Apoptosis triggered by vitexin in U937 human leukemia cells via a mitochondrial signaling pathway

Abstract

Vitexin, a lignan compound, has been shown to exert apoptotic actions on human breast cancer cell lines and to have anti-inflammatory activities. Nevertheless, there is currently no study addressing the effects of vitexin on the induction of apoptosis in U937 human leukemia cells. The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer effects and molecular mechanisms of vitexin on U937 leukemia cells. We showed that vitexin can potently induce programmed cell death in U937 leukemia cell growth as well as morphological changes that were examined by MTT assay and phase contrast microscopy, respectively. The DNA content and the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) were determined by flow cytometric analysis. The cell cycle arrest-regulated and apoptosis-associated protein levels were measured by western blotting. Vitexin-triggered apoptosis was accompanied by a decrease of the level of ∆Ψm and the percentage of viability and provoked apoptosis in U937 cells. The downregulation of the protein level for Bcl-2 with the simultaneous upregulation of caspase-3 and -9 protein expression in U937 cells were observed after treatment with vitexin. Therefore, our data provide a potential mechanism for the chemopreventive activity of vitexin, and we suggest that vitexin may serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of human leukemia.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Aspalathus linearis and Cyclopia spp. Extracts in a UVB/Keratinocyte (HaCaT) Model Utilising Interleukin-1α Accumulation as Biomarker

“…Quercetin and rutin have been reported to effect apoptosis in cancer cells including UVB-irradiated HaCaT keratinocytes [54,55]. Iso-orientin and vitexin are also known to effect apoptosis in cancer cells by disrupting the mitochondrial signalling pathways [56,57].…”

Growth inhibition and apoptotic effects of total flavonoids from Trollius chinensis on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

“…Mitochondria are the central control sites for one mechanism of apoptosis (23). DNA injury activates the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, and NF-κB inhibits cellular apoptosis via down-regulation of bcl-2 (24).…”

Flavonoid C-glucosides Derived from Flax Straw Extracts Reduce Human Breast Cancer Cell Growth In vitro and Induce Apoptosis

“…Tricin has in vitro antiproliferative activities toward breast and colon cancer cell lines at submicromolar concentrations (Hudson et al, 2000). Vitexin is suggested to serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of human leukemia, as it promoted the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 in leukemia cells and simultaneously reduced Bcl-2 expression and therefore induced apoptosis (Lee et al, 2012). …”