title: Silibinin induces the generation of nitric oxide in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: China-Japan Research Institute of Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Hong-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Huai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Si-Miao
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Ling-He
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikejima
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012838:Silymarin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000077385:Silybin