title: Fas mediated apoptosis of human Jurkat T-cells: intracellular events and potentiation by redox-active alpha-lipoic acid.
abstract: Activation of caspases is required in Fas receptor mediated apoptosis. Maintenance of a reducing environment inside the cell has been suggested to be necessary for caspase activity during apoptosis. We explored the possibility to potentiate Fas mediated killing of tumor cells by alpha-lipoic acid (LA), a redox-active drug and nutrient that is intracellularly reduced to a potent reductant dihydrolipoic acid. Treatment of cells with 100 microM LA for 72 h markedly potentiated Fas-mediated apoptosis of leukemic Jurkat cells but not that of peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy humans. In Jurkat, Fas activation was followed by rapid loss of cell thiols, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased [Ca2+]i and increased PKC activity; all these responses were potentiated in LA pretreated cells. PKCdelta played an important role in mediating the effect of LA on Fas-mediated cell death. In response to Fas activation LA treatment potentiated caspase 3 activation by over 100%. The ability of LA to potentiate Fas mediated killing of leukemic cells was abrogated by a caspase 3 inhibitor suggesting that increased caspase 3 activity in LA-treated Fas-activated cells played an important role in potentiating cell death. This work provides first evidence showing that inducible caspase 3 activity may be pharmacologically up-regulated by reducing agents such as dihydrolipoic acid.
authors.affiliation: Biological Technologies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA. cksen@socrates.berkeley.edu
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sashwati
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Packer
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D019014:fas Receptor; D008063:Thioctic Acid; D011493:Protein Kinase C; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002118:Calcium