Orawin Prangsaengtong. Induction of apoptosis in the absence of Caspase-3 by the Flavone VR-3623 in human breast cancer cell line . Master's Degree(Physiology). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2005.
Induction of apoptosis in the absence of Caspase-3 by the Flavone VR-3623 in human breast cancer cell line
Abstract:
A growing body of epidemiologist studies have shown that increased
flavonoid consumption such as tofu and soybean is associated with a reduced risk of
breast cancer. In the present study, the mechanism of antiproliferative activity of VR-
3623 (5,3′-dihydroxy-3,6,7,8,4′-pentamethoxyflavone, DPMF) was investigated in
human MCF-7 breast cancer cells in vitro. VR-3623 is a flavone compound isolated
from the leaves and twigs of a Thai tropical plant, Gardenia obtusifolia. Treatment of
MCF-7 cells with 4 concentrations, 0.8 μM (GI50), 2 μM (2.5×GI50), 4 μM (5×GI50)
and 8 μM (10×GI50) of VR-3623 for 3-72 hours resulted in a dose-and time-dependent
increased apoptotic cells as evaluated by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)
staining and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. After incubation with 8
μM VR-3623, the number of apoptotic cells characterized by chromatin condensation
and DNA fragmentation after nuclear staining increased from 8% to the maximum
level 66% as observed at 3 and 72 hours, respectively. In addition, Western blot
analysis showed the expression of the proteolytic cleavage of PARP (85 kDa), an
indicative sign of apoptotic cells, during 24-72 hours. To investigate the involvement
of caspase enzyme in DPMF-mediated cell death, cells were preincubated with the
general caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK (10 μM), 1 hour before the addition of 8 μM
of the flavone. The results at 48 hours of incubation showed that the general caspase
inhibitor could alleviate cell death by 13%, but completely prevent the cleavage of
PARP. To further examine the caspases that contribute in DPMF-mediated apoptosis
in caspse-3-deficient MCF-7 cells, caspase-9 and -7 activities in the apoptotic cells
were determined using a fluorogenic assay. The findings showed that both caspases
were activated and increased to the maximum levels at 48 hours after treatment, but
the levels of activities were low throughout the experiments. The activity of both
caspases was inhibited by 15 μM of their specific peptide inhibitors, Ac-LEHD-CHO
for caspase-9 and Ac-DQTD-CHO for caspase-7. Furthermore, the release of
cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria into the
cytosol was detected to see the role of mitochondria in this apoptosis. Western blot
analysis demonstrated the expression of two proteins, cytochrmoe c (15 kDa) and AIF
(57 kDa) at 24 hours and the maximum values at 48 hours after incubation. It is
concluded that VR-3623 may suppress the growth of MCF-7 cells by induction of
apoptosis through caspase-dependent pathway via caspase-7 activation and caspaseindependent
pathway via AIF release. In addition, caspase-3 may not be essential in
DPMF-induced apoptosis in caspase-3-deficient MCF-7 cells