Cucurbitacin E Induces Cell Cycle G2/M Phase Arrest and Apoptosis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive form of breast cancer resistant to many common treatments. In this study, we compared the effects of 12 phytochemical drugs on four cancer cell lines, and noticed that Cucurbitacin E (CuE) significantly inhibited TNBC cell growth by inducing cell cycle G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. CuE reduced expression of Cyclin D1, Survivin, XIAP, Bcl2, and Mcl-1 in MDA-MB-468 and SW527, and within MDA-MB-468, CuE significantly increased activation of JNK and inhibited activation of AKT and ERK. Collectively, these results suggest that CuE may be a viable compound for developing novel TNBC therapeutics.     

Metformin Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest Mediated by Oxidative Stress,AMPK and FOXO3a in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Recent studies have demonstrated that the anti-diabetic drug, metformin, can exhibit direct antitumoral effects, or can indirectly decrease tumor proliferation by improving insulin sensitivity. Despite these recent advances, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in decreasing tumor formation are not well understood. In this study, we examined the antiproliferative role and mechanism of action of metformin in MCF-7 cancer cells treated with 10 mM of metformin for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Using BrdU and the MTT assay, it was found that metformin demonstrated an antiproliferative effect in MCF-7 cells that occurred in a time- and concentration- dependent manner. Flow cytometry was used to analyze markers of cell cycle, apoptosis, necrosis and oxidative stress. Exposure to metformin induced cell cycle arrest in G₀-G₁ phase and increased cell apoptosis and necrosis, which were associated with increased oxidative stress. Gene and protein expression were determined in MCF-7 cells by real time RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. In MCF-7 cells metformin decreased the activation of IRβ, Akt and ERK1/2, increased p-AMPK, FOXO3a, p27, Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and decreased phosphorylation of p70S6K and Bcl-2 protein expression. Co-treatment with metformin and H₂O₂ increased oxidative stress which was associated with reduced cell number. In the presence of metformin, treating with SOD and catalase improved cell viability. Treatment with metformin resulted in an increase in p-p38 MAPK, catalase, MnSOD and Cu/Zn SOD protein expression. These results show that metformin has an antiproliferative effect associated with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which is mediated by oxidative stress, as well as AMPK and FOXO3a activation. Our study further reinforces the potential benefit of metformin in cancer treatment and provides novel mechanistic insight into its antiproliferative role.     

SNX-2112, a Novel Hsp90 Inhibitor,Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in MCF-7 Cells

SNX-2112 is a heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor with anticancer properties currently in clinical trials. This study investigated the effects of SNX-2112 on inhibition of cell growth, the cell cycle, and apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, in addition to the various molecular mechanisms. The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometric analysis suggest that SNX-2112 inhibits cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner more potently than 17-(allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanmycin (17-AAG), a traditional Hsp90 inhibitor, probably as a result of cell-cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and the induction of apoptosis. Downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, upregulation of Bax, cleavage of caspase-9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and degradation of the breast cancer-related Hsp90 client proteins human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), Akt, Raf-1, and nuclear factor kappa-B kinase (IKK) were observed in SNX-2112 treated cells by Western blot assay. These findings suggest that the molecular mechanisms of cell-growth inhibition by SNX-2112 involve activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and the degradation of breast cancer-related proteins.     

p16基因导入致人乳腺癌MCF-7细胞端区缩短及细胞周期阻滞

为进一步探讨 p1 6基因在抗肿瘤及细胞衰老中的作用 ,以脂质体介导的方法 ,将重组的含全长 p1 6c DNA的逆转录病毒载体导入人乳腺癌 MCF- 7细胞 ,获得稳定整合有效表达 .检测其对MCF- 7细胞的端区长度、细胞形态、增殖特性及细胞周期的影响 .结果显示 :导入 p1 6c DNA后的MCF- 7细胞端区长度明显缩短、增殖减慢 ,细胞周期阻滞于 G1期 .由此推测 ,野生型 p1 6基因可能通过诱导端区缩短效应及抑制细胞增殖从而抑制肿瘤和启动细胞衰老 .     

Middle Infrared Radiation Induces G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest in A549 Lung Cancer Cells

There were studies investigating the effects of broadband infrared radiation (IR) on cancer cell, while the influences of middle-infrared radiation (MIR) are still unknown. In this study, a MIR emitter with emission wavelength band in the 3–5 µm region was developed to irradiate A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells. It was found that MIR exposure inhibited cell proliferation and induced morphological changes by altering the cellular distribution of cytoskeletal components. Using quantitative PCR, we found that MIR promoted the expression levels of ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related and Rad3-related), TP53 (tumor protein p53), p21 (CDKN1A, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A) and GADD45 (growth arrest and DNA-damage inducible), but decreased the expression levels of cyclin B coding genes, CCNB1 and CCNB2, as well as CDK1 (Cyclin-dependent kinase 1). The reduction of protein expression levels of CDC25C, cyclin B1 and the phosphorylation of CDK1 at Thr-161 altogether suggest G₂/M arrest occurred in A549 cells by MIR. DNA repair foci formation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) marker γ-H2AX and sensor 53BP1 was induced by MIR treatment, it implies the MIR induced G₂/M cell cycle arrest resulted from DSB. This study illustrates a potential role for the use of MIR in lung cancer therapy by initiating DSB and blocking cell cycle progression.     

Bocavirus Infection Induces Mitochondrion-Mediated Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest at G2/M Phase

Bocavirus is a newly classified genus of the family Parvovirinae. Infection with Bocavirus minute virus of canines (MVC) produces a strong cytopathic effect in permissive Walter Reed/3873D (WRD) canine cells. We have systematically characterized the MVC infection-produced cytopathic effect in WRD cells, namely, the cell death and cell cycle arrest, and carefully examined how MVC infection induces the cytopathic effect. We found that MVC infection induces an apoptotic cell death characterized by Bax translocalization to the mitochondrial outer membrane, disruption of the mitochondrial outer membrane potential, and caspase activation. Moreover, we observed that the activation of caspases occurred only when the MVC genome was replicating, suggesting that replication of the MVC genome induces apoptosis. MVC infection also induced a gradual cell cycle arrest from the S phase in early infection to the G₂/M phase at a later stage, which was confirmed by the upregulation of cyclin B1 and phosphorylation of cdc2. Cell cycle arrest at the G₂/M phase was reproduced by transfection of a nonreplicative NS1 knockout mutant of the MVC infectious clone, as well as by inoculation of UV-irradiated MVC. In contrast with other parvoviruses, only expression of the MVC proteins by transfection did not induce apoptosis or cell cycle arrest. Taken together, our results demonstrate that MVC infection induces a mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis that is dependent on the replication of the viral genome, and the MVC genome per se is able to arrest the cell cycle at the G₂/M phase. Our results may shed light on the molecular pathogenesis of Bocavirus infection in general.The Bocavirus genus is newly classified within the subfamily Parvovirinae of the family Parvoviridae (21). The currently known members of the Bocavirus genus include bovine parvovirus type 1 (BPV1) (17), minute virus of canines (MVC) (57), and the recently identified human bocaviruses (HBoV, HBoV2, and HBoV3) (4, 7, 36).MVC was first recovered from canine fecal samples in 1970 (10). The virus causes respiratory disease with breathing difficulty (14, 32, 49) and enteritis with severe diarrhea (11, 39), which often occurs with coinfection with other viruses (39), spontaneous abortion of fetuses, and death of newborn puppies (14, 29). Pathological lesions in fetuses in experimental infections were found in the lymphoid tissue of the lung and small intestine (14). MVC was isolated and grown in the Walter Reed/3873D (WRD) canine cell line (10), which is derived from a subdermoid cyst of an irradiated male dog (10). The full-length 5.4-kb genome of MVC was recently mapped with palindromic termini (60). Under the control of a single P6 promoter, through the mechanism of alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation, MVC expresses two nonstructural proteins (NS1 and NP1) and two capsid proteins (VP1 and VP2). Like the NS1 proteins of other parvoviruses, the NS1 of MVC is indispensable for genome replication. The NP1 protein, which is unique to the Bocavirus genus, appears to be critical for optimal viral replication, as the NP1 knockout mutant of MVC suffers from severe impairment of replication (60). A severe cytopathic effect during MVC infection of WRD cells has been documented (10, 60).The HBoV genome has been frequently detected worldwide in respiratory specimens from children under 2 years old with acute respiratory illnesses (2, 34, 55). HBoV is associated with acute expiratory wheezing and pneumonia (3, 34, 55) and is commonly detected in association with other respiratory viruses (34, 55). Further studies are necessary, however, to identify potential associations of HBoV infection with clinical symptoms or disease of acute gastroenteritis (7, 36). The full-length sequence of infectious MVC DNA (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FJ214110","term_id":"219665308","term_text":"FJ214110"}}FJ214110) that we have reported shows 52.6% identity to HBoV, while the NS1, NP1, and VP1 proteins are 38.5%, 39.9%, and 43.7% identical to those of HBoV, respectively (60).The cytopathic effect induced during parvovirus infection has been widely documented, e.g., in infections with minute virus of mice (MVM) (13), human parvovirus B19 (B19V) (58), parvovirus H-1 (25, 52), and BPV1 (1). In Bocavirus, cell death during BPV1 infection of embryonic bovine tracheal cells has been shown to be achieved through necrosis, independent of apoptosis (1). B19V-induced cell death of primary erythroid progenitor cells has been shown to be mainly mediated by an apoptotic pathway (58) in which the nonstructural protein 11kDa plays a key role (16). In contrast, the MVM-induced cytopathic effect has been revealed to be mediated by NS1 interference with intracellular casein kinase II (CKII) signaling (22, 44, 45), a nonapoptotic cell death. Oncolytic parvovirus H-1 infections can induce either apoptosis or nonapoptotic cell death, depending on the cell type (25, 40). Therefore, the mechanisms underlying parvovirus infection-induced cell death vary, although NS1 has been widely shown to be involved in both apoptotic and nonapoptotic cell death. The nature of the cytopathic effect during Bocavirus MVC infection has not been studied.Parvovirus replication requires infected cells at the S phase. Infection with parvovirus has been revealed to accompany a cell cycle perturbation that mostly leads to an arrest in the S/G₂ phase or the G₂/M phase during infection (30, 33, 42, 47, 65). MVM NS1 expression induces an accumulation of sensitive cells in the S/G₂ phase (6, 46, 47). Whether MVC infection-induced cell death is accompanied by an alternation of cell cycle progression and whether the viral nonstructural protein is involved in these processes have not been addressed.In this study, we found, in contrast with other members of the family Parvoviridae, expression of both the nonstructural and structural proteins of MVC by transfection did not induce cell death or cell cycle arrest. However, the cytopathic effect induced during MVC infection is a replication-coupled, mitochondrion-mediated and caspase-dependent apoptosis, accompanied with a gradual cell cycle arrest from the S phase to the G₂/M phase, which is facilitated by the MVC genome.     

An Antioxidant Extract of Tropical Lichen,Parmotrema reticulatum,Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Breast Carcinoma Cell Line MCF-7

This report highlights the phytochemical analysis, antioxidant potential and anticancer activity against breast carcinoma of 70% methanolic extract of lichen, Parmotrema reticulatum (PRME). Phytochemical analysis of PRME confirms the presence of various phytoconstituents like alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, and ascorbic acid; among which alkaloids, phenols and flavonoids are found in abundant amount. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of PRME revealed the presence of catechin, purpurin, tannic acid and reserpine. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by nine separate methods. PRME showed excellent hydroxyl and hypochlorous radical scavenging as well as moderate DPPH, superoxide, singlet oxygen, nitric oxide and peroxynitrite scavenging activity. Cytotoxicity of PRME was tested against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), lung carcinoma (A549) and normal lung fibroblast (WI-38) using WST-1 method. PRME was found cytotoxic against MCF-7 cells with an IC₅₀ value 130.03±3.11 µg/ml while negligible cytotoxicity was observed on A549 and WI-38 cells. Further flow cytometric study showed that PRME halted the MCF-7 cells in S and G2/M phases and induces apoptosis in dose as well as time dependent manner. Cell cycle arrest was associated with downregulation of cyclin B1, Cdk-2 and Cdc25C as well as slight decrease in the expression of Cdk-1 and cyclin A1 with subsequent upregulation of p53 and p21. Moreover PRME induced Bax and inhibited Bcl-2 expression, which results in increasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and activation of caspase cascade. This ultimately leads to PARP degradation and induces apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. It can be hypothesised from the current study that the antioxidant and anticancer potential of the PRME may reside in the phytoconstitutents present in it and therefore, PRME may be used as a possible source of natural antioxidant that may be developed to an anticancer agent.     

Sulforaphane Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common hematological cancer in children. Although risk-adaptive therapy, CNS-directed chemotherapy, and supportive care have improved the survival of ALL patients, disease relapse is still the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Therefore, new drugs are needed as frontline treatments in high-risk disease and as salvage agents in relapsed ALL. In this study, we report that purified sulforaphane, a natural isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, has anti-leukemic properties in a broad range of ALL cell lines and primary lymphoblasts from pediatric T-ALL and pre-B ALL patients. The treatment of ALL leukemic cells with sulforaphane resulted in dose-dependent apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest, which was associated with the activation of caspases (3, 8, and 9), inactivation of PARP, p53-independent upregulation of p21^CIP1/WAF1, and inhibition of the Cdc2/Cyclin B1 complex. Interestingly, sulforaphane also inhibited the AKT and mTOR survival pathways in most of the tested cell lines by lowering the levels of both total and phosphorylated proteins. Finally, the administration of sulforaphane to the ALL xenograft models resulted in a reduction of tumor burden, particularly following oral administration, suggesting a potential role as an adjunctive agent to improve the therapeutic response in high-risk ALL patients with activated AKT signaling.     

Fusarochromanone Induces G1 Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in COS7 and HEK293 Cells

Fusarochromanone (FC101), a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Fusarium equiseti, is frequently observed in the contaminated grains and feedstuffs, which is toxic to animals and humans. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be defined. In this study, we found that FC101 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death in COS7 and HEK293 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis showed that FC101 induced G₁ cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the cells. Concurrently, FC101 downregulated protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4 and CDK6), and Cdc25A, and upregulated expression of the CDK inhibitors (p21^Cip1 and p27^Kip1), resulting in hypophosphorylation of Rb. FC101 also inhibited protein expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1 and survivin, and induced expression of BAD, leading to activation of caspase 3 and cleavage of PARP, indicating caspase-dependent apoptosis. However, Z-VAD-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor, only partially prevented FC101-induced cell death, implying that FC101 may induce cell death through both caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Our results support the notion that FC101 executes its toxicity at least by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell death.     

Alantolactone Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest on Lung Squamous Cancer SK‐MES‐1 Cells

Alantolactone, a sesquiterpene lactone compound, has variety of pharmacological properties, including anti‐inflammatory and antineoplastic effects. In our study, alantolactone inhibited cancer cell proliferation. To explore the mechanisms underlying its antitumor action, we further examined apoptotic cells and cell cycle distribution using flow cytometry analysis. Alantolactone triggered apoptosis and induced cell cycle G1/G0 phase arrest. Furthermore, the expressions of caspases‐8, ‐9, ‐3, PARP, and Bax were significantly upregulated, while antiapoptotic factor Bcl‐2 expression was inhibited. In addition, the expressions of cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), CDK6, cyclin D3, and cyclin D1 were downregulated by alantolactone. Therefore, our findings indicated that alantolactone has an antiproliferative role on lung squamous cancer cells, and it may be a promising chemotherapeutic agent for squamous lung cancer SK‐MES‐1 cells.     

Phytometabolite Dehydroleucodine Induces Cell Cycle Arrest,Apoptosis, and DNA Damage in Human Astrocytoma Cells through p73/p53 Regulation

Accumulating evidence supports the idea that secondary metabolites obtained from medicinal plants (phytometabolites) may be important contributors in the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to reduce the occurrence or recurrence of cancer. Our study focused on Dehydroleucodine (DhL), a sesquiterpene found in the provinces of Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe. In this study, we showed that DhL displayed cytostatic and cytotoxic activities on the human cerebral astrocytoma D384 cell line. With lactone isolated from Gynoxys verrucosa Wedd, a medicinal plant from Ecuador, we found that DhL induced cell death in D384 cells by triggering cell cycle arrest and inducing apoptosis and DNA damage. We further found that the cell death resulted in the increased expression of CDKN1A and BAX proteins. A marked induction of the levels of total TP73 and phosphorylated TP53, TP73, and γ-H2AX proteins was observed in D384 cells exposed to DhL, but no increase in total TP53 levels was detected. Overall these studies demonstrated the marked effect of DhL on the diminished survival of human astrocytoma cells through the induced expression of TP73 and phosphorylation of TP73 and TP53, suggesting their key roles in the tumor cell response to DhL treatment.     

二烯丙基二硫诱导人乳腺癌MCF-7细胞凋亡及机制的研究

目的:研究二烯丙基二硫(DADS)诱导人乳腺癌MCF-7细胞凋亡及其分子机制。方法:AO／EB荧光染色法、流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡率;Western blot法检测DADS对caspase-3剪切片断的影响,及对MAPKs通路相关蛋白,包括p-JNK、JNK表达的影响。结果:DADS对乳腺癌细胞株MCF-7生长具有明显的抑制作用,经AO／EB形态变化分析,可见明显的细胞凋亡特征;DADS处理MCF-7细胞6、12、24、48 h,流式细胞仪检测细胞的凋亡率分别为3．74％、9．22％、20.2％、42％,而对照组细胞的凋亡率仅为3．03％(P<0．05);不同浓度的DADS作用于MCF-7细胞24 h后,Western blot法检测发现caspase-3出现断裂片断,并随着浓度的增加断裂更明显。进一步研究发现,DADS处理MCF-7细胞后,JNK磷酸化水平明显升高。结论:DADS能诱导乳腺癌细胞株MCF-7细胞凋亡,JNK信号通路抑制可能是DADS诱导其调亡的分子机制之一。     

PTEN基因诱导人胚肾293细胞凋亡和细胞周期停滞

为了研究抑癌基因PTEN过表达对HEK293细胞凋亡和细胞周期停滞的作用,以野生型PTEN和PTEN突变子(T910G)表达质粒分别转染无PTEN表达的人胚肾293细胞,采用细胞质梯度DNA方法检测细胞凋亡,以流式细胞仪分析细胞周期.发现PTEN过表达能够诱导人胚肾293细胞质中出现梯度DNA,293细胞发生凋亡,PTEN过表达改变细胞周期分布,G0/G1期细胞增加13%,S期细胞下降15%.PTEN突变子对细胞凋亡和G1细胞停滞的影响略弱于野生型PTEN.PTEN基因过表达明显下调血小板衍生生长因子(PDGF)诱导的蛋白激酶B(PKB)和p42,p44-促分裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)磷酸化水平,PTEN突变子对p42,p44-MAPK磷酸化水平的调节作用略弱于野生型PTEN.PTEN通过抑制细胞增殖,诱导细胞凋亡而影响细胞生长.     

PTEN基因诱导人胚肾293细胞凋亡和细胞周期停滞

为了研究抑癌基因PTEN过表达对HEK293细胞凋亡和细胞周期停滞的作用,以野生型PTEN和PTEN突变子(T910G)表达质粒分别转染无PTEN表达的人胚肾293细胞,采用细胞质梯度DNA方法检测细胞凋亡,以流式细胞仪分析细胞周期.发现PTEN过表达能够诱导人胚肾293细胞质中出现梯度DNA,293细胞发生凋亡,PTEN过表达改变细胞周期分布,G0/G1期细胞增加13%,S期细胞下降15%.PTEN突变子对细胞凋亡和G1细胞停滞的影响略弱于野生型PTEN.PTEN基因过表达明显下调血小板衍生生长因子(PDGF)诱导的蛋白激酶B(PKB)和p42,p44-促分裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)磷酸化水平,PTEN突变子对p42,p44-MAPK磷酸化水平的调节作用略弱于野生型PTEN.PTEN通过抑制细胞增殖,诱导细胞凋亡而影响细胞生长.     

Resveratrol Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Malignant NK Cells via JAK2/STAT3 Pathway Inhibition

Natural killer (NK) cell malignancies, particularly aggressive NK cell leukaemias and lymphomas, have poor prognoses. Although recent regimens with L-asparaginase substantially improved outcomes, novel therapeutic approaches are still needed to enhance clinical response. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, has been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and anti-cancer activities. In this study, we investigated the potential anti-tumour activities of resveratrol against the NK cell lines KHYG-1, NKL, NK-92 and NK-YS. Resveratrol induced robust G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner for all four cell lines. In addition, resveratrol suppressed constitutively active STAT3 in all the cell lines and inhibited JAK2 phosphorylation but had no effect on other upstream mediators of STAT3 activation, such as PTEN, TYK2, and JAK1. Resveratrol also induced downregulation of the anti-apoptotic proteins MCL1 and survivin, two downstream effectors of the STAT3 pathway. Finally, resveratrol induced synergistic effect on the apoptotic and antiproliferative activities of L-asparaginase against KHYG-1, NKL and NK-92 cells. These results suggest that resveratrol may have therapeutic potential against NK cell malignancies. Furthermore, our finding that resveratrol is a bonafide JAK2 inhibitor extends its potential benefits to other diseases with dysregulated JAK2 signaling.     

The Molecular Mechanisms of Protective Role of Se on the G<Subscript>2</Subscript>/M Phase Arrest of Jejunum Caused by AFB<Subscript>1</Subscript>

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is the most toxic among the mycotoxins and causes detrimental health effects on human and animals. Selenium (Se) plays an important role in chemopreventive, antioxidant, anticarcinogen, and detoxification and involved in cell cycle regulation. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms of selenium involved in inhibition of G₂/M cell cycle arrest of broiler’s jejunum. A total of 240 one-day-old healthy Cobb broilers were randomly divided into four groups and fed with basal diet (control group), 0.6 mg/kg AFB₁ (AFB₁ group), 0.4 mg/kg Se (+Se group), and 0.6 mg/kg AFB₁ + 0.4 mg/kg Se (AFB₁ + Se group) for 21 days, respectively. The histological observation and morphological analysis revealed that 0.4 mg/kg Se prevented the AFB₁-associated lesions of jejunum including the shedding of the apical region of villi, the decreased villus height, and villus height/crypt ratio. The cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry showed that 0.4 mg/kg Se ameliorated the AFB₁-induced G₂/M phase arrest in jejunal cells. Moreover, the expressions of ATM, Chk2, p53, Mdm2, p21, PCNA, Cdc25, cyclin B, and Cdc2 analyzed by immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR demonstrated that 0.4 mg/kg Se restored these parameters to be close to those in the control group. In conclusion, Se promoted cell cycle recovery from the AFB₁-induced G₂/M phase arrest by the molecular regulation of ATM pathway in the jejunum of broilers. The outcomes from the present study may lead to a better understanding of the nature of selenium’s essentiality and its protective roles against AFB₁.     

An ATP-Sensitive K+ Current that Regulates Progression Through Early G1 Phase of the Cell Cycle in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Whole-cell recordings were used to identify in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells the ion current(s) required for progression through G1 phase of the cell cycle. Macroscopic current-voltage curves were fitted by the sum of three currents, including linear hyperpolarized, linear depolarized and outwardly rectifying currents. Both linear currents, but not the outwardly rectifying current, were increased by 1 μm intracellular Ca²⁺ and blocked by 2 mm intracellular ATP. When tested at concentrations previously shown to inhibit proliferation by 50%, linogliride, glibenclamide and quinidine inhibited the linear hyperpolarized current, and quinidine and linogliride inhibited the linear depolarized current; none of these agents affected the outwardly rectifying current. In contrast, tetraethylammonium completely inhibited the outwardly rectifying current, but did not inhibit either linear current. Changing the bath solution to symmetric K⁺ shifted the reversal potential of the linear hyperpolarized current from near the K⁺ equilibrium potential (−84 mV) to −4 mV. Arrest of the cell cycle in early G1 by quinidine was associated with significantly smaller linear hyperpolarized currents, without a change in the linear depolarized or outwardly rectifying currents, but this reduction was not observed with arrest by lovastatin at a site ≈6 hr later in G1. The linear hyperpolarized current was significantly larger in ras-transformed than in untransformed cells. We conclude that the linear hyperpolarized current is an ATP-sensitive K⁺ current required for progression of MCF-7 cells through G1 phase. Received: 22 January 1999/Revised: 11 May 1999     

Vapor of Volatile Oils from Litsea cubeba Seed Induces Apoptosis and Causes Cell Cycle Arrest in Lung Cancer Cells

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a major killer in cancer related human death. Its therapeutic intervention requires superior efficient molecule(s) as it often becomes resistant to present chemotherapy options. Here we report that vapor of volatile oil compounds obtained from Litsea cubeba seeds killed human NSCLC cells, A549, through the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Vapor generated from the combined oils (VCO) deactivated Akt, a key player in cancer cell survival and proliferation. Interestingly VCO dephosphorylated Akt at both Ser⁴⁷³ and Thr³⁰⁸; through the suppression of mTOR and pPDK1 respectively. As a consequence of this, diminished phosphorylation of Bad occurred along with the decreased Bcl-xL expression. This subsequently enhanced Bax levels permitting the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol which concomitantly activated caspase 9 and caspase 3 resulting apoptotic cell death. Impairment of Akt activation by VCO also deactivated Mdm2 that effected overexpression of p53 which in turn upregulated p21 expression. This causes enhanced p21 binding to cyclin D1 that halted G1 to S phase progression. Taken together, VCO produces two prong effects on lung cancer cells, it induces apoptosis and blocked cancer cell proliferation, both occurred due to the deactivation of Akt. In addition, it has another crucial advantage: VCO could be directly delivered to lung cancer tissue through inhalation.     

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

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.