Silibinin induces the generation of nitric oxide in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.
Increasing research has concentrated on the anti-tumour efficacy of silibinin, a flavonolignan that is clinically used as an hepatoprotectant. However, previous work has found that silibinin-induced apoptosis is accompanied by protective superoxide (O(2)*-) generation in MCF-7 cells. This study further reports the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in the same system. It finds that silibinin induces nitric oxide (*NO) generation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the results support that there exists an inter-regulation pattern between RNS and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In addition, silibinin is also found to induce RNS and ROS generation in the isolated populations of mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and a simple in vivo model of Caenorhabditis elegans.
Wang
Hong-Jun
HJ
China-Japan Research Institute of Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
Wei
Xiao-Feng
XF
Jiang
Yuan-Yuan
YY
Huang
Huai
H
Yang
Ying
Y
Fan
Si-Miao
SM
Zang
Ling-He
LH
Tashiro
Shin-Ichi
S
Onodera
Satoshi
S
Ikejima
Takashi
T
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D000077385:Silybin; D012838:Silymarin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012838:Silymarin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000077385:Silybin