Title |
A polysaccharide from pumpkin induces apoptosis of HepG2 cells by activation of mitochondrial pathway
|
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Published in |
Tumor Biology, November 2015
|
DOI | 10.1007/s13277-015-4338-6 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Weixi Shen, Yuanyuan Guan, Jingfang Wang, Yu Hu, Qian Tan, Xiaowei Song, Yinghua Jin, Ying Liu, Yanqiao Zhang |
Abstract |
Purified white polysaccharide (PPW) is a homogenous polysaccharide isolated from pumpkin, with an average molecular weight of 34 kDa. In this study, we aimed at examining the anti-proliferative activity of PPW against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 cells and the underlying mechanisms. We found that PPW-induced inhibition of cell proliferation in HepG2 cells was associated with the induction of apoptosis. Exposure of HepG2 cells to PPW (100, 200, and 400 μg/mL) resulted in a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol. Also, Western blot analysis revealed dose-dependent increase of pro-apoptotic Bax protein and decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein in PPW-treated cells. Besides, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities were also enhanced in HepG2 cells followed by PPW treatment. Additionally, the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed in PPW-treated HepG2 cells, which altogether account for apoptotic cell death. These results suggested that PPW-induced apoptosis involved a caspase-3-mediated mitochondrial pathway and may have potential as a cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of HCC. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 5 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 1 | 20% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 1 | 20% |
Student > Bachelor | 1 | 20% |
Researcher | 1 | 20% |
Unknown | 1 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 40% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 1 | 20% |
Unknown | 2 | 40% |