title: Regulation of apoptosis through arachidonate cascade in mammalian cells.
abstract: The arachidonate cascade includes the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway to form prostanoids and the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway to generate several oxygenated fatty acids, collectively called eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are suggested to play a dual role in regulating cell survival and apoptosis in various types of cells through an unknown mechanism. We found apoptosis in cultured Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol beta-acetate (TPA), a potent tumor promoter, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a LOX inhibitor. The effect of TPA was synergistically stimulated along with NDGA. Aspirin, a COX inhibitor, was not effective. The target of NDGA might be different from the mechanism involving a LOX activity in some kinds of carcinoma cells because the increased expression of 12-LOX was not detected in MDCK cells treated with TPA. Caspase and poly(ADP-ribose) metabolites were found to be involved in the signal transduction pathway of the TPA- and NDGA-induced apoptosis in MDCK cells. Alternatively, hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis was not affected by NDGA. Thus, the TPA-induced response involved the mechanism independent of the oxidative stress. Obesity is a risk factor for severe diseases including noninsulin-dependent diabetes and atherosclerosis characterized by the changes of cell properties of adipocytes. We found that conjugated linolenic acid from bitter gourd was able to induce apoptosis in mouse preadipogenic 3T3-L1 cells. The findings provide the potential use of conjugated fatty acids to regulate obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shimane University, Matsue, Japan. knishimu@life.shimane-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kohji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Hirohumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsumagari
authors.forename: Asami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morioka
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jisaka
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagaya
authors.forename: Kazushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokota
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002843:Chromatin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004285:Dogs; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008084:Lipoxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009637:Masoprocol / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D002843:Chromatin; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D009637:Masoprocol; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D008084:Lipoxygenase; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate