title: Asiatic acid induces colon cancer cell growth inhibition and apoptosis through mitochondrial death cascade.
abstract: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The triterpenoid compound asiatic acid derived from the tropical medicinal plant Centella asiatica displays cytotoxic activity on fibroblast cells and several other kinds of cells. The present work studies asiatic acid-mediated growth inhibition of cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. Asiatic acid markedly inhibited cancer cell proliferation. Apoptosis of SW480 human colon cancer cells was induced by asiatic acid as shown by flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation and nuclear chromatin condensation experiments. Through increasing mitochondrial membrane permeability and cytochrome c release from mitochondria into cytosol, asiatic acid induced caspase-9 activity, which further activated caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage resulting in irreversible apoptotic death in the tumor cells. Taken together, these results suggest that mitochondrial death apoptosis cascade plays very important roles in asiatic acid-induced cancer apoptosis.
authors: Department of Infection Biology, Zoonosis Research Center, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Jeonbuk, South Korea.
authors: Xue-Lian
authors: XL
authors: Tang
authors: Xin-Ying
authors: XY
authors: Yang
authors: Hyun-Ju
authors: HJ
authors: Jung
authors: Sung-Yeon
authors: SY
authors: Kim
authors: Suk-Yul
authors: SY
authors: Jung
authors: Du-Young
authors: DY
authors: Choi
authors: Won-Cheol
authors: WC
authors: Park
authors: Hyun
authors: H
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; 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*; D028041:Centella / Q000737:chemistry; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D011064:Poly Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D002843:Chromatin; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D014315:Triterpenes; D011064:Poly Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose; D045304:Cytochromes c; C017032:asiatic acid; D053148:Caspase 3; D053453:Caspase 9