Biphasic modulation of cell proliferation by sulforaphane at physiologically relevant exposure times in a human colon cancer cell line

Sulforaphane (SFN), a cancer chemopreventive compound derived from broccoli, is able to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various tumor cell lines. Here we show that cell growth inhibition by SFN follows a biphasic pattern: Transient exposure of 40-16 human colon carcinoma cells for up to 6 h resulted in reversible G(2)/M cell cycle arrest and cytostatic growth inhibition even at elevated concentrations, whereas a minimum continuous exposure time of 12 h was necessary for SFN to irreversibly arrest cells in G(2)/M phase and subsequently induce apoptosis. IC(50) values after 12 h of exposure followed by drug-free recovery up to 72 h (6.4-8.1 microM) were indistinguishable from those of chronic exposure for 24 to 72 h (5.4-6.6 microM). Low concentrations of SFN caused a transient decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels followed by GSH induction, which may be related to reversible G(2)/M arrest and cytostatic effects. Depletion of GSH does not seem to play a role in SFN-mediated apoptosis induction. Our data clearly contribute to a better understanding of the kinetics of antiproliferative activity of SFN.     

Antiproliferative,proapoptotic and morphogenic effects of the flavonoid rutin on human glioblastoma cells

In this study, we investigated the effects of the flavonoid rutin (3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone-3-rutinoside) on glioma cells, using the highly proliferative human cell line GL-15 as a model. We observed that rutin (50–100 μM) reduced proliferation and viability of GL-15 cells, leading to decreased levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation (P-ERK1/2) and accumulation of cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. On the other hand, 87.4% of GL-15 cells exposed to 100 μM rutin entered apoptosis, as revealed by flow cytometry after AnnexinV/PI staining. Nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation were also observed, further confirming that apoptosis had occurred. Moreover, the remaining cells that were treated with 50 μM rutin presented a morphological pattern of astroglial differentiation in culture, characterised by a condensed cell body and thin processes with overexpression of GFAP. Because of its capacity to induce differentiation and apoptosis in cultured human glioblastoma cells, rutin could be considered as a potential candidate for malignant gliomas treatment.     

乳菇菌素D体外抗肿瘤活性及对细胞周期和凋亡的影响

目的：研究来源于绒白乳菇菌的新型倍半萜类化合物——乳菇菌素D的抗肿瘤活性及对细胞周期和细胞凋 亡的影响。方法：运用噻唑蓝法检测乳菇菌素D对A549、HCT-8、Bel-7402、SMMC7721、HeLa细胞增殖的抑制作 用并计算半数抑制率（half maximal inhibitory concentration,IC50）,并以顺铂作为阳性对照;选择对该化合物敏感 的A549细胞株,观察其作用后细胞的形态学改变、细胞凋亡率和细胞周期的变化。结果：乳菇菌素D能够有效抑制 A549、Bel-7402、SMMC7721和HeLa细胞的增殖,作用72 h后的IC50分别为2.46、19.09、18.21、17.05 μg/mL;乳菇 菌素D可引起A549细胞显著的形态学改变,出现凋亡小体;诱导A549细胞凋亡（100 μg/mL作用72 h 时的凋亡率为 32.14%）、使细胞阻滞于S期。结论：该化合物能够抑制多种组织来源的肿瘤细胞增殖,其中A549细胞最敏感;其 作用机制是通过干扰细胞增殖周期而诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡。本实验为乳菇菌素D的开发提供实验依据。     

Xanthohumol induces apoptosis in cultured 40-16 human colon cancer cells by activation of the death receptor- and mitochondrial pathway

Xanthohumol (XN) is one of the major prenylflavonoids found in hop cones (Humulus lupulus L.). In this study, we investigated the cell growth inhibitory potential of XN on cultured human colon cancer cells. Cell proliferation was measured by sulforhodamine B staining. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) cleavage, activation of caspases-3, -7, -8, and -9, and Bcl-2 family protein expression were detected by Western blot analyses. XN significantly reduced proliferation of the HCT 116-derived colon cancer cell line 40--16. Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations decreased from 4.1 microM after 24 h treatment to 3.6 and 2.6 microM after 48 and 72 h incubation, respectively. Treatment with 15 microM XN for 48 h and with 5 microM for 72 h led to the detection of the cleaved 89 kDa fragment of 116 kDa PARP as an indication of apoptosis induction. Concomitantly, we observed activation and cleavage of the effector caspases-3 and -7, induced by activation of the initiator caspases -8 and -9. Expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was down regulated when the cells were treated with XN for 48--72 h. We conclude that induction of apoptosis by downregulation of Bcl-2 and activation of the caspase cascade may contribute to the chemopreventive or therapeutic potential of XN.     

苦丁茶叶制虫茶粗多酚对HepG2人肝癌细胞的凋亡诱导效果

茶多酚是茶叶中的功能性成分。虫茶作为传统饮品也含有这些化合物,这些多酚类物质的抗癌效果有待科学的研究。本研究对苦丁茶叶制虫茶粗多酚（CPKMI）的癌细胞凋亡诱导作用进行了测定。采用MTT法对CPKMI对癌细胞的体外生长抑制作用进行了分析,然后进一步采用RT-PCR检测对CPKMI的癌细胞凋亡诱导效果进行了实验。经过25、50和100μg/m L的CPKMI处理癌细胞48h,Hep G2人肝癌细胞的增殖被抑制,其中100μg/m L的CPKMI表现出最高的抑制率（72.8%）。CPKMI也可以通过上调caspase-3、caspase-9、p53、p21、E2F1、p73和下调HIAP-1,HIAP-2基因的mRNA的表达对Hep G2癌细胞起到显著的凋亡诱导效果（p<0.05）。由此可见,CPKMI表现出强的体外癌细胞凋亡诱导效果。      

银杏中银杏酸诱导人白血病细胞U937凋亡的研究

目的:研究银杏酸体外对U937细胞生长的抑制作用,探讨其作用机理。方法:采用MTT法检测银杏酸对U937细胞增殖的影响,激光共聚焦显微镜观察细胞形态的变化,DNA琼脂糖电泳检测其生化特征的改变,流式细胞仪分析细胞凋亡率。结果:U937细胞经银杏酸作用24～48h,细胞的生长明显被抑制;银杏酸作用28h出现了细胞皱缩、核浓缩、体积缩小等明显的凋亡的形态学特征;细胞DNA经琼脂糖电泳可见典型的梯形条带;10.0μg/ml的银杏酸作用40h后,细胞凋亡率为14%。结论:银杏酸对U937细胞具有明显的抗肿瘤活性,其作用机理与诱导细胞凋亡有关。     

龙须菜藻红蛋白对Hela细胞增殖抑制及其机制的研究

目的:探讨龙须菜藻红蛋白(PE)对人宫颈癌细胞Hela体外的抑制作用及其作用机制。方法:采用MTT法检测不同浓度的藻红蛋白对Hela细胞增殖抑制效果。流式细胞仪和Annexin V-FITC/PI双荧光染色法观察藻红蛋白对Hela细胞周期及细胞凋亡的影响。结果:PE可显著抑制Hela细胞的生长,并呈剂量-效应关系(p<0.01,r=0.84),剂量为20μg/ml,作用48h,其抑制率达70.88%,其48h的IC50值为4.12μg/ml。PE可阻滞Hela细胞从G2/M期进入S期,诱导细胞凋亡。结论:PE对Hela细胞有较强的抑制作用,其作用机制部分与诱导Hela细胞调亡有关。     

Tobacco particulate matter is more potent than nicotine at upregulating nicotinic receptors on SH-SY5Y cells.

The effect of total particulate matter (TPM) from cigarette smoke on the expression and binding properties of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was investigated using a human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y). TPM but not nicotine on its own inhibited cell growth at nicotine concentrations above 5 microM. To examine effects on nAChR expression, intact cells were incubated with 3H-epibatidine, and a Bmax of 13 fmoles/10(5) cells (7.8 x 10(4) binding sites/cell) was measured in unexposed cells as well as in cells treated with 2 microM nicotine alone or with TPM containing 2 microM nicotine. Using Scatchard analysis, we measured a Kd of 0.3 nM for 3H-epibatidine binding to nAChRs. This Kd was increased to 1.3 nM by addition of nicotine or TPM extract, both at 2 microM nicotine. Bmax, however, was unaffected, suggesting competitive binding of nicotine to its receptor. Short-term and prolonged 3-day exposures of SH-SY5Y cells to either TPM or nicotine at nicotine concentrations ranging from 0.2 microM to 20 microM increased specific binding, suggesting upregulation of nAChR expression. Most significant, binding was consistently greater in cells pretreated with TPM than in cells pretreated with nicotine. We conclude that TPM contains compounds that are toxic to cells at high concentrations (cell growth inhibition) but that do not compete with nicotine for binding to nAChRs (Scatchard analysis). These non-nicotinic compounds are capable of increasing the expression of one or more of the nAChR subunits. Furthermore, our cell culture assay provides a useful in vitro model for assessing the relative addictiveness of different tobacco products, including that of non-nicotine components.     

Vitamin C induces apoptosis in AGS cells by down-regulation of 14-3-3σ via a mitochondrial dependent pathway

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an essential component of most living cells. Apart from antioxidant activity, it has been reported to inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro in human cancer cells. However, the cellular mechanism underlying anticancer activity has not been fully elucidated. In this study, vitamin C showed a cytotoxic effect on human gastric cancer cell line AGS (LD50 300μg/ml). Further, flow cytometry analysis showed that vitamin C increased the sub-G1 (apoptosis) population and apoptosis confirmed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-Annexin V double staining in AGS cells. Moreover, specific immuno-blotting revealed the expression of the phosphorylated form of Bad (S136), 14-3-3σ, pro-caspases-3, -6, -8, and-9 protein levels were significantly decreased and Bax/Bcl-xL ratio was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Also, wound healing assay results showed that vitamin C inhibited AGS cell proliferation. These findings suggest that vitamin C induces apoptosis and might be a potential therapeutic agent for gastric cancer.     

Production of intracellular phytochemicals in Chlorella under heterotrophic conditions

A heterotrophic synchronous culture (HSC) of Chlorella regularis S-50, a strain with a high growth rate, and one for its mutant were established by alternately culturing for 6 h on medium containing glucose and for 3 h on medium without glucose. The changes in cellular components and respiratory activity during the course of cell cycling in the HSC were investigated. The synchronized daughter cells (small cells) produced by the HSC contained 2-3 times as much intracellular phytochemicals (carotenoids, chlorophyll, tocopherols, and others typical of green plants) as the glucose-metabolizing cells or the non-synchronous cell mass. To attain the HSC at high cell density, the effects of glucose and oxygen on growth rate, synchronous growth, and production of intracellular phytochemicals were revealed. During the increase in cell mass, when a glucose concentration of 0.5-10 g l(-1) in the culture fluid was maintained by glucose feeding, and the (Qo2)(max) in cells was kept constant by supplying oxygen, cell mass increased synchronously with a specific growth rate, mu, of over 0.2 h(-1). In the HSC, when the late glucose-metabolizing cells were aerated by supplying oxygen to maintain over a half of the (Qo2)(max) under glucose-deficient conditions, intracellular phytochemicals increased rapidly in parallel with cell division. On the basis of these results, the HSC system at high cell density was attained by a glucose-limited fed-batch culture that involves three controlled conditions; glucose concentration, glucose feeding time, and oxygen supply. The system maintained synchronous growth for more than three generations until the cell density reached about 90 g l(-1) with a mu of 0.2 h(-1). In the HSC system, synchronized daughter cells were obtained at a cell productivity of 84 g l(-1) (30 h)(-1). The cell yield for glucose was 0.45. A weight of 100 g of dry cells contained 710 mg carotenoids, 350 mg lutein, 50 mg alpha-carotene, 60 mg beta-carotene, 3.3 g chlorophylls, 23 mg tocopherols, and others, with 63 g of protein rich in essential amino acids. Industrial-scale HSC systems made it possible to steadily produce Chlorella, containing 10-50 times as much phytochemicals as green and yellow vegetables, regardless of the weather.     

Effect of AATI,a Bowman-Birk type inhibitor from Apios americana, on proliferation of cancer cell lines

In this paper, the inhibitory effects of AATI on proliferation of four cancer cell lines were investigated. Compared with SBBI, AATI showed the same or stronger inhibitory effect on the proliferation rate among the cell lines tested. The morphology of the cell treated with AATI appeared irregular and the adhesion ability was changed among cells. The nuclei of the cells presented characters of apoptosis. Furthermore, the amount of phosphatidylserine in the outer leaflet of the cell membrane was increased significantly during the treatment. The genomic DNA test suggested that inhibitory effects on the proliferation of cells by AATI was caused by induction of apoptosis. Moreover, chemical modification of arginine or lysine residues in AATI resulted not only in the partial loses of protease-inhibitory activity, but also in the inhibitory effect on cancer cell lines, suggesting that the inhibitory effects on the proliferation are strongly correlated with its protease-inhibitory activity.     

Low concentrations of resveratrol inhibit Wnt signal throughput in colon-derived cells: implications for colon cancer prevention

Resveratrol is a bioflavonoid which is known to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines at concentrations above 50 muM. It also has colon cancer prevention activity in mouse models and possibly in humans. We have examined the effects of low concentrations of resveratrol on a specific signaling pathway, the Wnt pathway, which is activated in over 85% of sporadic colon cancers. Two colon cancer (HT29 and RKO) and one normal mucosa-derived (NCM460) cell lines were utilized. Cell proliferation was not affected by resveratrol at < or =40 microM for HT29 and NCM460 and <20 microM for RKO though Wnt signal throughput, as measured by a reporter construct, was reduced in RKO and NCM460 at concentrations as low as 10 microM (p < 0.001). This effect was most easily appreciated following Wnt pathway stimulation with Wnt3a conditioned medium and LEF1 or LEF1/beta-catenin transfection. Resveratrol did not inhibit Wnt throughput in mutationally activated HT29. Low concentrations of resveratrol significantly decreased the amount and proportion of beta-catenin in the nucleus in RKO (p = 0.002) and reduced the expression of lgs and pygoI, regulators of beta-catenin localization, in all cells lines. Thus, at low concentrations, in the absence of effects on cell proliferation, resveratrol significantly inhibits Wnt signaling in colon-derived cells which do not have a basally activated Wnt pathway. This inhibitory effect may be due in part to regulation of intracellular beta-catenin localization.     

菱灵颗粒有效成分的抗肿瘤作用研究

目的:研究菱灵颗粒有效成分-化合物Ⅰ在体外对Hela细胞的作用及其作用机制。方法:采用四甲基偶氮唑盐(MTT)还原法检测化合物Ⅰ对肿瘤生长抑制作用,应用光学显微镜、透射电子显微镜观察细胞形态,流式细胞仪检测细胞周期及细胞凋亡情况。结果:化合物Ⅰ对人宫颈癌细胞生长具有明显的抑制作用及诱导细胞凋亡作用,且这种作用有剂量依赖关系,化合物Ⅰ25、12.5、6.25mg/L剂量组30h抑瘤率为52.04%、34.44%、23.72%,100、50、25、12.5、6.25、3.125mg/L剂量组30h抑瘤率显著正相关,相关系数r=0.9860(p<0.01),IC50值为10.9mg/L。透射电子显微镜对化合物Ⅰ25、12.5、6.25mg/L剂量组受试细胞观察,均出现不同程度细胞凋亡现象,细胞核明显皱缩、染色质趋边凝聚、线粒体空化等特征。流式细胞仪检测发现凋亡峰。结论:化合物Ⅰ对Hela细胞增殖抑制作用明显并且有诱导细胞凋亡作用。     

Fatty acids in tea shoots (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) and their effects on the growth of retinal RF/6A endothelial cell lines

Chemo-protective effects of tea on ocular diseases were recorded in Chinese pharmacopoeia about 2000 years ago by eating tea. In the present study, contents of fatty acids (FAs) in tea shoots were determined by capillary GC; and the growth of RF/6A cells was also investigated by exposure to various representative FAs existing in tea shoots with pathologically relevant concentrations (40-500 microM) by ameliorated MTT assay and flow cytometry. Electron spin resonance (ESR) was used to measure oxygen consumption and investigate the free radical scavenging ability of linoleic acid (LA). Results showed that the most abundant long chain FAs were palmitic, linoleic, and alpha-linolenic acid in tea shoots; some RF/6A cells became suspended in culture medium treated by a high dose of both saturated and unsaturated FAs, but no apoptosis was observed. Moreover, it seemed that those FAs with different structure had various effects on the cell proliferation at their relatively low concentrations, LA expressed antioxidant activity in this study, which might be an important mechanism on the protection of eyes.     

In vitro model for the evaluation of toxicity and antinutritional effects of sulphites.

The food preservatives, sulphur dioxide and its salts, are known to present some toxic, mutagenic and antinutritional effects; in fact they interact with a number of nutrients, e.g. some vitamins, notably thiamine (Th) and folic acid (FA). The effect of different concentrations of sodium bisulphite in cell culture media has been studied in vitro on a human cell line, HEp-2, deriving from a carcinoma of the larynx. Moreover, the sulphites have been tested with different levels of Th and FA with the aim of elucidating how much the cellular response depended on either the anti-nutritional effect or the toxicity of sulphites. Cell growth has been taken as an index of cytotoxicity and measured both as total protein content and as colony-forming ability. With no Th and FA in the culture medium, a clear decrease of cell growth was observed either with or without addition of sodium bisulphite. A dose-dependent reduction of protein content was detected in cells treated with 10, 50, 100, 200, 250 or 500 microM sodium bisulphite. Moreover, when the cells were treated with 10 or 100 microM of this compound, the colony-forming ability was reduced both in number and colony size. As far as the interaction of the two vitamins with sodium bisulphite is concerned, when these nutrients were present in the medium at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5 mg/l, a similar growth profile, determined from their concentration, was observed in treated and control cells, the growth levels being affected by the sodium bisulphite contents. At higher levels of Th and FA, the growth index was still increasing only in treated cells, this phenomenon being particularly evident in cultures treated with 200 microM sodium bisulphite. The colony-forming ability was reduced in controls but still increased in treated cells at the highest concentration of vitamins.     

Clitocybe alexandri extract induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a lung cancer cell line: Identification of phenolic acids with cytotoxic potential

Mushrooms are a possible rich source of biologically active compounds with the potential for drug discovery. The aim of this work was to gain further insight into the cytotoxicity mechanism of action of Clitocybe alexandri ethanolic extract against a lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460 cells). The effects on cell cycle profile and levels of apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry, and the effect on the expression levels of proteins related to cellular apoptosis was also investigated by Western blot. The extract was characterised regarding its phenolic composition by HPLC-DAD, and the identified compounds were studied regarding their growth inhibitory activity, by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The effect of individual or combined compounds on viable cell number was also evaluated using the Trypan blue exclusion assay. It was observed that the C. alexandri extract induced an S-phase cell cycle arrest and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. In addition, treatment with the GI₅₀ concentration (concentration that was able to cause 50% of cell growth inhibition; 24.8 μg/ml) for 48 h caused an increase in the levels of wt. p53, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). The main components identified in this extract were protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic and cinnamic acids. Cinnamic acid was found to be the most potent compound regarding cell growth inhibition. Nevertheless, it was verified that the concomitant use of the individual compounds provided the strongest decrease in viable cell number. Overall, evidence was found for alterations in cell cycle and apoptosis, involving p53 and caspase-3. Furthermore, our data suggests that the phenolic acids identified in the extract are at least partially responsible for the cytotoxicity induced by this mushroom extract.     

Over-expression of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) delays serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in CHO-K1 cells

Serum deprivation inhibits cell growth and initiates apoptosis cell death in mammalian cell cultures. Since apoptosis is a genetically controlled cell death pathway, over-expression of anti-apoptotic proteins may provide a way to delay apoptosis. This study investigated the ability of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) to inhibit apoptosis induced by serum deprivation. Study includes evaluation of the ability of XIAP to prolong culture period and its effect on cell proliferation in serum-deprived media. The full length human XIAP was introduced into CHO-K1 cell lines and the effects of XIAP over-expression on the inhibition of apoptosis induced by serum-deprived conditions were examined. In batch cultures, cells over-expressing XIAP showed decreased levels of apoptosis and a higher number of viable cell under serum-deprived conditions compared to the control cell lines. The viability of control cells dropped to 40% after 2 days of serum deprivation, the XIAP expressing cells still maintained at a viability higher than 90%. Further investigation revealed that the caspase-3 activity of the CHO-K1 cell line was inhibited as a result of XIAP expression.     

培养液匀浆人参发根抗氧化、抗黑色素瘤作用

以培养液匀浆人参发根为实验材料,选用Cu2＋螯合能力、多酚氧化酶活力、总抗氧化能力3 种方法对其 抗氧化能力进行测定;采用流式细胞术对黑色素瘤细胞A375凋亡、细胞周期进行测定。结果表明：随着质量浓 度的增大,培养液匀浆人参发根的Cu2＋螯合率逐渐提高,在100 mg/mL时与VC差异不显著（P＞0.05）;40、 60、80、100 mg/mL时培养液匀浆人参发根与VC的多酚氧化酶活力差异不显著（P＞0.05）;培养液匀浆人参 发根的总抗氧化能力具有质量浓度依赖性,在100 mg/mL时达到0.877 4 mmol FeSO4/g。与对照组相比培养液匀 浆人参发根组细胞凋亡显著（P＜0.05）;S、G2/M期比例升高,G0/G1期比例下降。结论：人参发根具有抗氧 化、抗黑色素瘤作用。     

Involvement of MAPK, Bcl-2 family, cytochrome c, and caspases in induction of apoptosis by 1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone in human leukemia cells

1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone (OODBL) isolated from Inula britannica, exhibits potent antitumor activity against several human cancer cell lines. However, the molecular mechanism of OODBL in the induction of anticancer activity is still unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that OODBL induced the occurrence of apoptosis in human leukemic (HL-60) cells and cell arrest at the S phase. On the other hand, activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3, phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and Bid, and increased release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosolic fraction were detected in OODBL-treated HL-60 cells. We further demonstrated that production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways may play an important role in OODBL-induced apoptosis. The results from the present study highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying OODBL-induced anticancer activity.     

罗非鱼头长链碱的分离纯化及抗肿瘤活性

目的：探讨罗非鱼头长链碱（tilapia head long chain bases,TH-LCB）的提取纯化方法及其体外抗肿瘤 活性。方法：以罗非鱼头为原料,采用有机溶剂提取法,提取纯化得到TH-LCB;采用四甲基偶氮唑盐法、细胞 凋亡率和细胞周期的测定和蛋白免疫印迹等方法,探讨了TH-LCB对人白血病K562细胞的增殖抑制作用和凋亡诱 导作用。结果：TH-LCB可显著抑制人K562细胞的增殖,TH-LCB作用24、48 h后的半数抑制浓度分别为42.207、 39.494 μg/mL;随着TH-LCB质量浓度的增加,细胞凋亡率逐渐增加,sub-G0/G1峰（凋亡峰）也随之升高,表明 TH-LCB通过诱导细胞凋亡来抑制K562细胞增殖;Western blot结果表明,TH-LCB可提高细胞内Caspase-3的蛋白 表达量,呈剂量依赖效应。结论：TH-LCB可通过诱导K562细胞凋亡抑制其增殖,这一过程可能与Caspase-3的 激活有关。