Sodium orthovanadate potentiates EGCG-induced apoptosis that is dependent on the ERK pathway

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potent chemopreventive agent in many test systems and has been shown to inhibit tumor promotion and induce apoptosis. In the present study, we determined the effect of vanadate, a potent inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatase, on EGCG-induced apoptosis. Investigation of the mechanism of EGCG or vanadate-induced apoptosis revealed induction of caspase 3 activity and cleavage of phospholipase-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1). Furthermore, vanadate potentiated EGCG-induced apoptosis by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Treatment with EGCG plus vanadate for 24h produced morphological features of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in U937 cells. This was associated with cytochrome c release, caspase 3 activation, and PLC-gamma1 degradation. EGCG plus vanadate activates multiple signal transduction pathways involved in coordinating cellular responses to stress. We demonstrate a requirement for extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family in EGCG plus vanadate-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. Elevated ERK activity that contributed to apoptosis by EGCG plus vanadate was supported by PD98059 and U0126, chemical inhibitor of MEK/ERK signaling pathway, prevented apoptosis. Taken together, our finding suggests that ERK activation plays an active role in mediating EGCG plus vanadate-induced apoptosis of U937 cells and functions upstream of caspase activation to initiate the apoptotic signal.