Calcium and survivin are involved in the induction of apoptosis by dihydroartemisinin in human lung cancer SPC-A-1 cells.
Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semisynthetic derivative of artemisinin isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Artemisia annua, is an effective novel antimalarial drug. Recent studies suggest that it also has anticancer effects. The present study investigated the apoptosis activity of DHA in cultured human lung cancer cells by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay and flow cytometry. Intracellular free calcium concentrations in the lung cancer cells were evaluated by laser scanning confocal microscopy using Fura-3/AM as probe. The observations also indicated that DHA downregulated the mRNA and protein expression level of survivin in the lung cancer cell line SPC-A-1 cells, whereas it did not affect those of caspase-4. These results demonstrated that DHA can induce apoptosis of lung cancer cell line SPC-A-1 cells and that calcium and survivin participated in the apoptotic signalling pathways.
Mu
D
D
Department of Respiratory Disease, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Chen
W
W
Yu
B
B
Zhang
C
C
Zhang
Y
Y
Qi
H
H
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D031172:Artemisia annua / Q000737:chemistry*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects; D053471:Caspases, Initiator / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D000077022:Survivin
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037621:Artemisinins; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D000077022:Survivin; C039060:artenimol; C093516:CASP4 protein, human; D053471:Caspases, Initiator; D002118:Calcium