title: Deguelin, a natural rotenoid, inhibits mouse myeloma cell growth in vitro via induction of apoptosis.
abstract: Deguelin is a naturally occurring rotenoid with strong cancer chemopreventive and antitumor activities. In the present study, we investigated the antitumor activity of deguelin against MPC-11 murine myeloma cells and the possible mechanism of action in vitro. Our results revealed that deguelin inhibited the proliferation of MPC-11 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and caused the apoptotic death of MPC-11 cells. Following exposure to deguelin, the phosphorylation of Akt was decreased. The inhibition of cell growth may be associated with decreased levels of phosphorylated Akt. Deguelin-induced apoptosis was characterized by the upregulation of Bax, downregulation of Bcl-2 and activation of caspase-3. In conclusion, deguelin inhibits murine myeloma cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis via regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and by inhibition of the activation of Akt. Its potential as an anticancer agent against multiple myeloma warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou 213003,  P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhengguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Changping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jingting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li