Pectinesterase Inhibitor from Jelly Fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) Achene Induces Apoptosis of Human Leukemic U937 Cells

: The antitumor activity of pectinesterase inhibitor (PEI), a group of cationic polypeptides, from jelly fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) achene was first examined as a treatment for leukemia in this study. PEI displayed strong growth inhibition against human leukemic U937 cells via induction of apopto...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2005-05, Vol.1042 (1), p.506-515
Main Authors: CHANG, JIA-HUEI, WANG, YUH-TAI, CHANG, HUNG-MIN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annexin A5 - metabolism
Apoptosis
Apoptosis - drug effects
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases - antagonists & inhibitors
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases - metabolism
Caspase 3
Caspases - metabolism
Cationic
cell cycle arrest
Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology
Ficus - chemistry
Flow cytometry
Fruit - chemistry
Human
Humans
Inhibitors
Leukemia - metabolism
Leukemia - pathology
Mitochondria
Mitochondria - drug effects
Mitochondria - metabolism
Pectinesterase
PEI
Polyetherimides
U937
U937 Cells
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:: The antitumor activity of pectinesterase inhibitor (PEI), a group of cationic polypeptides, from jelly fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) achene was first examined as a treatment for leukemia in this study. PEI displayed strong growth inhibition against human leukemic U937 cells via induction of apoptosis in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. At a level of 50 μg/mL, PEI inhibited 90% of cell growth, and the concentration of PEI required to induce 50% of cell viability (LC50) was about 180 μg/mL. Meanwhile, cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase was observed when cells were incubated with 100 μg PEI/mL for 24 h. PEI displayed a dose‐dependent influence on mitochondria transmembrane potential (MTP, ΔΨm) of cells when detected by a flow cytometry. MTP of more than 50% cells was reduced when cells were incubated with PEI at levels higher than 50 μg PEI/mL for 24 h. In addition, PEI upregulated caspase‐3 activity. Taken together, PEI potently inhibited the proliferation of human leukemic U937 cells via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in association with MTP reduction and caspase‐3 activation, respectively, and showed therapy potential for U937 cells.
ISSN:0077-8923
1749-6632
DOI:10.1196/annals.1338.044