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Scutellarin sensitizes drug-evoked colon cancer cell apoptosis through enhanced caspase-6 activation
Jason Yongsheng Chan1, Benny Kwong Huat Tan, Shao Chin Lee
1National University Medical Institutes, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597. lee_shao@hotmail.com
Background:
We have reported that resveratrol (RSV) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) evoked apoptosis through caspase-6 activation in wild-type (p53+/+) and knockout (p53(-/-)) HCT116 human colon cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the sensitization effects of scutellarin (SC), a compound isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Erigeron breviscapus, on RSV and 5-FU-evoked apoptosis of these cancer cells.
Materials And Methods:
The drug-induced apoptosis was qualified by TUNEL staining under fluorescence microscopy, before being quantified by propiodium iodide staining through flow cytometric assay.
Results:
SC (100 microM) sensitized RSV- (200 microM) and 5-FU (500 microM)-evoked apoptosis in p53+/+ but not p53(-/-) cells. RSV- and 5-FU-elicited caspase-6 activation was promoted by SC in a time-dependent manner. SC itself did not trigger apoptosis or caspase-6 activation at the concentration tested.
Conclusion:
SC is a novel sensitizing agent for both RSV- and 5-FU-evoked apoptosis, through the enhancement of caspase-6 activation in a p53-dependent manner.
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