[Deoxycholate induces apoptosis in cultured normal human esophageal mucosal epithelial cells].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of deoxycholate in inducing apoptosis of human normal esophageal mucosal epithelial cells in vitro and investigate the molecular mechanism.


METHODS
Cultured normal human esophageal mucosal epithelial cells were treated with deoxycholate, and the cell apoptosis were evaluated with TUNEL, DNA ladder, flow cytometry with PI-staining, Annexin V-FITC conjugated with PI staining, and Western blotting.


RESULTS
Flow cytometry, TUNEL and DNA ladder demonstrated that deoxycholate could induce apoptosis in normal human esophageal mucosal epithelial cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. A percentage of 21.3% of the cell population treated with deoxycholate at 500 micromol/L for 30 min exhibited detectable caspase-3 activity shown by flow cytometry, which was significantly higher than the control level (1.5%, P<0.01). Western blotting suggested that deoxycholate down-regulated Bcl-2 protein expression and up-regulated Bax expression, but Fas was negative in the cells before and after deoxycholate treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Deoxycholate could induce apoptosis in cultured human esophageal mucosal epithelial cells. Aaspase-3 activation, Bcl-2 protein down-regulation and Bax up-regulation are involved in deoxycholate-induced apoptosis, which does not involve Fas-L/Fas.
Zhang
Ru
R
Second Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China. zhzhru@sohu.com
Gong
Jun
J
Wang
Hui
H
Wang
Li
L
Ran
Li-wei
LW
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid; D053148:Caspase 3