title: Mitochondrial control of cell death induction by sodium 5,6-benzylidene-L-ascorbate.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated the dramatic antitumor activity of sodium 5,6-benzylidene-L-ascorbate (SBA). However, the molecular mechanism of this antitumor action is unclear. We investigated the changes in the fine structures of a human submandibular gland carcinoma cell line, HSG, during the cell death induced by SBA. When HSG cells were incubated for 6 hours with non-cytotoxic concentrations of SBA, changes in the mitochondria, such as the disassembly of cristae and decrease in the electron density, were discrenible. At cytotoxic concentrations, the swelling and vacuolization of the mitochondria became apparent, while the nuclear architecture including the profile and ratio of heterochromatin and euchromatin and thickness of the nuclear membrane were intact. These data suggest that the mitochondria, not the nucleus, may be the target organelle of SBA, and support the ability of SBA to induce non-apoptotic cell death in HSG cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Anatomy II, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Sakado Saitama,  350-0283, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Mutsuyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kochi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakagami
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D022041:Euchromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013365:Submandibular Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D014617:Vacuoles
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds; D022041:Euchromatin; D006570:Heterochromatin; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; C070680:zilascorb