CYP to induce apoptosis and enhance cisplatin-mediated death of human lung cancer NCI-H460 cells using cell viability and apoptosis assays. The induction of apoptosis by CYP was observed at a concentration of > 50 μM with the appearance of morphological changes, including DNA condensation and chromatin fragmentation. Together with, CYP was able to activate caspase-3 and downregulate the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Also, a non-cytotoxic dose of CYP synergistically potentiated the effect of cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer line H460 cells, which clearly exhibited the apoptotic phenotype. Western blot analysis revealed that the underlying mechanism involved the downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL, whereas the levels of other apoptotic regulatory proteins were not altered. This study provides interesting information on the potent effect of CYP as a chemotherapeutic sensitizer that could be further developed to improve the clinical outcomes of lung cancer patients.

Eco-Friendly Formulated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Induction of Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in the MCF-7 Cancer Cell Line.

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Boroumand Moghaddam, Amin; Moniri, Mona; Azizi, Susan; Abdul Rahim, Raha; Bin Ariff, Arbakariya; Navaderi, Mohammad; Mohamad, Rosfarizan

2017-10-20

Green products have strong potential in the discovery and development of unique drugs. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been observed to have powerful cytotoxicity against cells that cause breast cancer. The present study aims to examine the cell cycle profile, status of cell death, and pathways of apoptosis in breast cancer cells (MCF-7) treated with biosynthesized ZnO NPs. The anti-proliferative activity of ZnO NPs was determined using MTT assay. Cell cycle analysis and the mode of cell death were evaluated using a flow cytometry instrument. Quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to investigate the expression of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. ZnO NPs were cytotoxic to the MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The 50% growth inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) of ZnO NPs at 24 h was 121 µg/mL. Cell cycle analysis revealed that ZnO NPs induced sub-G₁ phase (apoptosis), with values of 1.87% at 0 μg/mL (control), 71.49% at IC 25 , 98.91% at IC 50 , and 99.44% at IC 75 . Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) flow cytometry analysis confirmed that ZnO NPs induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. The pro-apoptotic genes p53 , p21 , Bax , and JNK were upregulated, whereas anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-2 , AKT1 , and ERK1/2 were downregulated in a dose-dependent manner. The arrest and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells were induced by ZnO NPs through several signalling pathways.

Indomethacin promotes apoptosis in gastric cancer cells through concomitant degradation of Survivin and Aurora B kinase proteins.

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Chiou, Shiun-Kwei; Hoa, Neil; Hodges, Amy; Ge, Lishen; Jadus, Martin R

2014-09-01

Regular usage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with reduced incidence of a variety of cancers. The molecular mechanisms underlying these chemopreventive effects remain poorly understood. This current investigation showed that in gastric cancer cells: (1) Indomethacin treatment enhanced the degradation of chromosomal passenger proteins, Survivin and Aurora B kinase; (2) Indomethacin treatment down-regulated Aurora B kinase activity in a cell cycle-independent fashion; (3) siRNA knockdown of Survivin level promoted Aurora B kinase protein degradation, and vice versa; (4) ectopic overexpression of Survivin blocked reduction of Aurora B kinase level and activity by indomethacin treatment, and vice versa; (5) siRNA knockdown of Aurora B kinase level and AZD1152 inhibition of its activity induced apoptosis, and overexpression of Aurora B kinase inhibited indomethacin-induced apoptosis; (6) indomethacin treatment reduced Aurora B kinase level, coinciding with reduction of Survivin level and induction of apoptosis, in KATO III and HT-29 cells, and in mouse gastric mucosa. A role for Aurora B kinase function in NSAID-induced apoptosis was not previously explored. Thus this report provides better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effect of NSAIDs by elucidating a significant role for Aurora B kinase in indomethacin-induced apoptosis.

Kaempferol increases apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells via PI3K/AKT and telomerase pathways.

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Kashafi, Elham; Moradzadeh, Maliheh; Mohamadkhani, Ashraf; Erfanian, Saiedeh

2017-05-01

Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in women worldwide. Defects in the apoptotic pathways are responsible for both the disease pathogenesis and its therapy resistance. It is thus a good candidate for treatment by pro-apoptotic agents. Kaempferol as a flavonoid has antioxidant and anti-tumor properties. Kaempferol has been shown to induce apoptosis and cell death in cancer cells. However, due to the problems in the treatment of cervical cancer, this study is designed to investigate the molecular mechanism by which kaempferol suppresses the growth of cervical cancer HeLa cell as compared with HFF cells (normal cells). Cells treated with kaempferol (12-100μM) and 5-FU (1-10μM), as the positive control, up to 72h. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay and real time PCR was used to investigate apoptosis and telomerase genes expression. The results showed that kaempferol decreased cell viability as concentration- and time-dependently. IC 50 values were 10.48μM for HeLa and 707.00μM for HFF cells, as compared with 1.40μM and 16.38μM for 5-FU after 72h treatment, respectively. Also, kaempferol induced cellular apoptosis and aging through down-regulating the PI3K/AKT and hTERT pathways. This study suggests that kaempferol may be a useful adjuvant therapeutic agent in the treatment of cervical cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

INHIBITION OF SPONTANEOUS APOPTOSIS IN HUMAN BREAST CANCER

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

邵志敏; 江明; 吴炅; 余黎民; 韩企夏; 张延璆; 沈镇宙

1996-01-01

Breast tumorigenesis proceeds through an accumulation of specific genetic alteration. Breast malignant transformation is dependent on not only the rate of cell production but also on apoptcsis,a genetically prograined process of autonomous ceil death. We investigated whether breast tumorigenesis involved an altered susceptibility to apoptosis and proliferation by examining normal breast epithelium and breast cancer sampies. We found there is a great inhibition of spontaneous apoptosis in breast cancer ceils compared with normal breast epithelium. The inhibition of apoptosis in breast cancer may contribute to neoplastic transformation.

Evodiamine Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Migration of HCT-116 Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

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Lv-Cui Zhao

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Evodiamine (EVO exhibits strong anti-cancer effects. However, the effect of EVO on the human colorectal cancer cell line HCT-116 has not been explored in detail, and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In the present study, cell viability was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8. Cell cycle and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry, and morphological changes in the nucleus were examined by fluorescence microscopy and Hoechst staining. Cell motility was detected by Transwell assay. ELISA was used to assess the protein levels of autocrine motility factor (AMF in the cell supernatant, and protein expression was determined by Western blotting. Our results showed that EVO inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116 cells, caused accumulation of cells in S and G2/M phases, and reduced the levels of the secreted form of AMF. The protein levels of tumor suppressor protein (p53, Bcl-2 Associated X protein (Bax, B cell CLL/lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2, phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI, phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (p-STAT3 and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3 were altered in cells treated with EVO. Taken together, our results suggest that EVO modulates the activity of the p53 signaling pathway to induce apoptosis and downregulate MMP3 expression by inactivating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway through the downregulation of PGI to inhibit migration of HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells.

Gambogic Acid Lysinate Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells by Increasing Reactive Oxygen Species

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Yong-Zhan Zhen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Gambogic acid (GA inhibits the proliferation of various human cancer cells. However, because of its water insolubility, the antitumor efficacy of GA is limited. Objectives. To investigate the antitumor activity of gambogic acid lysinate (GAL and its mechanism. Methods. Inhibition of cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay; intracellular ROS level was detected by staining cells with DCFH-DA; cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometer and the mechanism of GAL was investigated by Western blot. Results. GAL inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells with IC50 values 1.46 μmol/L comparable with GA (IC50, 1.16 μmol/L. GAL promoted the production of ROS; however NAC could remove ROS and block the effect of GAL. GAL inhibited the expression of SIRT1 but increased the phosphorylation of FOXO3a and the expression of p27Kip1. At knockdown of FOXO3a, cell apoptosis induced by GAL can be partly blocked. In addition it also enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3. Conclusions. GAL inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation and induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis by increasing ROS level which could induce cell apoptosis by both SIRT1/FOXO3a/p27Kip1 and caspase-3 signal pathway. These results suggested that GAL might be useful as a modulation agent in cancer chemotherapy.

Interplay between apoptosis and autophagy in colorectal cancer.

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Qian, Hao-Ran; Shi, Zhao-Qi; Zhu, He-Pan; Gu, Li-Hu; Wang, Xian-Fa; Yang, Yi

2017-09-22

Autophagy and apoptosis are two pivotal mechanisms in mediating cell survival and death. Cross-talk of autophagy and apoptosis has been documented in the tumorigenesis and progression of cancer, while the interplay between the two pathways in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not yet been comprehensively summarized. In this study, we outlined the basis of apoptosis and autophagy machinery firstly, and then reviewed the recent evidence in cellular settings or animal studies regarding the interplay between them in CRC. In addition, several key factors that modulate the cross-talk between autophagy and apoptosis as well as its significance in clinical practice were discussed. Understanding of the interplay between the cell death mechanisms may benefit the translation of CRC treatment from basic research to clinical use.

Imiquimod activates p53-dependent apoptosis in a human basal cell carcinoma cell line.

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Huang, Shi-Wei; Chang, Shu-Hao; Mu, Szu-Wei; Jiang, Hsin-Yi; Wang, Sin-Ting; Kao, Jun-Kai; Huang, Jau-Ling; Wu, Chun-Ying; Chen, Yi-Ju; Shieh, Jeng-Jer

2016-03-01

The tumor suppressor p53 controls DNA repair, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy and numerous other cellular processes. Imiquimod (IMQ), a synthetic toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 ligand for the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC), eliminates cancer cells by activating cell-mediated immunity and directly inducing apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells. To evaluate the role of p53 in IMQ-induced cell death in skin cancer cells. The expression, phosphorylation and subcellular localization of p53 were detected by real-time PCR, luciferase reporter assay, cycloheximide chase analysis, immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Using BCC/KMC1 cell line as a model, the upstream signaling of p53 activation was dissected by over-expression of TLR7/8, the addition of ROS scavenger, ATM/ATR inhibitors and pan-caspase inhibitor. The role of p53 in IMQ-induced apoptosis and autophagy was assessed by genetically silencing p53 and evaluated by a DNA content assay, immunoblotting, LC3 puncta detection and acridine orange staining. IMQ induced p53 mRNA expression and protein accumulation, increased Ser15 phosphorylation, promoted nuclear translocation and up-regulated its target genes in skin cancer cells in a TLR7/8-independent manner. In BCC/KMC1 cells, the induction of p53 by IMQ was achieved through increased ROS production to stimulate the ATM/ATR-Chk1/Chk2 axis but was not mediated by inducing DNA damage. The pharmacological inhibition of ATM/ATR significantly suppressed IMQ-induced p53 activation and apoptosis. Silencing of p53 significantly decreased the IMQ-induced caspase cascade activation and apoptosis but enhanced autophagy. Mutant p53 skin cancer cell lines were more resistant to IMQ-induced apoptosis than wildtype p53 skin cancer cell lines. IMQ induced ROS production to stimulate ATM/ATR pathways and contributed to p53-dependent apoptosis in a skin basal cell carcinoma cell line BCC/KMC1. Copyright © 2015 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology

Gene expression profiling associated with angiotensin II type 2 receptor-induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells.

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Nana Pei

Full Text Available Increased expression of angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R induces apoptosis in numerous tumor cell lines, with either Angiotensin II-dependent or Angiotensin II-independent regulation, but its molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we used PCR Array analysis to determine the gene and microRNA expression profiles in human prostate cancer cell lines transduced with AT2R recombinant adenovirus. Our results demonstrated that AT2R over expression leads to up-regulation of 6 apoptosis-related genes (TRAIL-R2, BAG3, BNIPI, HRK, Gadd45a, TP53BP2, 2 cytokine genes (IL6 and IL8 and 1 microRNA, and down-regulation of 1 apoptosis-related gene TNFSF10 and 2 cytokine genes (BMP6, BMP7 in transduced DU145 cells. HRK was identified as an up-regulated gene in AT2R-transduced PC-3 cells by real-time RT-PCR. Next, we utilized siRNAs to silence the up-regulated genes to further determine their roles on AT2R overexpression mediated apoptosis. The results showed downregulation of Gadd45a reduced the apoptotic effect by ∼30% in DU145 cells, downregulation of HRK reduced AT2R-mediated apoptosis by more than 50% in PC-3 cells, while downregulation of TRAIL-R2 enhanced AT2R-mediated apoptosis more than 4 times in DU145 cells. We also found that the effects on AT2R-mediated apoptosis caused by downregulation of Gadd45a, TRAIL-R2 and HRK were independent in activation of p38 MAPK, p44/42 MAPK and p53. Taken together, our results demonstrated that TRAIL-R2, Gadd45a and HRK may be novel target genes for further study of the mechanism of AT2R-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.

microRNA-365, down-regulated in colon cancer, inhibits cell cycle progression and promotes apoptosis of colon cancer cells by probably targeting Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2.

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Nie, Jing; Liu, Lin; Zheng, Wei; Chen, Lin; Wu, Xin; Xu, Yingxin; Du, Xiaohui; Han, Weidong

2012-01-01

Deregulated microRNAs participate in carcinogenesis and cancer progression, but their roles in cancer development remain unclear. In this study, miR-365 expression was found to be downregulated in human colon cancer tissues as compared with that in matched non-neoplastic mucosa tissues, and its downregulation was correlated with cancer progression and poor survival in colon cancer patients. Functional studies revealed that restoration of miR-365 expression inhibited cell cycle progression, promoted 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis and repressed tumorigenicity in colon cancer cell lines. Furthermore, bioinformatic prediction and experimental validation were used to identify miR-365 target genes and indicated that the antitumor effects of miR-365 were probably mediated by its targeting and repression of Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 expression, thus inhibiting cell cycle progression and promoting apoptosis. These results suggest that downregulation of miR-365 in colon cancer may have potential applications in prognosis prediction and gene therapy in colon cancer patients.

The antidiabetic drug ciglitazone induces high grade bladder cancer cells apoptosis through the up-regulation of TRAIL.

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Marie-Laure Plissonnier

Full Text Available Ciglitazone belongs to the thiazolidinediones class of antidiabetic drug family and is a high-affinity ligand for the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPARγ. Apart from its antidiabetic activity, this molecule shows antineoplastic effectiveness in numerous cancer cell lines.Using RT4 (derived from a well differentiated grade I papillary tumor and T24 (derived from an undifferentiated grade III carcinoma bladder cancer cells, we investigated the potential of ciglitazone to induce apoptotic cell death and characterized the molecular mechanisms involved. In RT4 cells, the drug induced G2/M cell cycle arrest characterized by an overexpression of p53, p21(waf1/CIP1 and p27(Kip1 in concomitance with a decrease of cyclin B1. On the contrary, in T24 cells, it triggered apoptosis via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis occurred at high concentrations through PPARγ activation-independent pathways. We show that in vivo treatment of nude mice by ciglitazone inhibits high grade bladder cancer xenograft development. We identified a novel mechanism by which ciglitazone kills cancer cells. Ciglitazone up-regulated soluble and membrane-bound TRAIL and let TRAIL-resistant T24 cells to respond to TRAIL through caspase activation, death receptor signalling pathway and Bid cleavage. We provided evidence that TRAIL-induced apoptosis is partially driven by ciglitazone-mediated down-regulation of c-FLIP and survivin protein levels through a proteasome-dependent degradation mechanism.Therefore, ciglitazone could be clinically relevant as chemopreventive or therapeutic agent for the treatment of TRAIL-refractory high grade urothelial cancers.

[RNA interference of HERC4 inhibits proliferation, apoptosis and migration of cervical cancer Hela cells].

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Wei, Min; Zhang, Yan-Ling; Chen, Lan; Cai, Cui-Xia; Wang, Han-Duo

2016-02-20

To explore the effects of silencing HERC4 on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of cervical cancer cell line Hela and the possible molecular mechanisms. Three HERC4-specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were transfected into Hela cells, and HERC4 expression in the cells was examined with Western blotting. CCK-8 assay, annexin V-FITC/PI assay, and wound healing assay were used to assess the effect of HERC4 silencing on the proliferation, apoptosis and migration ability of Hela cells. The expression levels of cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 in the cells were detected using Western blotting. Transfection of siRNA-3 resulted in significantly decreased HERC4 protein expression (PHela cells, increased the apoptosis rate (PHela cells in vitro, and the underlying mechanisms may involve the down-regulation of cyclin D1 and Bcl-2.

Opposing effects of estradiol- and testosterone-membrane binding sites on T47D breast cancer cell apoptosis

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Kampa, Marilena; Nifli, Artemissia-Phoebe; Charalampopoulos, Ioannis; Alexaki, Vassilia-Ismini; Theodoropoulos, Panayiotis A.; Stathopoulos, Efstathios N.; Gravanis, Achille; Castanas, Elias

2005-01-01

Classical steroid mode of action involves binding to intracellular receptors, the later acting as ligand-activated nuclear transcription factors. Recently, membrane sites for different steroids have been also identified, mediating rapid, non-genomic, steroid actions. Membrane sites for estrogen and androgen have been found in a number of different cell types, bearing or not classical intracellular receptors. In the present study, with the use of radioligand binding, flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy, we report that T47D human breast cancer cells express specific and saturable membrane receptors for both estrogen (K D 4.06 ± 3.31 nM) and androgen (K D 7.64 ± 3.15 nM). Upon activation with BSA-conjugated, non-permeable ligands (E 2 -BSA and testosterone-BSA), membrane estrogen receptors protect cells from serum-deprivation-induced apoptosis, while androgen receptors induce apoptosis in serum-supplemented T47D cells. In addition, co-incubation of cells with a fixed concentration of one steroid and varying concentrations of the other reversed the abovementioned effect (apoptosis for androgen, and anti-apoptosis for E 2 ), suggesting that the fate of the cell depends on the relative concentration of either steroid in the culture medium. We also report the identification of membrane receptors for E 2 and androgen in biopsy slides from breast cancer patients. Both sites are expressed, with the staining for membrane E 2 being strongly present in ER-negative, less differentiated, more aggressive tumors. These findings suggest that aromatase inhibitors may exert their beneficial effects on breast cancer by also propagating the metabolism of local steroids towards androgen, inducing thus cell apoptosis through membrane androgen receptor activation

The extract from Punica granatum (pomegranate) peel induces apoptosis and impairs metastasis in prostate cancer cells.

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Deng, Yuanle; Li, Yali; Yang, Fangfang; Zeng, Anqi; Yang, Shuping; Luo, Yi; Zhang, Yiwen; Xie, Yongmei; Ye, Tinghong; Xia, Yong; Yin, Wenya

2017-09-01

Prostate cancer is a big threat to male for its poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Natural compounds are important resources of many anticancer drugs. Pomegranate is a kind of antioxidant-rich fruit and its peel and seed has potential anticancer activities. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of pomegranate peel extract (PoPx) on the apoptosis and metastasis of prostate cancer cells and the related mechanism. We found that PoPx showed growth inhibition on prostate cancer cells. Nuclei morphological and flow cytometer (FCM) analysis indicated that PoPx could induce prostate cancer apoptosis. Further investigation indicated that mitochondrial mediated intrinsic pathway is involved in the apoptosis. Exposure to PoPx led to loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δym), accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blot analysis showed that PoPx could increase the expression ratio of Bax/Bcl2 and activation of apoptosis executor caspase 3. Wound healing assay and transwell migration and invasion assay implied that PoPx has the potential to inhibit migration and invasion, two critical steps in prostate cancer metastasis. Downregulation of MMP2/MMP9 and upregulation of TIMP2 showed accordance with the inhibition of migration and invasion. In summary, the present data showed that PoPx could be a promising drug candidate to treat prostate cancer, showing us a better way to develop novel drugs from natural compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Piceatannol promotes apoptosis via up-regulation of microRNA-129 expression in colorectal cancer cell lines

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Zhang, Haogang [Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081 (China); Jia, Ruichun [Department of Blood Transfusion, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081 (China); Wang, Chunjing; Hu, Tianming [Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081 (China); Wang, Fujing, E-mail: wangfujing-hyd@163.com [Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081 (China)

2014-09-26

Highlights: • Piceatannol induces apoptosis in cultured CRC cells. • Piceatannol promotes expression of miR-129. • miR-129 mediates proapoptotic effects of piceatannol. - Abstract: Piceatannol, a naturally occurring analog of resveratrol, has been confirmed as an antitumor agent by inhibiting proliferation, migration, and metastasis in diverse cancer. However, the effect and mechanisms of piceatannol on colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been well understood. This study aimed to test whether piceatannol could inhibit growth of CRC cells and reveal its underlying molecular mechanism. MTT assay was used to detect the cell viability in HCT116 and HT29 cells. Flow cytometry analysis was employed to measure apoptosis of CRC cells. Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 levels were analyzed by Western blot and miR-129 levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR. Our study showed that piceatannol inhibited HCT116 and HT29 cells growth in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Piceatannol induced apoptosis by promoting expression of miR-129, and then inhibiting expression of Bcl-2, an known target for miR-129. Moreover, knock down of miR-129 could reverse the reduction of cell viability induced by piceatannol in HCT116 and HT29 cells. Taken together, our study unraveled the ability of piceatannol to suppress colorectal cancer growth and elucidated the participation of miR-129 in the anti-cancer action of piceatannol. Our findings suggest that piceatannol can be considered to be a promising anticancer agent for CRC.

BAD overexpression inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis via mitochondrial-dependent pathway in non-small cell lung cancer.

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Jiang, Li; Luo, Man; Liu, Dan; Chen, Bojiang; Zhang, Wen; Mai, Lin; Zeng, Jing; Huang, Na; Huang, Yi; Mo, Xianming; Li, Weimin

2013-06-01

The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein BAD initiated apoptosis in human cells and has been identified as a prognostic marker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we aimed to explore the functions of BAD in NSCLC. Overexpression of BAD was performed by transfecting different NSCLC cell lines with wild-type BAD. Cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and invasion were characterized in vitro. Tumorigenicity was analyzed in vivo. Western blot was performed to determine the effects of BAD overexpression on the Bcl-2 family proteins and apoptosis-related proteins. Overexpression of BAD significantly inhibited cell proliferation in H1299, H292, and SPC-A1 but not in SK-MES-1 and H460 cell lines in vitro. BAD overexpression also reduced the tumorigenicity of H1299/SPC-A1 cell in vivo. However, no appreciable effects on cell cycle distribution and invasion were observed in all these cell lines. BAD overexpression also induced apoptosis in all cell types, in which process expression of mitochondrial cytochrom c (cyto-c) and caspase 3 were increased, whereas Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase 8 expressions did not changed. These findings indicated that a mitochondrial pathway, in which process cyto-c was released from mitochondrial to activate caspase 3, was involved in BAD overexpression-mediated apoptosis. Our data suggested that increased expression of BAD enhance apoptosis and has negative influence on cell proliferation and tumor growth in NSCLC. Bad is a new potential target for tumor interventions.

Tenuifolide B from Cinnamomum tenuifolium Stem Selectively Inhibits Proliferation of Oral Cancer Cells via Apoptosis, ROS Generation, Mitochondrial Depolarization, and DNA Damage.

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Chen, Chung-Yi; Yen, Ching-Yu; Wang, Hui-Ru; Yang, Hui-Ping; Tang, Jen-Yang; Huang, Hurng-Wern; Hsu, Shih-Hsien; Chang, Hsueh-Wei

2016-11-05

The development of drugs that selectively kill oral cancer cells but are less harmful to normal cells still provide several challenges. In this study, the antioral cancer effects of tenuifolide B (TFB), extracted from the stem of the plant Cinnamomum tenuifolium are evaluated in terms of their effects on cancer cell viability, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Cell viability of oral cancer cells (Ca9-22 and CAL 27) was found to be significantly inhibited by TFB in a dose-responsive manner in terms of ATP assay, yielding IC 50 = 4.67 and 7.05 μM (24 h), but are less lethal to normal oral cells (HGF-1). Dose-responsive increases in subG1 populations as well as the intensities of flow cytometry-based annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) analysis and pancaspase activity suggested that apoptosis was inducible by TFB in these two types of oral cancer cells. Pretreatment with the apoptosis inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) reduced the annexin V intensity of these two TFB-treated oral cancer cells, suggesting that TFB induced apoptosis-mediated cell death to oral cancer cells. Cleaved-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and cleaved-caspases 3, 8, and 9 were upregulated in these two TFB-treated oral cancer cells over time but less harmful for normal oral HGF-1 cells. Dose-responsive and time-dependent increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential (MitoMP) in these two TFB-treated oral cancer cells suggest that TFB may generate oxidative stress as measured by flow cytometry. N -acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment reduced the TFB-induced ROS generation and further validated that ROS was relevant to TFB-induced cell death. Both flow cytometry and Western blotting demonstrated that the DNA double strand marker γH2AX dose-responsively increased in TFB-treated Ca9-22 cells and time-dependently increased in two TFB-treated oral cancer cells. Taken together, we infer that TFB can selectively inhibit cell proliferation of

Jaceosidin Induces Apoptosis in Human Ovary Cancer Cells through Mitochondrial Pathway

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Wen Lv

2008-01-01

Full Text Available We examined the antiproliferation effect of Jaceosidin (4′, 5, 7-trihydroxy-3′, 6-dimethoxyflavone isolated from the herb of Artemisia vestita Wall on several human cancer cell lines. Jaceosidin significantly reduced the proliferation of CAOV-3, SKOV-3, HeLa, and PC3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. A time-dependent inhibition was also observed in CAOV-3 cells by Jaceosidin. By flow cytometric analysis, we found that Jaceosidin treatment resulted in an increased apoptosis in CAOV-3 cells. The cells treated with Jaceosidin exhibited a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Jaceosidin also increased the level of cleaved caspase-9 and induced the cleavage of caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP, while caspase-3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK significantly reversed the proapoptotic effect of Jaceosidin in CAOV-3 cells. Moreover, Jaceosidin elevated the level of cytochrome c in cytosol. These findings suggest that the anticancer effect of Jaceosidin may be contributed by an induction of apoptosis involving cytochrome c release from mitochondria to cytosol.

Fisetin inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and induces apoptosis through suppression of ERK 1/2 activation.

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Yan, Weixin; Chen, Shouhui; Zhao, Yiyang; Ye, Xiaoyu

2018-06-01

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of fisetin on proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, as well as the underlying mechanism. Proliferation in SGC7901 cancer and GES-1 normal cells was analyzed using a CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis was analyzed using an Annexin V/Propidium Iodide apoptosis kit and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was analyzed by western blot assay. Treatment of SGC7901 cells with various concentrations (1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 µM) of fisetin for 48 h resulted in a concentration dependent reduction in proliferation. Flow cytometry revealed a marked increase in apoptosis from 5 µM concentration of fisetin after 48 h. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased to 87% following treatment with 15 µM fisetin for 48 h, compared with 2% in control. Treatment of SGC7901 cells with fisetin for 48 h resulted in a reduction in the activation of ERK 1/2 in a concentration-dependent manner. The reduction in activation of ERK 1/2 was significant following treatment with 15 µM fisetin for 48 h. The inhibitory effect of fisetin on activation of ERK 1/2 was further demonstrated using the ERK 1/2 inhibitor, PD98059. The results indicated a significant reduction in the proliferation of SGC7901 cells following treatment with PD98059 (P<0.002). The reduction by PD98059 administration was comparable to that observed following fisetin treatment for 48 h. In conclusion, the current study demonstrates that fisetin inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and induces apoptosis through suppression of ERK 1/2 activation. Thus, fisetin may have therapeutic applications in the treatment of gastric cancer.

Adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), a mediator of estradiol-induced apoptosis in long-term estrogen deprived breast cancer cells.

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Chen, Haiyan; Wang, Ji-Ping; Santen, Richard J; Yue, Wei

2015-06-01

Estrogens stimulate growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer but paradoxically induce tumor regress under certain circumstances. We have shown that long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) enhances the sensitivity of hormone dependent breast cancer cells to estradiol (E2) so that physiological concentrations of estradiol induce apoptosis in these cells. E2-induced apoptosis involve both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways but precise mechanisms remain unclear. We found that exposure of LTED MCF-7 cells to E2 activated AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK). In contrast, E2 inhibited AMPK activation in wild type MCF-7 cells where E2 prevents apoptosis. As a result of AMPK activation, the transcriptional activity of FoxO3, a downstream factor of AMPK, was up-regulated in E2 treatment of LTED. Increased activity of FoxO3 was demonstrated by up-regulation of three FoxO3 target genes, Bim, Fas ligand (FasL), and Gadd45α. Among them, Bim and FasL mediate intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis respectively and Gadd45α causes cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. To further confirm the role of AMPK in apoptosis, we used AMPK activator AICAR in wild type MCF-7 cells and examined apoptosis, proliferation and expression of Bim, FasL, and Gadd45α. The effects of AICAR on these parameters recapitulated those observed in E2-treated LTED cells. Activation of AMPK by AICAR also increased expression of Bax in MCF-7 cells and its localization to mitochondria, which is a required process for apoptosis. These results reveal that AMPK is an important factor mediating E2-induced apoptosis in LTED cells, which is implicative of therapeutic potential for relapsing breast cancer after hormone therapy.

d-limonene exhibits antitumor activity by inducing autophagy and apoptosis in lung cancer.

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Yu, Xiao; Lin, Hongyan; Wang, Yu; Lv, Wenwen; Zhang, Shuo; Qian, Ying; Deng, Xiaobei; Feng, Nannan; Yu, Herbert; Qian, Biyun

2018-01-01

d-limonene is a plant extract with widespread application, and it has been recently reported to have antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects on cancer cells. However, the mechanisms by which d-limonene achieves these effects, especially in lung cancer, are not entirely clear. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the effects of d-limonene on lung cancer and explore its mechanisms of action. We examined the therapeutic effects of d-limonene on lung cancer cells and in a xenograft animal model by characterizing its effects on the pathways of apoptosis and autophagy. Cell proliferation was measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8, and apoptosis was determined by flow cytometric analysis. Levels of LC3 puncta, an autophagy marker, were analyzed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Autophagy and apoptosis-related gene expression were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. d-limonene inhibited the growth of lung cancer cells and suppressed the growth of transplanted tumors in nude mice. Expression of apoptosis and autophagy-related genes were increased in tumors after treatment with d-limonene. Furthermore, the use of chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, and knockdown of the atg5 gene, suppressed the apoptosis induced by d-limonene. d-limonene may have a therapeutic effect on lung cancer as it can induce apoptosis of lung cancer cells by promoting autophagy.

3-Bromopyruvate induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells by downregulating Mcl-1 through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

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Liu, Zhe; Zhang, Yuan-Yuan; Zhang, Qian-Wen; Zhao, Su-Rong; Wu, Cheng-Zhu; Cheng, Xiu; Jiang, Chen-Chen; Jiang, Zhi-Wen; Liu, Hao

2014-04-01

The hexokinase inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) can inhibit glycolysis in tumor cells to reduce ATP production, resulting in apoptosis. However, as 3-BrPA is an alkylating agent, its cytotoxic action may be induced by other molecular mechanisms. The results presented here reveal that 3-BrPA-induced apoptosis is caspase independent. Further, 3-BrPA induces the generation of reactive oxygen species in MDA-MB-231 cells, leading to mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. These results suggest that caspase-independent apoptosis may be induced by the generation of reactive oxygen species. In this study, we also demonstrated that 3-BrPA induces apoptosis through the downregulation of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The results of Mcl-1 knockdown indicate that Mcl-1 plays an important role in 3-BrPA-induced apoptosis. Further, the upregulation of Mcl-1 expression in 3-BrPA-treated MDA-MB-231 cells significantly increases cell viability. In addition, 3-BrPA treatment resulted in the downregulation of p-Akt, suggesting that 3-BrPA may downregulate Mcl-1 through the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt pathway. These findings indicate that 3-BrPA induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells by downregulating Mcl-1 through the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.

[Effects of HSP90 inhibitor 17-AAG on cell cycle and apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901].

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Chen, Meini; Xu, Jinghong; Zhao, Jumei

2013-02-01

To study the effect of the HSP90 inhibitor, 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), on cell proliferation and apoptosis of human cancer SGC-7901 cells and explore the mechanisms. The inhibitory effect of 17-AAG on the proliferation and morphology of SGC-7901 cells was assessed with MTT assay and DNA-PI staining, respectively. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze the changes in cell cycle and apoptosis of the cells following 17-AAG exposure. The cellular expression of Fas protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. 17-AAG significantly suppressed the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After treatment with 17-AAG for 48 h, SGC-7901 cells showed cell cycle arrested at G(2)/M stage, and the cell apoptosis rate increased with the 17-AAG concentration. The expression of Fas protein in the cytoplasm of SGC-7901 cells increased gradually with the increase of 17-AAG concentration. 17-AAG can induce apoptosis, alters the cell cycle distribution and up-regulates the expression of Fas protein in SGC-7901 cells to suppress the cell proliferation.

Terpenoids from Zingiber officinale (Ginger induce apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells through the activation of p53.

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Yang Liu

Full Text Available Novel strategies are necessary to improve chemotherapy response in advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer. Here, we demonstrate that terpenoids present in the Steam Distilled Extract of Ginger (SDGE are potent inhibitors of proliferation of endometrial cancer cells. SDGE, isolated from six different batches of ginger rhizomes, consistently inhibited proliferation of the endometrial cancer cell lines Ishikawa and ECC-1 at IC(50 of 1.25 µg/ml. SDGE also enhanced the anti-proliferative effect of radiation and cisplatin. Decreased proliferation of Ishikawa and ECC-1 cells was a direct result of SDGE-induced apoptosis as demonstrated by FITC-Annexin V staining and expression of cleaved caspase 3. GC/MS analysis identified a total of 22 different terpenoid compounds in SDGE, with the isomers neral and geranial constituting 30-40%. Citral, a mixture of neral and geranial inhibited the proliferation of Ishikawa and ECC-1 cells at an IC(50 10 µM (2.3 µg/ml. Phenolic compounds such as gingerol and shogaol were not detected in SDGE and 6-gingerol was a weaker inhibitor of the proliferation of the endometrial cancer cells. SDGE was more effective in inducing cancer cell death than citral, suggesting that other terpenes present in SDGE were also contributing to endometrial cancer cell death. SDGE treatment resulted in a rapid and strong increase in intracellular calcium and a 20-40% decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Ser-15 of p53 was phosphorylated after 15 min treatment of the cancer cells with SDGE. This increase in p53 was associated with 90% decrease in Bcl2 whereas no effect was observed on Bax. Inhibitor of p53, pifithrin-α, attenuated the anti-cancer effects of SDGE and apoptosis was also not observed in the p53(neg SKOV-3 cells. Our studies demonstrate that terpenoids from SDGE mediate apoptosis by activating p53 and should be therefore be investigated as agents for the treatment of endometrial cancer.

A novel alkaloid, evodiamine causes nuclear localization of cytochrome-c and induces apoptosis independent of p53 in human lung cancer cells

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Mohan, Vijay [School of Life Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Agarwal, Rajesh [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO (United States); Singh, Rana P., E-mail: ranaps@hotmail.com [School of Life Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (India)

2016-09-02

Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy that contributes to high proportion of deaths globally among patients who die due to cancer. Chemotherapy remains the common mode of treatment for lung cancer patients though with limited success. We assessed the biological effects and associated molecular changes of evodiamine, a plant alkaloid, on human lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells along with other epithelial cancer and normal lung SAEC cells. Our data showed that 20–40 μM evodiamine treatment for 24–48 h strongly (up to 73%, P < 0.001) reduced the growth and survival of these cancer cells. However, it also moderately inhibited growth and survival of SAEC cells. A strong inhibition (P < 0.001) was observed on clonogenicity of A549 cells. Further, evodiamine increased (4-fold) mitochondrial membrane depolarization with 6-fold increase in apoptosis and a slight increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. It increased the cytochrome-c release from mitochondria into the cytosol as well as nucleus. Cytosolic cytochrome-c activated cascade of caspase-9 and caspase-3 intrinsic pathway, however, DR5 and caspase-8 extrinsic pathway was also activated which could be due to nuclear cytochrome-c. Pan-caspase inhibitor (z-VAD.fmk) partially reversed evodiamine induced apoptosis. An increase in p53 as well as its serine 15 phosphorylation was also observed. Pifithrin-α, a p53 inhibitor, slightly inhibited growth of A549 cells and under p53 inhibitory condition evodiamine-induced apoptosis could not be reversed. Together these findings suggest that evodiamine is a strong inducer of apoptosis in lung epithelial cancer cells independent of their p53 status and that could involve both intrinsic as well as extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Thus evodiamine could be a potential anticancer agent against lung cancer. - Highlights: • Evodiamine, a novel plant alkaloid, relatively selectively inhibited growth and survival of human lung cancer cells. • Increased cancer cell

Osimertinib induces autophagy and apoptosis via reactive oxygen species generation in non-small cell lung cancer cells

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Tang, Zheng-Hai; Cao, Wen-Xiang; Su, Min-Xia; Chen, Xiuping; Lu, Jin-Jian

2017-01-01

Osimertinib (OSI), also known as AZD9291, is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring EGFR T790M mutation. Herein, we indicated for the first time that OSI increased the accumulations of cytoplasmic vacuoles, the expression of phosphatidylethanolamine-modified microtubule-associated protein light-chain 3 (LC3-II), and the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta in various cancer cells. The OSI-induced expression of LC3-II was further increased when combined treatment with chloroquine (CQ), an autophagy inhibitor, and the mRFP-EGFP-LC3 plasmid-transfected cells exposed to OSI led to the production of more red-fluorescent puncta than green-fluorescent puncta, indicating OSI induced autophagic flux in the NSCLC cells. Knockdown of EGFR showed no effect on the OSI-induced expression of LC3-II in NCI-H1975 cells. In addition, OSI increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and scavenge of ROS via pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), catalase (CAT), or vitamin E (Vita E) significantly inhibited OSI-induced the accumulations of cytoplasmic vacuoles, the expression of LC3-II, as well as the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta. Combinative treatment with CQ could not remarkably change the OSI-induced cell viability decrease, whereas the OSI-induced cell viability decrease and apoptosis could be reversed through pretreatment with NAC, CAT, and Vita E, respectively. Taken together, this is the first report that OSI induces an accompanied autophagy and the generation of ROS is critical for the OSI-induced autophagy, cell viability decrease, and apoptosis in NSCLC cells. - Highlights: • Osimertinib induced the expressions of cytoplasmic vacuoles and autophagic markers in different cancer cells. • Osimertinib induced autophagic flux in NSCLC NCI-H1975 and HCC827 cell lines. • ROS generation contributed to osimertinib-induced cytoplasmic

Osimertinib induces autophagy and apoptosis via reactive oxygen species generation in non-small cell lung cancer cells

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Tang, Zheng-Hai; Cao, Wen-Xiang; Su, Min-Xia; Chen, Xiuping; Lu, Jin-Jian, E-mail: jinjianlu@umac.mo

2017-04-15

Osimertinib (OSI), also known as AZD9291, is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring EGFR T790M mutation. Herein, we indicated for the first time that OSI increased the accumulations of cytoplasmic vacuoles, the expression of phosphatidylethanolamine-modified microtubule-associated protein light-chain 3 (LC3-II), and the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta in various cancer cells. The OSI-induced expression of LC3-II was further increased when combined treatment with chloroquine (CQ), an autophagy inhibitor, and the mRFP-EGFP-LC3 plasmid-transfected cells exposed to OSI led to the production of more red-fluorescent puncta than green-fluorescent puncta, indicating OSI induced autophagic flux in the NSCLC cells. Knockdown of EGFR showed no effect on the OSI-induced expression of LC3-II in NCI-H1975 cells. In addition, OSI increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and scavenge of ROS via pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), catalase (CAT), or vitamin E (Vita E) significantly inhibited OSI-induced the accumulations of cytoplasmic vacuoles, the expression of LC3-II, as well as the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta. Combinative treatment with CQ could not remarkably change the OSI-induced cell viability decrease, whereas the OSI-induced cell viability decrease and apoptosis could be reversed through pretreatment with NAC, CAT, and Vita E, respectively. Taken together, this is the first report that OSI induces an accompanied autophagy and the generation of ROS is critical for the OSI-induced autophagy, cell viability decrease, and apoptosis in NSCLC cells. - Highlights: • Osimertinib induced the expressions of cytoplasmic vacuoles and autophagic markers in different cancer cells. • Osimertinib induced autophagic flux in NSCLC NCI-H1975 and HCC827 cell lines. • ROS generation contributed to osimertinib-induced cytoplasmic

Boswellia sacra essential oil induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in cultured human breast cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Gum resins obtained from trees of the Burseraceae family (Boswellia sp.) are important ingredients in incense and perfumes. Extracts prepared from Boswellia sp. gum resins have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic effects. Essential oil prepared by distillation of the gum resin traditionally used for aromatic therapy has also been shown to have tumor cell-specific anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities. The objective of this study was to optimize conditions for preparing Boswellea sacra essential oil with the highest biological activity in inducing tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity and suppressing aggressive tumor phenotypes in human breast cancer cells. Methods Boswellia sacra essential oil was prepared from Omani Hougari grade resins through hydrodistillation at 78 or 100 oC for 12 hours. Chemical compositions were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; and total boswellic acids contents were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Boswellia sacra essential oil-mediated cell viability and death were studied in established human breast cancer cell lines (T47D, MCF7, MDA-MB-231) and an immortalized normal human breast cell line (MCF10-2A). Apoptosis was assayed by genomic DNA fragmentation. Anti-invasive and anti-multicellular tumor properties were evaluated by cellular network and spheroid formation models, respectively. Western blot analysis was performed to study Boswellia sacra essential oil-regulated proteins involved in apoptosis, signaling pathways, and cell cycle regulation. Results More abundant high molecular weight compounds, including boswellic acids, were present in Boswellia sacra essential oil prepared at 100 oC hydrodistillation. All three human breast cancer cell lines were sensitive to essential oil treatment with reduced cell viability and elevated cell death, whereas the immortalized normal human breast cell line was more resistant to essential oil treatment. Boswellia sacra

Akt-dependent NF-κB activation is required for bile acids to rescue colon cancer cells from stress-induced apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shant, Jasleen; Cheng, Kunrong; Marasa, Bernard S.; Wang Jianying; Raufman, Jean-Pierre

2009-01-01

Conjugated secondary bile acids promote human colon cancer cell proliferation by activating EGF receptors (EGFR). We hypothesized that bile acid-induced EGFR activation also mediates cell survival by downstream Akt-regulated activation of NF-κB. Deoxycholyltaurine (DCT) treatment attenuated TNF-α-induced colon cancer cell apoptosis, and stimulated rapid and sustained NF-κB nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity (detected by NF-κB binding to an oligonucleotide consensus sequence and by activation of luciferase reporter gene constructs). Both DCT-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation and attenuation of TNF-α-stimulated apoptosis were dependent on EGFR activation. Inhibitors of nuclear translocation, proteosome activity, and IκBα kinase attenuated NF-κB transcriptional activity. Cell transfection with adenoviral vectors encoding a non-degradable IκBα 'super-repressor' blocked the actions of DCT on both NF-κB activation and TNF-α-induced apoptosis. Likewise, transfection with mutant akt and treatment with a chemical inhibitor of Akt attenuated effects of DCT on NF-κB transcriptional activity and TNF-α-induced apoptosis. Chemical inhibitors of Akt and NF-κB activation also attenuated DCT-induced rescue of H508 cells from ultraviolet radiation-induced apoptosis. Collectively, these observations indicate that, downstream of EGFR, bile acid-induced colon cancer cell survival is mediated by Akt-dependent NF-κB activation. These findings provide a mechanism whereby bile acids increase resistance of colon cancer to chemotherapy and radiation

A Smac-mimetic sensitizes prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via modulating both IAPs and NF-kappaB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Yao; Liu, Meilan; Tang, Wenhua; Li, Yongming; Lian, Jiqin; Lawrence, Theodore S; Xu, Liang

2009-01-01

Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising agent for human cancer therapy, prostate cancer still remains resistant to TRAIL. Both X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) and nuclear factor-kappaB function as key negative regulators of TRAIL signaling. In this study, we evaluated the effect of SH122, a small molecule mimetic of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac), on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. The potential of Smac-mimetics to bind XIAP or cIAP-1 was examined by pull-down assay. Cytotoxicity of TRAIL and/or Smac-mimetics was determined by a standard cell growth assay. Silencing of XIAP or cIAP-1 was achieved by transient transfection of short hairpin RNA. Apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-PI staining followed by flow cytometry and by Western Blot analysis of caspases, PARP and Bid. NF-kappaB activation was determined by subcellular fractionation, real time RT-PCR and reporter assay. SH122, but not its inactive analog, binds to XIAP and cIAP-1. SH122 significantly sensitized prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated cell death. Moreover, SH122 enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis via both the death receptor and the mitochondrial pathway. Knockdown of both XIAP and cIAP-1 sensitized cellular response to TRAIL. XIAP-knockdown attenuated sensitivity of SH122 to TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity, confirming that XIAP is an important target for IAP-inhibitor-mediated TRAIL sensitization. SH122 also suppressed TRAIL-induced NF-kappaB activation by preventing cytosolic IkappaB-alpha degradation and RelA nuclear translocation, as well as by suppressing NF-kappaB target gene expression. These results demonstrate that SH122 sensitizes human prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by mimicking Smac and blocking both IAPs and NF-kappaB. Modulating IAPs may represent a promising approach to overcoming TRAIL-resistance in human prostate cancer with constitutively active NF-kappaB signaling

Inhibition of phospholipaseD2 increases hypoxia-induced human colon cancer cell apoptosis through inactivating of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Maoxi; Fu, Zhongxue; Wu, Xingye; Du, Kunli; Zhang, Shouru; Zeng, Li

2016-05-01

Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumor, and is a direct stress that triggers apoptosis in many human cell types. As one of solid cancer, hypoxia exists in the whole course of colon cancer occurrence and progression. Our previous studies shown that hypoxia induce high expression of phospholipase D2 (PLD2) and survivin in colon cancer cells. However, the correlation between PLD2 and survivin in hypoxic colon cancer cells remains unknown. In this study, we observed significantly elevated PLD2 and survivin expression levels in colon cancer tissues and cells. This is a positive correlation between of them, and co-expression of PLD2 and survivin has a positive correlation with the clinicpatholic features including tumor size, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. We also found that hypoxia induced the activity of PLD increased significant mainly caused by PLD2 in colon cancer cells. However, inhibition the activity of PLD2 induced by hypoxia promotes the apoptosis of human colon cancer cells, as well as decreased the expression of apoptosis markers including survivin and bcl2. Moreover, the pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/AKT supported the hypothesis that promotes the apoptosis of hypoxic colon cancer cells by PLD2 activity inhibition may through inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, interference the PLD2 gene expression leaded to the apoptosis of hypoxic colon cancer cells increased and also decreased the expression level of survivin and bcl2 may through inactivation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These results indicated that PLD2 play antiapoptotic role in colon cancer under hypoxic conditions, inhibition of the activity, or interference of PLD2 gene expression will benefit for the treatment of colon cancer patients.

Upregulation of miR-150* and miR-630 induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by targeting IGF-1R.

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Lulu Farhana

Full Text Available MicroRNAs have been implicated in many critical cellular processes including apoptosis. We have previously found that apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells was induced by adamantyl retinoid-related (ARR molecule 3-Cl-AHPC. Here we report that 3-Cl-AHPC-dependent apoptosis involves regulating a number of microRNAs including miR-150* and miR-630. 3-Cl-AHPC stimulated miR-150* expression and caused decreased expression of c-Myb and IGF-1R in the pancreatic cancer cells. 3-Cl-AHPC-mediated reduction of c-Myb resulted in diminished binding of c-Myb with IGF-1R and Bcl-2 promoters, thereby causing repression of their transcription and protein expression. Over-expression of miR-150* also resulted in diminished levels of c-Myb and Bcl-2 proteins. Furthermore, the addition of the miRNA inhibitor 2'-O-methylated miR-150 blocked 3-Cl-AHPC-mediated increase in miR-150* levels and abrogated loss of c-Myb protein. Knockdown of c-Myb in PANC-1 cells resulted in enhanced apoptosis both in the presence or absence of 3-Cl-AHPC confirming the anti-apoptotic property of c-Myb. Overexpression of miR-630 also induced apoptosis in the pancreatic cancer cells and inhibited target protein IGF-1R mRNA and protein expression. Together these results implicate key roles for miR-150* and miR-630 and their targeting of IGF-1R to promote apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.

Cheliensisin A (Chel A) induces apoptosis in human bladder cancer cells by promoting PHLPP2 protein degradation.

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Zhang, Ruowen; Che, Xun; Zhang, Jingjie; Li, Yang; Li, Jingxia; Deng, Xu; Zhu, Junlan; Jin, Honglei; Zhao, Qinshi; Huang, Chuanshu

2016-10-11

Cheliensisin A (Chel A), a styryl-lactone compound extracted from Goniothalamus cheliensis, is reported to have significant anti-cancer effects in various cancer cells. Here we demonstrated that Chel A treatment resulted in apoptosis and an inhibition of anchorage-independent growth in human bladder cancer T24, T24T and U5637 cells. Mechanistic studies showed that such effect is mediated by PH domain and Leucine rich repeat Protein Phosphatases (PHLPP2) protein. Chel A treatment led to PHLPP2 degradation and subsequently increased in c-Jun phosphorylation. Moreover PHLPP2 degradation could be attenuated by inhibition of autophagy, which was mediated by Beclin 1. Collectively, we discover that Chel A treatment induces Beclin-dependent autophagy, consequently mediates PHLPP2 degradation and JNK/C-Jun phosphorylation and activation, further in turn contributing to apoptosis in human bladder cancer cells. Current studies provide a significant insight into understanding of anticancer effect of Chel A in treatment of human bladder cancer.

Resistance to apoptosis should not be taken as a hallmark of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Rui-An; Li, Zeng-Shan; Yan, Qing-Guo; Bian, Xiu-Wu; Ding, Yan-Qing; Du, Xiang; Sun, Bao-Cun; Sun, Yun-Tian; Zhang, Xiang-Hong

2014-02-01

In the research community, resistance to apoptosis is often considered a hallmark of cancer. However, pathologists who diagnose cancer via microscope often see the opposite. Indeed, increased apoptosis and mitosis are usually observed simultaneously in cancerous lesions. Studies have shown that increased apoptosis is associated with cancer aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome. Furthermore, overexpression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, is linked with better survival of cancer patients. Conversely, Bax, CD95, Caspase-3, and other apoptosis-inducing proteins have been found to promote carcinogenesis. This notion of the role of apoptosis in cancer is not new; cancer cells were found to be short-lived 88 years ago. Given these observations, resistance to apoptosis should not be considered a hallmark of cancer.

Microarray-based apoptosis gene screening technique in trichostatin A-induced drug-resisted lung cancer A549/CDDP cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ya-jun WANG

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective 　To detect the expression profile changes of apoptosis-related genes in trichostatin A (TSA-induced drug-resisted lung cancer cells A549/CDDP by microarray, in order to screen the target genes in TSA treating cisplatin-resisted lung cancer. Methods 　A549/CDDP cells were treated by TSA for 24 hours. Total RNA was extracted and reversely transcribed into cDNA. Gene expression levels were detected by the NimbleGen whole genome microarray. Differences of expression profiles between TSA-treated and control group were measured by NimbleScan 2.5 software and GO analysis. Apoptosis and proliferation related genes were screened from the expression changed genes. Results 　Compared with the control group, 85 apoptosis-related genes were up-regulated and 43 growth or proliferation related genes were down-regulated in the TSA-treated group. GO analysis showed that the functions of these genes are mainly regulating apoptosis, cell resistance to chem ical stimuli protein, as well as regulating cell growth, proliferation and the biological process of maintaining the cell biological quality. TSA-activated not only the mitochondrial apoptotic pathways, but also the death receptor related apoptosis pathway, and down-regulated the drug resistance related genes BAG3 and ABCC2. Conclusion 　TSA may cause the expression changes of apoptotic and proliferation genes in A549/CDDP cells, these genes may play a role in TSA treating cisplatin-resisted lung cancer. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2016.08.07

Genistein induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via ATM/p53-dependent pathway in human colon cancer cells.

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Zhang, Zhiyu; Wang, Chong-Zhi; Du, Guang-Jian; Qi, Lian-Wen; Calway, Tyler; He, Tong-Chuan; Du, Wei; Yuan, Chun-Su

2013-07-01

Soybean isoflavones have been used as a potential preventive agent in anticancer research for many years. Genistein is one of the most active flavonoids in soybeans. Accumulating evidence suggests that genistein alters a variety of biological processes in estrogen-related malignancies, such as breast and prostate cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of genistein in the prevention of human colon cancer remains unclear. Here we attempted to elucidate the anticarcinogenic mechanism of genistein in human colon cancer cells. First we evaluated the growth inhibitory effect of genistein and two other isoflavones, daidzein and biochanin A, on HCT-116 and SW-480 human colon cancer cells. In addition, flow cyto-metry was performed to observe the morphological changes in HCT-116/SW-480 cells undergoing apoptosis or cell cycle arrest, which had been visualized using Annexin V-FITC and/or propidium iodide staining. Real-time PCR and western blot analyses were also employed to study the changes in expression of several important genes associated with cell cycle regulation. Our data showed that genistein, daidzein and biochanin A exhibited growth inhibitory effects on HCT-116/SW-480 colon cancer cells and promoted apoptosis. Genistein showed a significantly greater effect than the other two compounds, in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, genistein caused cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, which was accompanied by activation of ATM/p53, p21waf1/cip1 and GADD45α as well as downregulation of cdc2 and cdc25A demonstrated by q-PCR and immunoblotting assay. Interestingly, genistein induced G2/M cell cycle arrest in a p53-dependent manner. These findings exemplify that isoflavones, especially genistein, could promote colon cancer cell growth inhibition and facilitate apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. The ATM/p53-p21 cross-regulatory network may play a crucial role in mediating the anticarcinogenic activities of genistein in colon cancer.

Algerian Propolis Potentiates Doxorubicin Mediated Anticancer Effect against Human Pancreatic PANC-1 Cancer Cell Line through Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis Induction and P-Glycoprotein Inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Rouibah, Hassiba; Mesbah, Lahouel; Kebsa, Wided; Zihlif, Malek; Ahram, Mamoun; Aburmeleih, Bachaer; Mostafa, Ibtihal; El Amir, Hemzeh

2018-01-10

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancer, with poor prognosis and high resistant to current chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies and targets are underscored. Propolis has been reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities including anticancer activity. This study was carried out to assess the possible efficacy of Algerian propolis on the antitumor effect of doxorubicin on human pancreatic cancer cell line (PANC-1). Modifications in cell viability, apoptosis and cell cycle progression, Pgp activity and intracellular accumulation of DOX were monitored to study the synergistic effect of Algerian propolis on the antitumor effects of DOX in PANC-1 cell line. Both propolis and its combination with doxorubicin inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In the presence of 100 µg/ml of propolis, the IC50 of DOX against PANC-1 cells decreased by 10.9-fold. Propolis combined with DOX increased after 48h, the number of cells in the G0G1 phase with dramatical increase in sub-G1 phase to reach 47% of total cells, corresponding to an increase of senescence or apoptotic state of the cells. Dead cell assay with annexinV/PI staining demonstrated that propolis and propolis-DOX treatment resulted in a remarkable induction of apoptosis as detected by flow cytometry. It was interesting to note that propolis at its 5IC50 was found as the most potent inducer of apoptosis. Our finding revealed that induced apoptosis in our conditions was caspase-3 and caspase-9 dependent. Flow cytometry showed that propolis increased the accumulation of doxorubicin within PANC-1 cells. Moreover, fluorescent intensity detection revealed that propolis remarkably increased the retention of rhodamine-123, 7-fold compared to 3-fold of verapamil, the most effective P-gp inhibitor. In conclusion, propolis sensitize pancreatic cancer cells to DOX via enhancing the intracellular retention of DOX