title: Licofelone, a dual COX/5-LOX inhibitor, induces apoptosis in HCA-7 colon cancer cells through the mitochondrial pathway independently from its ability to affect the arachidonic acid cascade.
abstract: Nowadays, no data are available concerning the potential use of dual cyclooxygenase (COX)/5-lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors as anticancer agents in colon cancer treatment. Here, we report, for the first time, that the dual COX/5-LOX inhibitor licofelone triggers apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HCA-7 colon cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis was related to the recruitment of the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, as shown by loss in mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, caspase-9 and 3 activation and poly-(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 cleavage. Moreover, licofelone induced the cleavage of the full-length p21(Bax) into p18(Bax), a more potent inducer of the apoptotic process than the uncleaved form. Pre-treatment of HCA-7 cells with the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk significantly blocked licofelone-induced apoptosis, confirming that this process occurred primarily in a caspase-dependent pathway. We also present evidences that licofelone was able to affect the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade, as it blocked the activity of 5-LOX and COX enzymes, and it induced, through the phosphorylation of cytoplasmic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), the release of unesterified AA from HCA-7 membrane phospholipids. However, apoptosis induction was not related to the ability of licofelone to affect the AA cascade, since neither exogenous prostaglandin E(2) and leukotriene B(4) addition, nor pharmacological inhibition of cPLA(2), was able to rescue HCA-7 cells from apoptosis. Even if further studies are needed to clarify the mechanism of licofelone-induced apoptosis, this study suggests that this drug, as well as similar dual COX/5-LOX inhibitors, may represent a novel and promising approach in colon cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Evolutionary Biology, University of Bologna, via F. Selmi 3, Bologna 40126, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tavolari
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonafè
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferreri
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartolini
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brighenti
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manara
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laufer
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D011758:Pyrroles; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; C088092:licofelone