Mussaenin A Isolated From Mussaenda glabrata Induces Apoptosis in the Liver Cancer Cells Via Mitochondrial Pathway
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Plants belonging to Rubiaceae family have been used in Chinese folk medicine and Ayurveda. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of Mussaenin A isolated from root of Mussaenda glabrata on liver cancer cell line, Hep G2. MTT assay was performed to check the ability of Mussaenin A to induce death in cancerous Hep G2 cells and normal NIH3T3 cells. Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide staining, Hoechst staining and DNA fragmentation assays were used to confirm the apoptosis inducing ability of MA on Hep G2 cells. RT-PCR and western blotting was performed to check the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic factors. Calorimetric assay was done to check caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities. Mussaenin A at lower concentrations was found to induce cell death selectively in the liver cancer cells (IC50 = 11.38 µg/mL). The transcriptional expression studies of the pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Cox-2; and the western blot analysis of pro-apoptotic BAK and BAD showed that MA upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic factors and down regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic factors in Hep G2 cells. Caspase-9 and 3 activities were found to be upregulated in the calorimetric studies. The down regulation of anti-apoptotic factors and upregulation of pro-apoptotic factors show that the Mussaenin A induced apoptosis in the liver cancer cells via the intrinsic or the mitochondrial pathway.
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2773469802