Molecular Mechanisms of Apoptosis Induced by Scytosiphon gracilis Kogame in HL-60 Cells

• Published in: International journal of pharmacology Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 249 - 256
• Main Authors: Kim, Kil-Nam, Ham, Young-Min, Yang, Min-Seok, Sam Kim, Dong, Jae Lee, Wook, Ho Lee, Nam, Hyun, Chang-Gu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2010
• Subjects: Scytosiphon gracilis
• ISSN: 1811-7775
• DOI: 10.3923/ijp.2010.249.256

Many seaweed species are used as traditional medicine in different parts of the world. However, little data on the anti-cancer effect of seaweed has been published. In this study, we investigated the ability of ethyl acetate extracts of Scytosiphon gracilis Kogame (SGE) to induce apoptosis in cultured human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. Treatment of HL-60 cells with various concentrations of SGE extracts (12.5-100 mu g mL super(-1)) exhibiting IC sub(50) values of 15.68 mu g mL super(-1) resulted in sequences of events marked by apoptosis, such as loss of cell viability, morphology change and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The SGE-induced apoptotic cell death was associated with caspase-3 and -9 activation and poly ADP-ribose polymerase degradation in HL-60 cells. This increase in SGE-induced apoptosis was also associated with a reduction in the levels of Bcl-xL, a potent cell-death inhibitor and an increase in levels of the Bax protein, which heterodimerizes with and thereby, inhibits Bcl-2. Present findings suggested that S. gracilis exerts antiproliferative action and growth inhibition on human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells through a mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway. Therefore, S. gracilis may have anticancer properties valuable for application in food and drug products.