3-O-methylfunicone, a metabolite of Penicillium pinophilum, inhibits proliferation of human melanoma cells by causing G(2) + M arrest and inducing apoptosis.
OBJECTIVE
Melanoma cells take advantage of impaired ability to undergo programmed cell death in response to different external stimuli and chemotherapeutic drugs; this makes prevention of tumour progression very difficult. The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether 3-O-methylfunicone (OMF), a metabolite of Penicillium pinophilum, has the ability to arrest cell population growth and to induce apoptosis in A375P (parental) and A375M (metastasis derivatived) melanoma cell lines.


METHODS
Cell proliferation and apoptosis were analysed by flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation, and PARP-1 cleavage.


RESULTS
We demonstrated that OMF affected cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, reaching the best effect at concentration of 80 microg/ml for 24 h. Flow cytometry revealed that OMF caused significant G(2) phase arrest, which was associated with marked decrease in cyclin B1/p34(cdc2) complex and p21 induction. OMF also induced marked decrease of survivin expression. Reduced levels of apoptosis were evident after silencing p21 expression in both cell lines. Finally, the effect exercised by OMF on hTERT and TEP-1 gene expression confirmed the ability of this molecule to interfere with replicative ability of cells.


CONCLUSIONS
The results reported here seem to suggest that OMF as a promising molecule to include in strategies for treatment of melanoma.
Baroni
A
A
Department of Dermatology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
De Luca
A
A
De Filippis
A
A
Petrazzuolo
M
M
Manente
L
L
Nicoletti
R
R
Tufano
M A
MA
Buommino
E
E
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071137:Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D011753:Pyrones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics
C450900:3-O-methylfunicone; D011753:Pyrones; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C499320:PARP1 protein, human; D000071137:Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D053148:Caspase 3; D053453:Caspase 9; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins