Role of the cystathionine γ lyase/hydrogen sulfide pathway in human melanoma progression

In humans, two main metabolic enzymes synthesize hydrogen sulfide (H₂S): cystathionine γ lyase (CSE) and cystathionine β synthase (CBS). A third enzyme, 3‐mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3‐MST), synthesizes H₂S in the presence of the substrate 3‐mercaptopyruvate (3‐MP). The immunohistochemistry analysis performed on human melanoma samples demonstrated that CSE expression was highest in primary tumors, decreased in the metastatic lesions and was almost silent in non‐lymph node metastases. The primary role played by CSE was confirmed by the finding that the overexpression of CSE induced spontaneous apoptosis of human melanoma cells. The same effect was achieved using different H₂S donors, the most active of which was diallyl trisulfide (DATS). The main pro‐apoptotic mechanisms involved were suppression of nuclear factor‐κB activity and inhibition of AKT and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase pathways. A proof of concept was obtained in vivo using a murine melanoma model. In fact, either l ‐cysteine, the CSE substrate, or DATS inhibited tumor growth in mice. In conclusion, we have determined that the l ‐cysteine/CSE/H₂S pathway is involved in melanoma progression.     

Molecular mechanisms and targets of cancer chemoprevention by garlic-derived bioactive compound diallyl trisulfide

Health benefits of garlic and other Allium vegetables (e.g., onions), such as lipid lowering and anticancer effects, are credited to metabolic byproducts, including diallyl trisulfide (DATS). Evidence for anticancer effects of garlic derives from both population-based case-control studies, and clinical and laboratory investigations using purified garlic constituents such as DATS. Studies have shown that DATS can offer protection against chemically-induced neoplasia as well as oncogene-driven spontaneous cancer development in experimental rodents. Mechanisms underlying cancer chemopreventive effects of DATS are not completely understood, but known pharmacological responses to this natural product include alteration in carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptotic cell death, suppression of oncogenic signal transduction pathways, and inhibition of neoangiogenesis. This article reviews mechanisms and targets of cancer chemoprevention by DATS.     

Chemical constituents and medicinal properties of Allium species

Allium species, belonging to Alliaceae family, are among the oldest cultivated vegetables used as food. Garlic, onions, leeks and chives, which belong to this family, have been reported to have medicinal properties. The Allium species constituents have been shown to have antibacterial and antioxidant activities, and, in addition, other biological properties. These activities are related to their rich organosulfur compounds. These organosulfur compounds are believed to prevent the development of cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, liver diseases as well as allergy and arthritis. There have also been reports on toxicities of these compounds. The major active compounds of Allium species includes, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, diallyl sulfide, dipropyl disulfide, dipropyl trisulfide, 1-propenylpropyl disulfide, allyl methyl disulfide and dimethyl disulfide. The aim of this review is to focus on a variety of experimental and clinical reports on the effectiveness, toxicities and possible mechanisms of actions of the active compounds of garlic, onions, leek and chives.

     

Diallyl trisulfide inhibits migration,invasion and angiogenesis of human colon cancer HT‐29 cells and umbilical vein endothelial cells,and suppresses murine xenograft tumour growth

Angiogenesis inhibitors are beneficial for the prevention and treatment of angiogenesis‐dependent diseases including cancer. We examined the cytotoxic, anti‐metastatic, anti‐cancer and anti‐angiogenic effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS). In HT29 cells, DATS inhibited migration and invasion through the inhibition of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), extracellular signal‐regulated kinase, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and p38 which was associated with inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases‐2, ‐7 and ‐9 and VEGF. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), DATS inhibited the migration and angiogenesis through FAK, Src and Ras. DATS also inhibited the secretion of VEGF. The capillary‐like tube structure formation and migration by HUVEC was inhibited by DATS. The chicken egg chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay indicated that DATS treatment inhibited ex‐vivo angiogenesis. We investigated the anti‐tumour effects of DATS against human colon cancer xenografts in BALB/c^nu/nu mice and its anti‐angiogenic activity in vivo. In this in‐vivo study, DATS also inhibited the tumour growth, tumour weight and angiogenesis (decreased the levels of haemoglobin) in HT29 cells. In conclusion, the present results suggest that the inhibition of angiogenesis may be an important mechanism in colon cancer chemotherapy by DATS.     

The extract of leaves of Acer truncatum Bunge: A natural inhibitor of fatty acid synthase with antitumor activity

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) has been identified as a potential antitumor target. The extract from the leaves of Acer truncatum Bunge (Extr) was prepared to assay its inhibitory activity against FAS, which was isolated from duck liver, and the correlated antitumor bioactivity. Its inhibition of FAS is composed of reversible fast-binding inhibition, IC₅₀ = 0.7 μg/ml, and irreversible slow-binding inhibition following saturation kinetics with a dissociation constant of 0.68 μg/ml and a limiting rate constant of 0.0288 min^{? 1}. The Extr exhibited different type of inhibitions against the three substrates in the FAS overall reaction. Compared with EGCG in inhibition constant and IC₅₀ value, the Extr appeared to be a more efficient inhibitor, and exhibited a considerable inhibition against the growth of four kinds of cancer cells (patent application number 200510068054.2). It was infered that the inhibitory activity is likely attributable to the co-operative effect of the components.     

Evaluation of the inhibitory activities of aceraceous plants on fatty acid synthase

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a very significant lipogenic enzyme participating in energy metabolism in vivo and has been reported as a potential new therapeutic target for cancer treatment. The extracts from sixteen Aceraceae were prepared to assay their inhibitory activities against duck liver FAS and their correlated antitumor bioactivity. Their inhibition of FAS was composed of a reversible fast-binding inhibition, by which 0.41 μg/mL of the A. campestre extract inhibits 50% FAS activity, and an irreversible slow-binding inhibition with inactivation rate constants, k_obs, ranging between 1.5 × 10^{? 3} and 10.6 × 10^{? 3} min^{? 1}. Three Aceraceae extracts were selected from their smaller IC₅₀ values to study different type of inhibitions against the three substrates in the FAS overall reaction. As compared with other reported FAS inhibitors including EGCG with regard to inhibition constant and IC₅₀ value, the extracts appeared to be more efficient inhibitors, and exhibited a considerable inhibition against the growth of five types of cancer cells (China patent application number 200610088901.6), which may be related to the inhibition of lipogenesis in these cells.     

Structure-activity relationships of organosulfur compounds as inhibitors of cytochrome P450 1-mediated activation of benzo[a]pyrene in a human cell model

Twelve naturally-occurring organosulfur compounds were investigated as inhibitors of cytochrome P450 1 (CYP450 1)-mediated activation of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. Inhibition depended on the presence of a diallyl group and the number of S atoms. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), with a diallyl group and three S atoms, had the highest activity with an IC₅₀ of 0.4 mM, and 1.5-fold higher potency than diallyl disulfide (DADS) containing a diallyl group and two S atoms. Organosulfur compounds containing an alkyl group were less effective, or even ineffective, inhibitors of both CYP450 1 and B[a]P-induced cytotoxicity than DADS and DATS. Alliin and S-allyl cysteine containing the S-cysteinyl group had no inhibition.     

Effect of diallyl trisulfide derivatives on the induction of apoptosis in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells

The effects of five derivatives of diallyl trisulfide (DATS) were investigated on apoptosis in prostate cancer PC-3 cells, including dibutenyl trisulfide (DBTS), bis(2-methylallyl) trisulfide (2-M-DATS), dipentenyl trisulfide (DPTS), bis(3-methylbut-2-enyl) trisulfide (3-M-DBTS), and dihexenyl trisulfide (DHTS). Our present study demonstrated that DATS derivatives can suppress proliferation of PC-3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and that a change in the DATS structure could have an impact on its biological activity in the following order: 2-M-DATS > DBTS ≈ DPTS ≈ DATS > 3-M-DBTS ≈ DHTS. Typical apoptotic nuclei were shown by Hoechst 33342 staining with 80 μM concentrations of DATS derivatives for 24 h. And flow cytometric analysis and DNA fragmentation assay also demonstrated that DATS derivatives induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Meanwhile, experimental results showed that DBTS, 2-M-DATS, and DPTS cause G2-M phase cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, a series of apoptosis-associated features were observed, which include a notable decrease in the expression of procaspases-3, up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax expression, and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 expression in PC-3 cells. All of the evidences above indicate that DATS derivatives suppressed proliferation of PC-3 cells which was associated with the induction of apoptosis regulated by Bax/Bcl-2.     

Diallyl sulfides in garlic activate both TRPA1 and TRPV1

We searched for novel agonists of TRP receptors especially for TRPA1 and TRPV1 in foods. We focused attention on garlic compounds, diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS), and diallyl trisulfide (DATS). In TRPA1 or TRPV1 heterogeneously expressed CHO cells, all of those compounds increased [Ca²⁺]_i in concentration-dependent manner. The EC₅₀ values of DADS and DATS were similar to that of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and that of DAS was 170-fold larger than that of AITC. Maximum responses of these sulfides were equal to that of AITC. The EC₅₀ values of these compounds for TRPV1 were around 100 μM against that of capsaicin (CAP), 25.6 nM and maximum responses of garlic compounds were half to that of CAP. The Ca²⁺ responses were significantly suppressed by co-application of antagonist. We conclude that DAS, DADS, and DATS are agonist of both TRPA1 and TRPV1 but with high affinity for TRPA1.     

Inhibition of fatty acid synthase by ginkgolic acids from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba and their cytotoxic activity

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) has been proposed to be a new drug target for the development of anticancer agents because of the significant difference in expression of FAS between normal and tumour cells. Since a n-hexane-soluble extract from Ginkgo biloba was demonstrated to inhibit FAS activity in our preliminary test, we isolated active compounds from the n-hexane-soluble extract and evaluated their cytotoxic activity in human cancer cells. Three ginkgolic acids 1–3 isolated from the n-hexane-soluble extract inhibited the enzyme with IC₅₀ values 17.1, 9.2 and 10.5 µM, respectively, and they showed cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma) and HL-60 (human leukaemia) cells. Our findings suggest that alkylphenol derivatives might be a new type of FAS inhibitor with cytotoxic activity.     

Variability in blood platelet inhibitory activity of Allium (Alliaceae) species accessions

In the past 20 yr, the presence of blood platelet inhibitory activity in plant species from the genus Allium has been confirmed by a range of clinical and in vitro investigations. Although a number of Allium species have been identified as possessing antiplatelet properties, little is known of the variability for this trait among accessions in these species. Experiments were conducted to assess variability in antiplatelet activity of 58 Allium (Alliaceae) accessions. Extracts were prepared from a diverse collection of 16 Allium species accessions, 33 cultivated accessions of Allium cepa including standard cultivars, inbred lines, and open-pollinated populations, and nine Allium cepa plant introductions of diverse origin. Platelet inhibitory activity was determined via a platelet aggregation assay with human platelet-rich plasma. Relative in vitro inhibition of platelet aggregation was measured for each accession and control samples, and inhibition constants (IC₅₀) were calculated. Dose-dependent inhibition was observed and measured for each Allium accession. Significant (P < 0.01) IC₅₀ variability was detected among accessions, with the lowest accession IC₅₀ values exhibiting nearly 50-fold greater inhibition of aggregation than the highest accession IC₅₀ values. IC₅₍₎ variability among Allium cepa accessions was ≈ 12 times less than among Allium species accessions. Results from this investigation demonstrate substantial variability for efficacy of the antiplatelet factor among Allium accessions.     

Low concentration of condensed tannins from catechu significantly inhibits fatty acid synthase and growth of MCF-7 cells

Tannins exist widely in plants, but because they precipitate proteins, scientists frequently ignore them in search of bioactive components. Catechu, a traditional astringent, is rich in tannins. In this study, we found that condensed tannins from catechu potently inhibited animal fatty acid synthase (FAS). Among them, trimeric condensed tannin showed the most potent inhibition with IC₅₀ of 0.47 μg/ml and it also exhibited strong time-dependent inhibition. Its inhibitory kinetics and reacting sites on FAS were obviously different from the known inhibitors of FAS. Furthermore, condensed tannins were found to suppress the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and the effect was related to their activity of FAS inhibition. The inhibition of both FAS activity and MCF-7 growth was exhibited by low concentrations of condensed tannins without FAS being precipitated. These results suggest tannins would be a valuable resource of bioactive substances.     

Inhibitory effects of tannic acid on fatty acid synthase and 3T3-L1 preadipocyte

Tannic acid is a hydrolyzable tannin that exists in many widespread edible plants with a variety of biological activities. In this study, we found that tannic acid potently inhibited the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS) in a concentration-dependent manner with a half-inhibitory concentration value (IC₅₀) of 0.14 μM. The inhibition kinetic results showed that the inhibition of FAS by tannic acid was mixed competitive and noncompetitive manner with respect to acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, but uncompetitive to NADPH. Tannic acid prevented the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes, and thus repressed intracellular lipid accumulation. In the meantime, tannic acid decreased the expression of FAS and down-regulated the mRNA level of FAS and PPARγ during adipocyte differentiation. Further studies showed that the inhibitory effect of tannic acid did not relate to FAS non-specific sedimentation. Since FAS was believed to be a therapeutic target of obesity, these findings suggested that tannic acid was considered having potential in the prevention of obesity.     

Cerulenin-resistant mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an altered fatty acid synthase gene

Cerulenin, an antifungal antibiotic produced by Cephalosporium caerulens, is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase in various organisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The antibiotic inhibits the enzyme by binding covalently to the active center cysteine of the condensing enzyme domain. We isolated 12 cerulenin-resistant mutants of S. cerevisiae following treatment with ethyl methanesulfonate. The mechanism of cerulenin resistance in one of the mutants, KNCR-1, was studied. Growth of the mutant was over 20 times more resistant to cerulenin than that of the wild-type strain. Tetrad analysis suggested that all mutants mapped at the same locus, FAS2, the gene encoding the subunit of the fatty acid synthase. The isolated fatty acid synthase, purified from the mutant KNCR-1, was highly resistant to cerulenin. The cerulenin concentration causing 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) of the enzyme activity was measured to be 400 M, whereas the IC₅₀ value was 15 M for the enzyme isolated from the wild-type strain, indicating a 30-fold increase in resistance to cerulenin. The FAS2 gene was cloned from the mutant. Sequence replacement experiments suggested that an 0.8 kb EcoRV-HindIII fragment closely correlated with cerulenin resistance. Sequence analysis of this region revealed that the GGT codon encoding Gly-1257 of the FAS2 gene was altered to AGT in the mutant, resulting in the codon for Ser. Furthermore, a recombinant FAS2 gene, in which the 0.8 Kb EcoRV-HindIII fragment of the wild-type FAS2 gene was replaced with the same region from the mutant, when introduced into FAS2-defective S. cerevisiae complemented the FAS2 pheno-type and showed cerulenin resistance. These data indicate that one amino acid substitution (Gly Ser) in the subunit of fatty acid synthase is responsible for the cerulenin resistance of the mutant KNCR-1.     

In-vitro evidence for feed-back regulation of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III in medium-chain fatty acid biosynthesis

The cerulenin-insensitive -ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III (KAS III, EC 2.3.1.41) catalyzes the first condensing step of the fatty-acid synthase (FAS) reaction in plants and bacteria, using directly acetyl-CoA as substrate for condensation with malonyl-ACP. In order to identify a possible site for regulation of the biosynthesis of medium-chain fatty acids, the influence of acyl-ACPs of different chain-lengths (C₄,C₆,C₈ and C₁₀) on the activity of KAS III was investigated in vitro using an FAS preparation from seeds of Cuphea lanceolata Ait. (a crop accumulating up to 90% decanoic acid into triacylglycerols) that had been treated with 100 M cerulenin. All acyl-ACPs investigated led to a decrease in the activity of KAS III towards acetyl-CoA, an effect apparently related to the length of the acyl chain. Analysis of the reaction products of the assay revealed that short-chain acyl-ACPs elongated to a very small extent simultaneously with acetyl-CoA. This extent of elongation did not correlate with the decrease in KAS III-activity levels. These data excluded the possibility of competition between acetyl-CoA and acyl-ACPs, but indicated that acyl-ACPs inhibited the enzyme. Decanoyl-ACP caused the highest decrease in enzyme activity (IC₅₀ = 0.45 M), thus being a potent inhibitor of KAS III. Michaelis-Menten kinetics revealed that the inhibition of KAS III by decanoyl-ACP was non-competitive in relation to malonyl-ACP and uncompetitive in relation to acetyl-CoA. Moreover, our data indicate that KAS III has a strict specificity for the elongation of acetyl-CoA. An inhibition of KAS III by acyl-ACPs was observed in experiments using FAS preparations from rape seeds and spinach leaves, but the inhibition of KAS III from C. lanceolata seeds by decanoyl-ACP was approximately 1.5-fold higher. The data provide evidence that acyl-ACPs are involved in the modulation of plant fatty-acid biosynthesis by a feed-back mechanism.Abbreviations ACP acyl carrier protein - DTT dithiothreitol - TCA trichloroacetic acid - ecACP acyl carrier protein from Escherichia coli - FAS fatty-acid synthase - IC₅₀ concentration causing 50% inhibition - KAS -ketoacyl-ACP synthase - NEM N-ethylmaleimide In honour of Professor Hartmut K. Lichtenthaler's sixtieth birthdayThis work was supported by a grant from the German Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT) and in part by the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie and the Ministry of Science and Research of the State Northrhine-Westfalia. The authors wish to thank Prof. G. Röbbelen (University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany) for kindly providing the plant material. This paper is part of the doctoral thesis of Fritzi Maike Brück.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">fabC</Emphasis> of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces lydicus</Emphasis> involvement in the biosynthesis of streptolydigin

Streptolydigin, a secondary metabolite produced by Streptomyces lydicus, is a potent inhibitor of bacterial RNA polymerases. It has been suggested that streptolydigin biosynthesis is associated with polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). Thus, there is great interest in understanding the role of fatty acid biosynthesis in the biosynthesis of streptolydigin. In this paper, we cloned a type II fatty acid synthase (FAS II) gene cluster of fabDHCF from the genome of S. lydicus and constructed the SlyfabCF-disrupted mutant. Sequence analysis showed that SlyfabDHCF is 3.7 kb in length and encodes four separated proteins with conserved motifs and active residues, as shown in the FAS II of other bacteria. The SlyfabCF disruption inhibited streptolydigin biosynthesis and retarded mycelial growth, which were likely caused by the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis. Streptolydigin was not detected in the culture of the mutant strain by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, the streptolol moiety of streptolydigin accumulated in cultures. As encoded by fabCF, acyl carrier protein (ACP) and β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II are required for streptolydigin biosynthesis and likely involved in the step between PKS and NRPS. Our results provide the first genetic and metabolic evidence that SlyfabCF is shared by fatty acid synthesis and antibiotic streptolydigin synthesis.     

Inhibition profiles of Voriconazole against acetylcholinesterase, α‐glycosidase,and human carbonic anhydrase I and II isoenzymes

In this work, the inhibitory activity of Voriconazole was measured against some metabolic enzymes, including human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) I and II isoenzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and α‐glycosidase; the results were compared with standard compounds including acetazolamide, tacrine, and acarbose. Half maximal inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) values were obtained from the enzyme activity (%)‐[Voriconazole] graphs, whereas K_i values were calculated from the Lineweaver‐Burk graphs. According to the results, the IC₅₀ value of Voriconazole was 40.77 nM for α‐glycosidase, while the mean inhibition constant (K_i) value was 17.47 ± 1.51 nM for α‐glycosidase. The results make an important contribution to drug design and have pharmacological applications. In addition, the Voriconazole compound demonstrated excellent inhibitory effects against AChE and hCA isoforms I and II. Voriconazole had K_i values of 29.13 ± 3.57 nM against hCA I, 15.92 ± 1.90 nM against hCA II, and 10.50 ± 2.46 nM against AChE.     

Evaluation of inhibition of fatty acid synthase by ursolic acid: Positive cooperation mechanism

The inhibitory effect of ursolic acid (UA) on fatty acid synthase (FAS, EC 2.3.1.85) was investigated. We found that UA potently inhibited the activity of FAS with a half-inhibitory concentration value (IC₅₀) of 6.0 μg/ml. The inhibition kinetic results showed that the inhibition of FAS by UA was competitive against acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, but uncompetitive to NADPH. UA at low concentration slowly inactivated FAS, but FAS was fast inactivated by high concentration of UA in a positive cooperative manner. Moreover, NADPH significantly enhanced the inactivation of FAS by low concentration of UA, but NADPH slightly decreased the inactivation of FAS by high concentration of UA. Taken together, the results suggest that ursolic acid decreases the FAS activity through inactivation of acetyl/malonyl transferase. The combination of NADPH and KR domain promotes the inhibitory effect of UA on FAS.     

Cerulenin-resistant mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an altered fatty acid synthase gene

Cerulenin, an antifungal antibiotic produced by Cephalosporium caerulens, is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase in various organisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The antibiotic inhibits the enzyme by binding covalently to the active center cysteine of the condensing enzyme domain. We isolated 12 cerulenin-resistant mutants of S. cerevisiae following treatment with ethyl methanesulfonate. The mechanism of cerulenin resistance in one of the mutants, KNCR-1, was studied. Growth of the mutant was over 20 times more resistant to cerulenin than that of the wild-type strain. Tetrad analysis suggested that all mutants mapped at the same locus, FAS2, the gene encoding the α subunit of the fatty acid synthase. The isolated fatty acid synthase, purified from the mutant KNCR-1, was highly resistant to cerulenin. The cerulenin concentration causing 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) of the enzyme activity was measured to be 400 μM, whereas the IC₅₀ value was 15 μM for the enzyme isolated from the wild-type strain, indicating a 30-fold increase in resistance to cerulenin. The FAS2 gene was cloned from the mutant. Sequence replacement experiments suggested that an 0.8 kb EcoRV-HindIII fragment closely correlated with cerulenin resistance. Sequence analysis of this region revealed that the GGT codon encoding Gly-1257 of the FAS2 gene was altered to AGT in the mutant, resulting in the codon for Ser. Furthermore, a recombinant FAS2 gene, in which the 0.8 Kb EcoRV-HindIII fragment of the wild-type FAS2 gene was replaced with the same region from the mutant, when introduced into FAS2-defective S. cerevisiae complemented the FAS2 pheno-type and showed cerulenin resistance. These data indicate that one amino acid substitution (Gly → Ser) in the α subunit of fatty acid synthase is responsible for the cerulenin resistance of the mutant KNCR-1.     

Apoptosis induction of U937 human leukemia cells by diallyl trisulfide induces through generation of reactive oxygen species

Background

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is one of the major constituents in garlic oil and has demonstrated various pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial, antihyperlipidemic, antithrombotic, and anticancer effects. However, the mechanisms of antiproliferative activity in leukemia cells are not fully understood. In this study, the apoptotic effects of DATS were investigated in human leukemia cells.

Results

Results of this study indicated that treatment with DATS resulted in significantly inhibited leukemia cell growth in a concentration- and time-dependent manner by induction of apoptosis. In U937 cells, DATS-induced apoptosis was correlated with down-regulation of Bcl-2, XIAP, and cIAP-1 protein levels, cleavage of Bid proteins, activation of caspases, and collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. The data further demonstrated that DATS increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which was attenuated by pretreatment with antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a scavenger of ROS. In addition, administration of NAC resulted in significant inhibition of DATS-induced apoptosis by inhibiting activation of caspases.

Conclusions

The present study reveals that the cytotoxicity caused by DATS is mediated by generation of ROS and subsequent activation of the ROS-dependent caspase pathway in U937 leukemia cells.