熊果酸激活低分化鼻咽癌细胞氯通道和减小细胞容积

本文旨在研究熊果酸对低分化鼻咽癌细胞氯通道的激活作用,以及熊果酸对其细胞容积的影响。采用膜片钳技术记录熊果酸激活的鼻咽癌细胞(CNE-2Z)全细胞氯电流,应用离子置换、改变细胞外渗透压、氯通道阻断剂等观察熊果酸诱导的氯电流的特性,活细胞动态图像分析技术测量细胞容积变化。结果显示,等渗条件下可记录到CNE-2Z细胞微弱且稳定的背景氯电流,细胞外灌流熊果酸可浓度依赖性(1～100nmol/L)诱发氯电流的产生,在±80mV电压钳制下,100nmol/L熊果酸激活的氯电流的平均电流密度为(78.92±6.39)pA/pF和(59.86±4.86)pA/pF,该电流具有较明显的外向优势,不表现明显的时间依赖性和电压依赖性失活。该电流翻转电位为(4.83±0.30)mV,较接近Cl平衡电位(0.9mV)。熊果酸激活的氯通道对不同阴离子的通透性为:Cl-=I->Br->葡萄酸根离子。该电流具有容积敏感性,可被细胞外高渗透压显著抑制;氯通道阻断剂他莫昔芬(tamoxifen)、5-硝基-2-(3-苯丙胺)苯甲酸[(5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpro-pylamino)benzoic acid,NPPB]可抑制该电流。细胞外灌流熊果酸1h后,细胞容积减小,氯通道阻断剂NPPB可抑制该容积变化。以上结果提示,熊果酸可以激活低分化鼻咽癌细胞的氯通道,使Cl外流,进而引起细胞容积减小。     

大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞钙激活氯通道电流的电生理检测

目的：研究大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞钙激活氯通道电流的电生理特性。方法：膜片钳全细胞和膜内向外记录模式检测大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞上钙激活氯通道全细胞电流和单通道电流。结果：大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞记录到稳定的钙激活氯通道电流（ICl（Ca））;ICl（Ca）表现出典型的外向整流特性和电压时间依赖性激活。结论：大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞膜上存在电压、时间依赖性氯通道电流,钙激活氯通道通过促进肺动脉平滑肌细胞去极化而成为调节肺动脉特性的关键调节因子。     

STAT3-siRNA对人结直肠癌细胞的干涉作用

目的:研究STAT3-siRNA对STAT3基因表达阳性的结直肠癌细胞凋亡的影响。方法:应用脂质体转染试剂将STAT3-siRNA表达盒(STAT3-siRNA expression cassettes,STAT3-SECs)体外转染至人结直肠癌SW480细胞及人成纤维细胞中,同时分别设立人成纤维对照组、SW480对照组、SW480错配链-SECs组和SW480空转染试剂组。于48h后收集细胞,先经荧光染色方法观察细胞表象变化,再通过流式细胞仪检测人结直肠癌SW480细胞凋亡情况,后分别提取细胞总RNA,用RT-PCR测定STAT3基因在mRNA水平的表达。结果:SW480STAT3-SECs组的细胞可见凋亡小体,出现明显的凋亡现象,而人成纤维对照组、人成纤维STAT3-SECs组、SW480对照组、SW480错配链-SECs组和SW480空转染试剂组未出现明显的凋亡现象。SW480STAT3-SECs组细胞的凋亡比率较SW480对照组、SW480错配链-SECs组和SW480空转染试剂组有明显的增高。RT-PCR所得数据经统计学处理得出:SW480STAT3-SECs组细胞的STAT3基因表达在mRNA水平上显著低于SW480对照组(P0.01);而人成纤维对照组与人成纤维STAT3-SECs组,SW480细胞对照组与SW480错配链-SECs组、SW480空转染试剂组之间无明显差异(P0.05)。结论:应用RNAi技术沉默STAT3基因可以降低人结直肠癌SW480细胞中STAT3的表达,诱导细胞的凋亡。     

大鼠壁细胞基底膜容积致敏感氯通道电流

为研究胃粘膜壁细胞容积致敏感氯通道电流的定位、电生理特征及药物效应并推断其在壁细胞病理生理过程中所起作用,对急性分离的大鼠胃粘膜壁细胞进行全细胞膜片钳记录,将电极液设置为高渗（Δ≈７０ｍＯｓｍ）,使细胞出现稳定的体积增大后,在其基底膜上记录到容积致敏感氯通道电流（ｖｏｌｕｍｅ－ｓｅｎｓｉｔｉｖｅｃｈｌｏｒｉｄｅｃｈａｎｎｅｌｃｕｒｅｎｔ,ＶＳＣｌＣＣ）,该电流具有外向整流性及电压和时间依赖性,可被１０μｍｏｌ／Ｌ花生四烯酸（ａｒａｃｈｉｄｏｎｉｃａｃｉｄ,ＡＡ）可逆性抑制（７１．３±１０．９％）。细胞外液ｐＨ值由７．４降低至４．０,ＶＳＣｌＣＣ的幅度显著下降（６３．１±１４．０％）,而其激活及失活动力学无改变;ｐＨ升高至９．０对ＶＳＣｌＣＣ无影响。壁细胞ＶＳＣｌＣＣ对细胞内外钙离子浓度均呈现明显的依赖性。结果表明,壁细胞基底膜上存在本底氯通道和容积致敏感氯通道两种不同的氯离子通道。ＶＳＣｌＣＣ可能参与某些胃粘膜疾病的病理生理过程。     

卷曲乳杆菌对三种结肠上皮细胞的粘附性

目的研究卷曲乳杆菌对3种结肠上皮细胞(SW480细胞、SW620细胞、LOVO细胞)的粘附性。方法将处于对数生长期的卷曲乳杆菌A7分别与SW480细胞、SW620细胞、LOVO细胞进行体外粘附试验,革兰染色后显微镜观察卷曲乳杆菌A7对3种结肠上皮细胞的粘附结果并计数。结果卷曲乳杆菌A7对3种结肠上皮细胞的粘附均具有显著性,其中对于SW480细胞和LOVO细胞的粘附性明显高于SW620细胞。结论卷曲乳杆菌A7对SW480细胞、SW620细胞、LOVO细胞均具有较强的粘附性,提示该菌株有望成为肠道益生菌的新成员。     

MiRNA-155通过调控β-catenin促进结肠癌SW480细胞的侵袭

目的:探讨micro RNA-155(miR-155)对结肠癌细胞SW480侵袭能力的影响及其可能机制。方法:采用反转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)测定结肠癌组织与邻近正常结肠组织中miR-155的表达。将miR-155 mimic和β-catenin特异性的siRNA(β-catenin si RNA)分别通过脂质体转染法转染入结肠癌SW480细胞,应用RT-PCR检测细胞中miR-155和β-catenin m RNA的表达,采用蛋白质印迹法(Western Blot)检测β-catenin蛋白表达,采用Transwell侵袭实验检测miR-155 mimic及β-catenin si RNA对SW480细胞侵袭能力的影响。结果:结肠癌组织中的miR-155的表达较邻近正常结肠组织明显升高(P0.05);miR-155 mimic可使β-catenin的m RNA和蛋白表达均显著升高(P0.05),同时可显著增强SW480细胞的侵袭能力(P0.05),而转染miR-155 mimic和β-catenin si RNA的SW480细胞侵袭能力较仅转染miR-155 mimic的SW480细胞显著减弱(P0.05)。结论:结肠癌组织中miR-155的表达上调,可能通过激活B-catenin信号通路促进肿瘤细胞的远处侵袭转移。     

人胎儿鼻咽上皮细胞的背景氯电流

采用膜片钳和图像分析技术,研究人胎儿鼻咽上皮细胞背景电流的特性及其与容积激活性氯电流的关系。在等张溶液中,可记录到一背景电流,该电流呈微弱的外向整流性,无明显时间依赖性失活,其翻转电位为(?0.73±1.7)mV(n=21),接近氯离子平衡电位(?0.9mV)。细胞外高张刺激(440mOsmol/L)明显抑制此电流(59.6±7.1)%,而低张刺激(160mOsmol/L)则诱发细胞产生容积激活性氯电流。氯通道阻断剂tamoxifen和5-硝基-2-(3-苯丙胺基)苯甲酸[5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoicacid,NPPB]显著地抑制背景电流并使细胞基础容积增大。上述结果表明,人胎儿鼻咽上皮细胞的背景Cl?电流是背景电流的重要成分,此Cl?电流与容积激活性氯电流及细胞基础容积调节有关。     

小檗碱对急淋白血病的在体抗肿瘤及与Ara-C的联合作用研究

本实验旨在研究小檗碱(berberine, BBR)对急淋白血病细胞Jurkat的在体抗肿瘤作用及与阿糖胞苷(cytosine, Ara-C)的联合作用。本研究通过体外培养Jurkat细胞株,将细胞注射至裸鼠皮下,建立皮下移植瘤模型,待肿瘤体积长至约100 mm~3时,随机分为两组:对照组和小檗碱处理组,分别口服PBS、200 mg/kg小檗碱,隔天给药一次,隔天记录裸鼠体重及肿瘤体积大小。给药30 d后处死动物,剥离肿瘤组织,称量肿瘤大小,绘制肿瘤生长曲线、体重图及瘤重图,计算抑瘤率;采用免疫组化法检测移植瘤组织中细胞核增殖抗原Ki-67的表达水平。同时,本研究用一线用药阿糖胞苷(cytarabine, Ara-C)与小檗碱联合处理Jurkat细胞,研究两药联用的药效。发现小檗碱处理组移植瘤大小受到明显的抑制,瘤块组织中Ki-67的表达明显降低;Ara-C与小檗碱能协同抑制Jurkat细胞的增殖,联合指数(combination index, CI)1。本研究发现小檗碱能够抑制Jurkat细胞皮下移植瘤的增殖,在体内发挥抗急淋白血病活性,并能与一线用药Ara-C协同产生作用。     

地高辛对结直肠癌细胞株体外生长的影响

该文研究了地高辛(digoxin)对结直肠癌HT29、SW480和SW620细胞株增殖、迁移和侵袭能力以及上皮–间质转换(epithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)的影响。采用MTT检测不同浓度地高辛分别作用于HT29、SW480和SW620细胞株24、48、72 h后的细胞增殖。采用划痕实验测量细胞的迁移率。采用Transwell侵袭实验测定细胞侵袭能力。采用Western blot测定相关上皮–间质转换标志物E-钙黏蛋白(E-cadherin)、N-钙黏蛋白(N-cadherin)、SNAIL、Slug和波形蛋白(vimentin)以及VEGF蛋白质水平。RT-PCR检测地高辛干预细胞后VEGF mRNA水平。结果发现,地高辛能有效抑制HT29和SW480细胞的增殖,且具有浓度和时间依赖性,但对SW620细胞无显著抑制作用。地高辛能够抑制HT29和SW480细胞的迁移和侵袭能力,但对SW620细胞无显著作用。EMT标志物检测结果发现,与对照组相比,HT29和SW480细胞E-钙黏蛋白水平显著升高,N-钙黏蛋白、SNAIL、Slug、波形蛋白水平显著降低,SW620细胞E-钙黏蛋白水平显著升高,Slug蛋白质水平显著降低,但VEGF水平在SW620细胞无明显改变而在HT29和SW480细胞中显著降低。与对照组相比,地高辛干预HT29细胞后,细胞中VEGF mRNA水平明显降低,而SW620细胞无显著变化。结果提示,地高辛能够抑制结直肠癌细胞的增殖,抑制其EMT的发展,对治疗结直肠未转移癌具有更好的潜力。     

利诺吡啶对豚鼠耳蜗外毛细胞和Deiters细胞钾电流的抑制

为探讨KCNQ家族钾通道在耳蜗外毛细胞和Deiters细胞的功能性表达,我们观察并记录了KCNQ家族钾通道阻滞剂利诺吡啶对豚鼠耳蜗单离外毛细胞(outer hair cells,OHCs)和Deiters细胞总钾电流的影响。采用酶孵育加机械分离法分离豚鼠耳蜗单个OHCs和Deiters细胞：运用膜片钳技术,在全细胞模式下记录正常细胞外液中8个外毛细胞和5个Deiters细胞的总钾电流,并观察100μmol／L和200μmol／L利诺吡啶对外毛细胞和Deiters细胞总钾电流的影响。结果观察到,在正常细胞外液中的单离外毛细胞,可记录到四乙基二乙胺敏感的外向性钾电流和静息膜电位附近激活的内向性钾电流(the K^ current activated at negative potential,IKa)两种钾电流,而在单离Deiters细胞中只记录到外向整流性钾电流。在细胞外液中,加入100μmol／L利诺吡啶后,OHCs中的四乙基二乙胺敏感的钾电流峰电流成分被抑制,稳态电流幅值减小,且电流的失活时问常数明显延长;在细胞外液中加入100μmol／L和200μmol／L利诺吡啶后,OHCs的内向性钾电流IKa被完全抑制;而细胞外液中利诺吡啶终浓度为200μmol／L时,Deiters细胞的外向整流性钾电流幅值无明显变化。由此我们推测,KCNQ家族钾通道存在于豚鼠耳蜗外毛细胞,其介导的钾电流是四乙基二乙胺敏感的钾电流的组成部分,并构成全部的IKn,其功能是介导细胞内K^ 外流和防止细胞过度去极化;KCNQ家族钾通道不存在于豚鼠耳蜗Dciters细胞。     

Proteins excreted by primary human colon carcinoma cells (SW 480) promote spreading and growth of metastatic human colon carcinoma cells (SW 620) in serum-free medium

The growth behavior of the two human colon tumor cell lines (SW 480, primary and SW 620, metastatic), originating from the same patient, was studied in six different serum-free media (SFM) [GF3, Chee's essential medium plus insulin, transferrin and selenium; GF3F, GF3 plus fetuin; GF4, GF3 plus linoleic acid-BSA; GF5, GF4 plus fetuin; GF5E, GF5 plus EGF; GF5T, GF5 plus triiodothyronine]. SW 480 grew in all of the SFM. In contrast, SW 620 grew only in four SFM. The cells did not grow in GF3 and GF4. When grown in SFM, SW 480 attached much more firmly to the dishes than SW 620 as determined by the time required to detach the cells with trypsin-EDTA (SW 480, greater than 20 min and SW 620, less than 5 min). It was speculated that SW 480 cells excrete proteins in SFM which influence attachment and growth of the cells. Growth behavior of SW 480 cells which did not grow in GF3, was studied using GF3 medium and SW 480 substratum dishes. SW 620 cells readily attached to the SW 480 substratum dishes and grew. Furthermore, when SW 620 cells were grown on substratum prepared from serum-supplemented medium incubated in the absence of cells (serum substratum), the cell growth was comparable to the cell growth on SW 480 substratum in GF3. Substratum from SW 480 cells and the serum substratum were compared for their components using SDS-PAGE system. The SW 480 substratum contains many more components than serum substratum. A protein band at 60 kD appears to be common in both SW 480 and serum substrata.     

敲低HSP60 对结肠癌SW480 细胞增殖能力的影响及其机制探究

目的:研究热休克蛋白60(HSP60)敲低对结肠癌SW480细胞增殖的影响,并进一步探究其作用机制。方法:通过含HSP60sh RNA载体的慢病毒感染加上流式细胞仪无菌分选的方法构建结肠SW480 HSP60基因稳定RNA干扰(RNAi)单克隆细胞系,利用Western blot和q-PCR验证结肠癌细胞中HSP60的敲低效率;使用CCK-8试剂检测结肠癌细胞增殖能力,并用流式细胞仪检测其HSP60敲低对细胞周期的影响。结果:Western blot和q-PCR结果验证了HSP60在结肠癌细胞中的敲低效率,与对照组细胞相比,实验组细胞HSP60的m RNA水平和蛋白水平均降低了60%以上。CCK-8实验结果表明,敲低HSP60后SW480细胞的增殖能力下降了约70%;流式细胞周期实验显示敲低HSP60后SW480细胞中G0/G1期、S期、G2/M期的分布比例变化不大。结论:敲低HSP60能够显著抑制SW480细胞的增殖能力,而SW480细胞周期并没有发生明显变化,推测HSP60的敲低引起的线粒体损伤导致细胞生长速度变慢。     

Identification of the Novel TMEM16A Inhibitor Dehydroandrographolide and Its Anticancer Activity on SW620 Cells

TMEM16A, a calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC), is highly amplified and expressed in human cancers and is involved in the growth and metastasis of some malignancies. Inhibition of TMEM16A represents a novel pharmaceutical approach for the treatment of cancers and metastases. The purpose of this study is to identify a new TMEM16A inhibitor, investigate the effects of this inhibitor on the proliferation and metastasis of TMEM16A-amplified SW620 cells, and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism in vitro. We identified a novel small-molecule TMEM16A inhibitor dehydroandrographolide (DP). By using patch clamp electrophysiology, we showed that DP inhibited TMEM16A chloride currents in Fisher rat thyroid (FRT) cells that were transfected stably with human TMEM16A and in TMEM16A-overexpressed SW620 cells but did not alter cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride currents. Further functional studies showed that DP suppressed the proliferation of SW620 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner using MTT assays. Moreover, DP significantly inhibited migration and invasion of SW620 cells as detected by wound-healing and transwell assays. Further mechanistic study demonstrated that knockdown of human TMEM16A decreased the inhibitory effect of DP on the proliferation of SW620 cells and that TMEM16A-dependent cells (SW620 and HCT116) were more sensitive to DP than TMEM16A-independent cells (SW480 and HCT8). In addition, we found that treatment of SW620 cells with DP led to a decrease in TMEM16A protein levels but had no effect on TMEM16A mRNA levels. The current work reveals that DP, a novel TMEM16A inhibitor, exerts its anticancer activity on SW620 cells partly through a TMEM16A-dependent mechanism, which may introduce a new targeting approach for an antitumour therapy in TMEM16A-amplified cancers.     

Knockdown of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) splicing variant S3 promotes autophagic cell death from nitrosative stress in SW480 human colon cancer cells

Low levels of nitric oxide (NO) produced by constitutively expressed inducible NO synthase (NOS2) in tumor cells may be an important factor in their development. NOS2 expression is associated with high mortality rates for various cancers. Alternative splicing of NOS2 down-regulates its enzymatic activity, resulting in decreased intracellular NO concentrations. Specific probes to detect alternative splicing of NOS2 were used in two isogenic human colon cancer cell lines derived either from the primary tumor (SW480) or from a lymph node metastasis (SW620). Splicing variant of NOS2 S3, lacking exons 9, 10, and 11, was overexpressed in SW480 cells. NOS2 S3 was silenced in SW480 cells. Flow-cytometry analysis was used to estimate the intracellular NO levels and to analyze the cell cycle of the studied cell lines. Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to determine apoptosis and autophagy markers. SW480 and SW620 cells expressed NOS2 S3. Overexpression of the NOS2 S3 in SW480 cells downregulated intracellular NO levels. SW480 cells with knocked down NOS2 S3 (referred to as S3C9 cells) had higher intracellular levels of NO compared to the wild-type SW480 cells under serum restriction. Higher NO levels resulted in the loss of viability of S3C9 cells, which was associated with autophagy. Induction of autophagy by elevated intracellular NO levels in S3C9 cells under serum restriction, suggests that autophagy operates as a cytotoxic response to nitrosative stress. The expression of NOS2 S3 plays an important role in regulating intracellular NO production and maintaining viability in SW480 cells under serum restriction. These findings may prove significant in the design of NOS2/NO-based therapies for colon cancer.     

Arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis through oxidative stress in cells of colon cancer cell lines

Exposure of three colon cancer cell lines, SW480, DLD-1, and COLO201, to arsenic trioxide in the medium induced a marked concentration-dependent suppression of cell growth. The intracellular contents of reduced glutathione (GSH) in these cell lines tended to be inversely correlated with the sensitivity of the cells to arsenic trioxide. Among the cell lines, SW480 cells underwent apoptosis at the low arsenic trioxide concentration of 2 microM, which was prevented by pretreatment of the cells with N-acetylcysteine and was enhanced by buthionine sulfoximine. The production of reactive oxygen intermediates which were examined by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCF-DA), increased with time after treatment with arsenic trioxide. The apoptosis was executed by the activation of caspase 3, which was shown by Western blot, enzymatic activity, and apoptosis inhibition assay. The mitochondrial membrane potential of adherent apoptotic SW480 cells and the cells from intermediate layer separated by density gradient centrifugation, both of which showed the active form of caspase 3 by Western blot analysis, was not lost. The overexpression of Bcl-2 protein in SW480 cells could not prevent the apoptosis induced by the treatment with arsenic trioxide. All these findings indicate that arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis in SW480 cells is executed by the activation of caspase 3 without mediating by mitochondria under the overproduction of reactive oxygen species.     

Metastatic SW620 colon cancer cells are primed for death when detached and can be sensitized to anoikis by the BH3-mimetic ABT-737

Anoikis, a Bax-dependent apoptosis triggered by detachment from the extracellular matrix, is often inhibited in metastatic cancer cells. Using a couple of isogenic human colon cancer cell lines derived either from the primary tumor (SW480) or from a lymph node metastasis (SW620), we found that only SW480 cells were sensitive to anoikis. Bim upregulation but not Mcl-1 degradation was determined to be a critical factor of anoikis initiation in SW480 cells. ERK-mediated phosphorylation targets Bim for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. A MEK inhibitor (PD0325901) was able to increase Bim expression in SW620 cells and to sensitize these cells to anoikis. Thus, in both cell lines anoikis is under the control of proteins of the Bcl-2 family. Most interestingly, the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 was found not only to increase the level of apoptosis in suspended SW480 cells but also to sensitize SW620 cells to anoikis. Accordingly, both cell lines cultured in suspension were found to be primed for death, as determined by the detection of Bcl-2:Bim and Bcl-xL:Bim complexes. In contrast, adherent SW480 and SW620 cells were resistant to ABT-737. This indicates that, whether or not they undergo anoikis, colon cancer cells that have detached from the extracellular matrix might go through a transient state, where they are sensitive to BH3 mimetics. This would confer to compounds such as Navitoclax or ABT-199 a therapeutic window where they could have anti-metastatic potential.     

Induction of apoptosis in cultured colon cancer cells by transfection with human interferon beta gene

The growth of SW480 colon cancer cells following the transfection with the human interferon beta (hIFNbeta) gene entrapped in cationic multilamellar liposomes was effectively inhibited, but not that of the cells transfected with the gene from which the secretion signal sequence of hIFNbeta had been deleted. The amount of hIFNbeta secreted in the medium from SW480 cells transfected with hIFNbeta gradually increased and became maximum 3 days after the transfection, but no hIFNbeta was detected in the medium of the cells transfected with the secretion signal-deleted hIFNbeta. These findings indicate that the growth inhibition of SW480 cells after the transfection with hIFNbeta was caused by hIFNbeta secreted from the transfected cells. At that time, SW480 cells were induced to undergo apoptosis, which was identified by morphological aspects, viz., chromatin condensation, nuclear segmentation, and nucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The hIFNbeta-induced apoptosis was found to be linked to the activation of caspases 3 and 8 as evidenced by immunoblot, enzymological, and cell death inhibition analyses.     

Polyamine metabolism in primary human colon adenocarcinoma cells (SW480) and their lymph node metastatic derivatives (SW620)

The natural polyamines are multifunctional constituents of all eucaryotic cells. The objective of this work was to compare aspects of polyamine metabolism in two related cell lines with the idea to investigate whether metabolic differences can be attributed to functional differences of the cells. The human colon carcinoma-derived cell lines SW480 and SW620 were chosen as models. SW480 cells were isolated from the primary tumour, SW620 cells from a lymph node of the same patient. SW620 cells grow faster, and the key regulatory enzymes of polyamine biosynthesis (ODC and AdoMetDC) are more active in the metastatic cells. Moreover, their ability to accumulate polyamines from the environment is more important than of SW480 cells. Likewise polyamine concentrations were markedly higher in SW620 cells, although they are much smaller than SW480 cells, and have a particularly small cytoplasmic space. Both cell lines show a striking diminution of ODC and AdoMetDC activities and changes in the polyamine patterns at the transition from exponential to non-exponential growth--most probably as a consequence of high cell density. Depletion of putrescine and spermidine due to inactivation of ODC by DFMO causes accumulation of cells in G1, and a proportional decrease of S-phase cells in both cell lines. Based on morphologic and other criteria SW480 and SW620 cells were typified as poorly differentiated. In agreement with their low grade of differentiation they exhibit a low alkaline phosphatase activity. However, the time-dependent decrease of alkaline phosphatase is not typical of differentiation patterns of other adenocarcinoma-derived cell lines or of normal enterocytes. The high capacity of de novo polyamine biosynthesis and of polyamine uptake is presumably a prerequisite for the rapid growth and invasiveness. The fact that these properties were more accentuated in the case of SW620 cells and paralleled enhanced metastatic properties indicate relationships between basic parameters of polyamine metabolism and malignancy.     

Silibinin triggers apoptotic signaling pathways and autophagic survival response in human colon adenocarcinoma cells and their derived metastatic cells

Silibinin, a flavonolignan isolated from the milk thistle plant (Silybum marianum), possesses anti-neoplastic properties. In vitro and in vivo studies have recently shown that silibinin inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study investigates the mechanisms of silibinin-induced cell death using an in vitro model of human colon cancer progression, consisting of primary tumor cells (SW480) and their derived metastatic cells (SW620) isolated from a metastasis of the same patient. Silibinin induced apoptotic cell death evidenced by DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3 in both cell lines. Silibinin enhanced the expression (protein and mRNA) of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) death receptors (DR4/DR5) at the cell surface in SW480 cells, and induced their expression in TRAIL-resistant SW620 cells normally not expressing DR4/DR5. Caspase-8 and -10 were activated demonstrating the involvement of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in silibinin-treated SW480 and SW620 cells. The protein Bid was cleaved in SW480 cells indicating a cross-talk between extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathway. We demonstrated that silibinin activated also the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in both cell lines, including the perturbation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol and the activation of caspase-9. Simultaneously to apoptosis, silibinin triggered an autophagic response. The inhibition of autophagy with a specific inhibitor enhanced cell death, suggesting a cytoprotective function for autophagy in silibinin-treated cells. Taken together, our data show that silibinin initiated in SW480 and SW620 cells an autophagic-mediated survival response overwhelmed by the activation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways.