title: Wogonin, a plant flavone, potentiates etoposide-induced apoptosis in cancer cells.
abstract: Etoposide, a podophylotoxin anticancer agent, induces apoptotic cell death in normal and cancer cells. Etoposide-induced apoptosis plays a role in not only anticancer effect but also adverse reaction, such as myelosuppression. Since we have found that wogonin, a flavone found in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, prevents thymocyte apoptosis induced by various compounds including etoposide, we examined the effect of this flavone on etoposide-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Although 100 muM wogonin itself significantly increased DNA fragmentation in HL-60 cells, this change was not observed in Jurkat cells. On the other hand, this flavone significantly potentiated etoposide-induced apoptosis in Jurkat and HL-60 cells. Similarly, wogonin accelerated etoposide-induced cell death in lung cancer cells. Since wogonin had no effect on the action of other anticancer agents, such as 5-FU and cisplatin, this flavone seems to accelerate only etoposide-induced apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. These results suggest that the modification of etoposide-induced apoptosis by wogonin may be available to reduce the adverse reaction of this agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobe Gakuin University, Ikawadani-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2180, Japan. elee@pharm.kobegakuin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Eibai
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Riyo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Azusa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: Chiyoko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugahara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044950:Flavanones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D031363:Scutellaria
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D044950:Flavanones; D005047:Etoposide; C085514:wogonin