title: Colchicine-induced apoptosis in human normal liver L-02 cells by mitochondrial mediated pathways.
abstract: Colchicine is an alkaloid that has been widely used to treat gout. It also has a curative effect on cancer. Although many studies have shown that its effect on cell apoptosis was mediated by the activation of caspase-3, the pathways involved in the process remained obscure. Here we show some evidence regarding the missing information using human normal liver cells L-02 in our study. The effect of colchicine on apoptosis in L-02 cells and the apoptosis-associated signaling pathways were determined using different tests including cell viability assay, Annexin V and propidium idodide binding, PI staining, Hoechst 33342 staining, mitochondrial membrane potential assay, caspase activity assay and Western blot analysis. We found that colchicine-induced a dose-dependent drop of cell viability in L-02 cells; early apoptosis happened when cells were treated with 0.1μM of colchicine. The colchicine-induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase-3 and 9, up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 showed an evidence for the colchicine activity on apoptosis, at least, by acting via the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.
authors.affiliation: New Drug Screening Center, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xue-mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C494826:BAX protein, human; D006074:Gout Suppressants; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D020169:Caspases; D003078:Colchicine