Induction of antiproliferative effects in HaCaT cells by a synthetic hydroperoxide

The effects of decylhydroperoxide (DHP) on proliferation were assessed in HaCaT keratinocytes. DHP, a model compound of lipid peroxidation, reduced proliferation dose dependently. The analyses of cell number, DNA synthesis and cell cycle distribution suggest a delayed progression through S-phase of DHP-treated HaCaT cells. It has been proven that necrotic and apoptotic cell death were also causes for the DHP-induced decrease in proliferation. Moreover, in HaCaT cultures treated with the highest DHP concentration, apoptosis occurred to a much greater extent thus playing an overproportional role in the decline in living cell number. Results with the radical scavenger ascorbic acid and the iron chelator deferoxamine support the conclusion that an iron-catalyzed radical formation from DHP may induce the DHP-mediated reduction in proliferation.