Morin exhibits leukemic cellular apoptosis through caspase pathway.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Leukemia remains a significant health challenge, necessitating novel therapeutic agents.
• Flavonoids, plant-derived compounds, exhibit diverse biological activities, including potential anticancer effects.
• Morin, a specific flavonol, has shown promise, but its detailed mechanism in leukemia requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the apoptosis-inducing potential of the flavonoid morin.
• To evaluate morin's effects on human leukemia cell lines U-937 and THP-1.
• To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of morin-induced cell death.

Main Methods:

• Cell viability assessed using MTT and LDH assays.
• Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) analyzed via flow cytometry.
• Apoptosis confirmed through fluorescence microscopy and caspase-3/-6 activity assays.

Main Results:

• Morin significantly decreased cell viability in U-937 and THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner.
• Morin induced apoptosis, evidenced by increased cell death and altered mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm).
• Activation of caspases-3 and -6 confirmed morin's induction of apoptotic pathways.

Conclusions:

• The flavonoid morin exhibits significant apoptosis-inducing activity against human leukemia cell lines.
• Morin's mechanism involves the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, indicated by mitochondrial dysfunction.
• These findings support the potential of morin as an antileukemic agent.