scholarly journals Antiproliferative and Apoptosis-Inducing Activities of 4-Isopropyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol Isolated from Butanol Fraction ofCordyceps bassiana

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Hye Kim ◽  
Yunmi Lee ◽  
Gi-Ho Sung ◽  
Han Gyung Kim ◽  
Deok Jeong ◽  
...  

TheCordycepsspecies have been widely used for treating various cancer diseases. Although the Cordyceps species have been widely known as an alternative anticancer remedy, which compounds are responsible for their anticancer activity is not fully understood. In this study, therefore, we examined the anticancer activity of 5 isolated compounds derived from the butanol fraction (Cb-BF) ofCordyceps bassiana. For this purpose, several cancer cell lines such as C6 glioma, MDA-MB-231, and A549 cells were employed and details of anticancer mechanism were further investigated. Of 5 compounds isolated by activity-guided fractionation from BF of Cb-EE, KTH-13, and 4-isopropyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol, Cb-BF was found to be the most potent antiproliferative inhibitor of C6 glioma and MDA-MB-231 cell growth. KTH-13 treatment increased DNA laddering, upregulated the level of Annexin V positive cells, and altered morphological changes of C6 glioma and MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, KTH-13 increased the levels of caspase 3, caspase 7, and caspase 9 cleaved forms as well as the protein level of Bax but not Bcl-2. It was also found that the phosphorylation of AKT and p85/PI3K was also clearly reduced by KTH-13 exposure. Therefore, our results suggest KTH-13 can act as a potent antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing component fromCordyceps bassiana, contributing to the anticancer activity of this mushroom.

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1200700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Chen ◽  
Shengming Liu ◽  
Jinghong Chen ◽  
Qianqian Zhang ◽  
Shijie Lin ◽  
...  

The effects of luteolin on the proliferation of A549 cells were evaluated by MTT and clone formation assays. DNA ploidy and apoptotic cell percentage were calculated by flow cytometry. The expression of Bax, Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, caspase-9, caspase-3, and PARP was analyzed by Western blotting. The membrane potential of mitochondria was detected by JC-1 fluorescence microscopy assay. Our results demonstrated that luteolin could inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells via induction of apoptosis, with the evidence of characteristic morphological changes of apoptosis in the nucleus. Furthermore, DNA flow cytometric analysis indicated that luteolin induced a S phase arrest of the cell cycle. The membrane potential of mitochondria was decreased. The protein levels of Bax, Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, caspase-9, caspase-3, and PARP were activated after treatment with luteolin. Luteolin can inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells and trigger mitochondria- dependent apoptosis in them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 504-517
Author(s):  
Yu-Lan Li ◽  
Xin-Li Gan ◽  
Rong-Ping Zhu ◽  
Xuehong Wang ◽  
Duan-Fang Liao ◽  
...  

Objective: To overcome the disadvantages of cisplatin, numerous platinum (Pt) complexes have been prepared. However, the anticancer activity and mechanism of Pt(II) complexed with 2-benzoylpyridine [Pt(II)- Bpy]: [PtCl2(DMSO)L] (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide, L = 2-benzoylpyridine) in cancer cells remain unknown. Methods: Pt(II)-Bpy was synthesized and characterized by spectrum analysis. Its anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms were demonstrated at the cellular, molecular, and in vivo levels. Results: Pt(II)-Bpy inhibited tumor cell growth, especially HepG2 human liver cancer cells, with a halfmaximal inhibitory concentration of 9.8±0.5μM, but with low toxicity in HL-7702 normal liver cells. Pt(II)- Bpy induced DNA damage, which was demonstrated through a marked increase in the expression of cleavedpoly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) and gamma-H2A histone family member X and a decrease in PARP expression. The interaction of Pt(II)-Bpy with DNA at the molecular level was most likely through an intercalation mechanism, which might be evidence of DNA damage. Pt(II)-Bpy initiated cell cycle arrest at the S phase in HepG2 cells. It also caused severe loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential; a decrease in the expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3; an increase in reactive oxygen species levels; the release of cytochrome c and apoptotic protease activation factor; and the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 in HepG2 cells, which in turn resulted in apoptosis. Meanwhile, changes in p53 and related proteins were observed including the upregulation of p53, the phosphorylation of p53, p21, B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein, and NOXA; and the downregulation of B-cell lymphoma 2. Moreover, Pt(II)-Bpy displayed marked inhibitory effects on tumor growth in the HepG2 nude mouse model. Conclusion: Pt(II)-Bpy is a potential candidate for cancer chemotherapy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Breglia ◽  
Grazia Maria Virzì ◽  
Silvia Pastori ◽  
Alessandra Brocca ◽  
Massimo de Cal ◽  
...  

Background: Cardiorenal syndrome type 1 (CRS type 1) is characterized by a rapid worsening of cardiac function leading to acute kidney injury (AKI). Its pathophysiology is complex and not completely understood. In this study, we examined the role of apoptosis and the caspase pathways involved. Material and Methods: We enrolled 40 acute heart failure (AHF) patients, 11 of whom developed AKI characterizing CRS type 1. We exposed the human cell line U937 to plasma from the CRS type 1 and AHF groups and then we evaluated apoptotic activity by annexin-V evaluation, determination of caspase-3, -8 and -9 levels, and BAX, BAD, and FAS gene expression. Results: We observed significant upregulation of apoptosis in monocytes exposed to CRS type 1 plasma compared to AHF, with increased levels of caspase-3 (p < 0.01), caspase-9 (p < 0.01), and caspase-8 (p < 0.03) showing activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Furthermore, monocytes exposed to CRS type 1 plasma had increased gene expression of BAX and BAD (intrinsic pathways) (p = 0.010 for both). Furthermore, strong significant correlations between the caspase-9 levels and BAD and BAX gene expression were observed (Spearman ρ = – 0.76, p = 0.011, and ρ = – 0.72, p = 0.011). Conclusion: CRS type 1 induces dual apoptotic pathway activation in monocytes; the two pathways converged on caspase-3. Many factors may induce activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in CRS type 1 patients, such as upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and hypoxia/ischemia. Further investigations are necessary to corroborate the present findings, and to better understand the pathophysiological mechanism and consequent therapeutic and prognostic implications for CRS type 1.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sida Qin ◽  
Chengcheng Yang ◽  
Xifang Wang ◽  
Chongwen Xu ◽  
Shuo Li ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jie Sun ◽  
Shanzhai Wei ◽  
Yilai Zhang ◽  
Jia Li

Objective. To explore the protective roles of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on acute renal injury (AKI) induced by sepsis. Methods. Firstly, an animal model of sepsis-induced AKI was established by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into mice. The mice were pretreated with an intraperitoneal injection of 1, 3, and 5 mg/(kg·d) APS for 3 consecutive days. The severity of kidney injury was then scored by histopathological analysis, and the concentrations of serum urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) and the levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were determined as well. In in vitro experiments, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce HK-2 cell injury to establish a sepsis-induced AKI cell model, and the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method was performed to determine the cytotoxicity and appropriate experimental concentration of APS. Then, cells were divided into the control, LPS, and APS+LPS groups. Cell apoptosis and inflammation-related TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were determined by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The microscope was used to observe the morphological changes of cells, and the cell migration ability was measured by wound healing assay. RT-qPCR and Western blot assay were used to determine the mRNA and protein levels of apoptosis-related factors including caspase-3, caspase-9, Bax, and Bcl-2; endoplasmic reticulum stress- (ERS-) related biomarkers including C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and glucose-regulated protein78 (GRP78); and epithelial-mesenchymal transition- (EMT-) related biomarkers including E-cadherin, Snail, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMΑ), and Vimentin. Results. In vivo experiments in mice showed that APS can reverse LPS-induced kidney damage in a concentration-dependent manner ( P < 0.05 ); the concentrations of BUN and Scr were increased (all P < 0.05 ); similarly, the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were increased as well (all P < 0.05 ). In in vitro experiments, the results showed that LPS can significantly cause HK-2 cell damage and induce apoptosis, inflammation, ERS, and EMT. When APS concentration was in the range of 0-200 μg/mL, it had no cytotoxicity in HK-2 cells, and 100 μg/mL APS pretreatment could significantly mitigate the decrease of cell activity induced by LPS ( P < 0.05 ). Compared with the LPS group, APS pretreatment could inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors including TNF-α, IL-1 β, IL-6, and IL-8 (all P < 0.05 ), reducing the number of apoptotic cells ( P < 0.05 ), suppressing the expression of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax, but upregulating the expression levels of Bcl-2. In ERS, APS pretreatment inhibited LPS-induced upregulation of CHOP and GRP78. Moreover, in EMT, APS pretreatment could inhibit the morphological changes of cells, downregulate the migration, decrease the expression of EMT biomarkers, and inhibit the process of EMT. Conclusion. APS could alleviate sepsis-induced AKI by regulating inflammation, apoptosis, ERS, and EMT.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy-Armel Bounda ◽  
Wang Zhou ◽  
Dan-dan Wang ◽  
Feng Yu

Objective. To study rhein-induced apoptosis signaling pathway and to investigate its molecular mechanisms in primary human hepatic cells.Results. Cell viability of HL-7702 cells treated with rhein showed significant decrease in dose-dependent manner. Following rhein treatment (25 μM, 50 μM, and 100 μM) for 12 h, the detection of apoptotic cells was significantly analyzed by flow cytometry and nuclear morphological changes by Hoechst 33258, respectively. Fatty degeneration studies showed upregulation level of the relevant hepatic markers (P< 0.01). Caspase activities expressed significant upregulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, and caspase-8. Moreover, apoptotic cells by rhein were significantly inhibited by Z-LEHD-FMK and Z-DEVD-FMK, caspase-9 inhibitor, and caspase-3 inhibitor, respectively. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by fluorometry. Additionally, NAC, a ROS scavenger, significantly attenuated rhein-induced oxidative damage in HL-7702 cells. Furthermore, real-time qPCR results showed significant upregulation of p53, PUMA, Apaf-1, and Casp-9 and Casp-3 mRNA, with no significant changes of Fas and Cytochrome-c. Immunoblotting revealed significant Cytochrome-c release from mitochondria into cytosol and no change in Fas expression.Conclusion. Taken together, these observations suggested that rhein could induce apoptosis in HL-7702 cells via mitochondria-mediated signal pathway with involvement of oxidative stress mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-220
Author(s):  
Rongjun Man ◽  
Haiyan Yin ◽  
Jia Zhao ◽  
Qianqian Yang ◽  
Huiming Yang ◽  
...  

Objective: A newly synthesized derivative of ligustrazine chalcone, named as Z11, has shown a variety of promising biological activities. Here we aim to explore the effects of Z11 on the cochlear hair cells (HCs). Methods: Immunostaining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the survival of HCs and their morphological changes. Furthermore, apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and the mRNA expression of apoptosis related genes including Caspase-9, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax and Apaf1 were measured by RT-PCR. In addition, the protein expression of cleaved-Caspas-3 and cleaved-Caspase-9 were analyzed by Western blot respectively, and the protein expressionof AIF and cleaved-Caspase-3 were assessed by immunofluorescence as well. Results: Immunostaining showed that Z11 was ototoxic to mouse cochlear hair cells and significantly triggered cell death in a concentration-, time- and location-dependent manner. TUNEL assays evidenced that Z11 exerts its cytotoxicity through induction of apoptosis of cochlear hair cells in vitro. Immunofluorescence and western blot assay showed that Z11 activated the translation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and Caspase-9/Caspase-3 dependent apoptotic pathway in cochlear hair cells (HCs). Conclusion:These findings suggest that Z11 exhibits its ototoxicity through inducing apoptosis of HCs via both Caspase-dependent and AIF translocation pathways in mouse cochlear cultures.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3471-3471
Author(s):  
Amy Johnson ◽  
Lisa Smith ◽  
Jiuxiang Zhu ◽  
Nyla Heerema ◽  
Sara Guster ◽  
...  

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an incurable adult leukemia characterized by disrupted apoptosis. While the majority of patients with CLL are asymptomatic at diagnosis, most progress and require therapy. Identification of new targets and therapeutic agents is therefore a high priority for the treatment of CLL. Synthetic chemistry yielded derivatives of the COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, with increased ability to induce apoptosis in the 1–10 μ M range in prostate cancer cells, a similar proposed mechanism of action, and increased in vivo activity in a murine prostate cancer xenograft model. Based upon these data, a Rapid Access to Intervention Development (RAID) proposal is underway to generate OSU03012 for clinical studies in prostate cancer. In addition, we are examining the biologic effects of these new agents in primary CLL cells and lymphoblastic cell lines, showing a novel mechanism of cell killing independent of caspase activation and bcl-2 over-expression. To determine the in vitro activity against CLL cells, 11 CLL patient PBMCs were incubated in various concentrations of OSU03012. The LC50 at 24 hrs was 7.12μM and decreased to 5.45μM at 72 hrs. We show both early (annexin-V positive) and late (both annexin-V/PI positive) apoptosis concurrent with loss of mitochondrial membrane potential typical of apoptosis. These data suggest OSU03012 is highly cytotoxic toward CLL cells in vitro at doses well below those attainable without toxicity in a murine model. Additionally, we show that OSU03012 mediates apoptosis by activation of the intrinsic, mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis but also activates alternative caspase independent cell death pathways. CLL cells from 8 patients were incubated in 10μM OSU03012 for 24 hrs and assessed for caspase-3 and PARP. Immunoblots reveal a dose dependent increase in active caspase-3 concurrent with a decrease in the pro-form. This occurred concurrently with the appearance of the 85 kD cleaved product of PARP that is a known downstream target of caspase-3. In the same 8 patient lysates we saw no change in the inactive pro-form of caspase-8, but consistent processing of caspase-9. These data suggest that OSU03012 in part utilizes the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis to promote CLL cell death. Incubation of CLL cells with z-VAD-fmk and OSU03012 did not abrogate cell death, but eliminated processing of caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP, suggesting that this agent also activates caspase independent mechanisms of cell death. Given the caspase dependent and independent pathways utilized by OSU03012, we assessed the dependence of cell death on bcl-2 expression. Here we show that bcl-2 over-expression in the 697 lymphoblastic cell line greatly diminishes the apoptosis observed with fludarabine, but potent apoptosis is equally observed with OSU03012 compared to the empty vector cell line. Furthermore, in the bcl-2 over-expressing cell line, caspase-3 and PARP cleavage was not observed despite equivalent apoptosis supporting further multiple mechanisms of cell killing induced by OSU03012. In summary, OSU03012 is an oral bioavailable therapeutic agent that has potent in vitro activity against primary CLL cells. This cytotoxicity is mediated by both caspase dependent and independent pathways and can overcome bcl-2 over-expression. These data provide support for further investigation of the mechanism of action of OSU03012 in CLL cells and performance of early Phase I studies in CLL as part of the RAID process.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 5175-5175
Author(s):  
Veruska Lia Fook Alves ◽  
Gisele Wally Braga Colleoni ◽  
Daniela Bertolli Zanatta ◽  
Bryan E. Strauss

Abstract Introduction: Some evidences suggest that heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is overexpressed in many types of cancer, and that high expression of this chaperone is linked with increasing tumor grade and/or poor prognosis. The overexpression of HSP70 may provide a selective advantage for tumor cell survival, due in part, to its ability in inhibiting cell death via APAF-1 (apoptosis protease activating factor 1) and Caspase 9. The TP53 Regulated Inhibitor of Apoptosis 1 (TRIAP1) gene can modulate apoptotic pathways by interaction with HSP70. Some studies have shown that HSP70 gene silencing using antisense RNA, abundantly induced cell death in breast cancer lines and it was not toxic to normal breast epithelial cells or human fibroblasts. This cell death was not dependent on P53status or inhibited by Bcl2 pathway. Other studies using HSP70 antisense RNA have also indicated apoptosis of tumor cells in lung cancer, oral cavity, colon, prostate, liver, and brain cell lines. Although there are several studies on the role of HSP70 gene in apoptosis and drug resistance, there is a lack of information about this gene in multiple myeloma (MM). Objectives: To analyze the importance of HSP70 and TRIAP1 as potential targets for MM therapy through: 1) stable silencing of HSP70 and TRIAP1 in MM cell lines; 2) evaluation of each gene silencing effect on cell cycle and apoptosis. Methods: The expression of TRIAP1 and HSP70 genes in MM cell lines (U266, SKO-007, SK-MM2 and RPMI8226) was examined by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). Cell lines were submitted to transduction with pLKO lentiviral vector containing short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) for silencing the target genes (shRNAHSP70 and shRNATRIAP1). Lentiviral vectors with control sequences (scramble) were used to transduce the same cell lines. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry after annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) staining. We also evaluated APAF-1 and Caspase 9 gene expression by qPCR and Caspase 9 and Caspase 3/7 protein activity. Results: The cell lines RPMI8226 (without deletion of P53 by FISH) and U266 (deletion of one allele of P53 by FISH) were chosen for the transduction experiments because they showed relevant expression of TRIAP1 and HSP70. The efficiency of transduction, as measured in both cell lines transduced with the pLKO vector containing the GFP reporter gene, was 70%, demonstrating that there would be no technical restriction to perform this experiment. RPMI8226 and U266 were submitted to three independent transductions, in triplicate, with the lentiviral vector containing the constructs pLKO shRNATRIAP1, shRNAHSP70 and shRNAscramble. We obtained the silencing of TRIAP1 and HSP70 genes in both MM cell lines when the transduced cell lines were compared with shRNAscramble. Silencing was confirmed by relative qPCR and Western blotting (for HSP70 only). Inhibition of TRIAP1 expression significantly increased the percentage of cells in late apoptosis (annexin V+/Propidium Iodide+) analysis (p<0.001 for RPMI8226 and P<0.01 for U266) one week after transduction and it was accompanied by increased expression of Caspase 9 in both MM cell lines (p<0.001 for RPMI8226 and p<0.05 for U266 cell lines) (One-Way ANOVA with Tukey´s multiple comparison test) when transduced cells were compared with the respective wild type cell lines. Furthermore, the inhibition of TRIAP1 resulted in accumulation of hypodiploid cells after 24 hours of transduction in U266 cell line. Inhibition of HSP70 showed no significant changes in the cell cycle in both MM cell lines. However, we observed an increment in late apoptosis after inhibition of this gene in the two cell lines when the inhibited cells were compared with cells transduced with shRNAscramble one week after transduction (p<0.01 for RPMI8226 and p<0.05 for U266 cell lines) and the results were confirmed by increased activity of Caspase 3/7 (p<0.01 for RPMI8226 and p<0.05 for U266). We observed significantly increase of Caspase 9 activity when RPMI8226 was transduced with shRNAHSP70 (p<0.001). Conclusion: Stable silencing of HSP70 and TRIAP1 in MM cell lines showed a strong impact on the induction of late apoptosis, through APAF-1/Caspase 9 pathway, suggesting that inhibitors of both genes could be exploited as potential targets for the treatment of MM, helping patients whatever P53 status assessed by FISH, as suggested by previous studies in other types of cancer (Support by FAPESP 2010/17668-6). Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 787-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Li ◽  
Shuang Li ◽  
Xiuli Wang ◽  
Hongxin Wang

Esculetin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin) is a coumarin derivative extracted from natural plants and has been reported to have anticancer activity. However, the mechanism by which esculetin prevents human hepatic cancer cell growth is still largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of esculetin on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SMMC-7721 cells and explored the cell signal mechanism. Our data indicated that esculetin induced apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells, which were supported by DAPI staining and Annexin V/PI staining. Meanwhile, esculetin increased the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9, promoted bax expression, decreased bcl-2 expression, and triggered collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased cytochrome c release from mitochondria. In addition, the inactivation of IGF-1, PI3K, and Akt was observed after esculetin administration. Furthermore, pretreatment with IGF-1 before esculetin administration abrogated the pro-apoptotic effects of esculetin, while PI3K inhibitor increased the pro-apoptotic effects of esculetin. These results indicated that esculetin induced the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells through IGF-1/PI3K/Akt-regulated mitochondrial dysfunction.


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