title: Ellagic Acid, a Dietary Polyphenol, Selectively Cytotoxic to HSC-2 Oral Carcinoma Cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of ellagic acid, a dietary polyphenol, were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  The neutral red cytotoxicity assay compared the sensitivities of gingival fibroblasts and HSC-2 oral carcinoma cells to ellagic acid. The ferrous ion oxidation xylenol orange assay and levels of intracellular reduced glutathione were used to assess pro-oxidant nature of ellagic acid. Antioxidant activity was demonstrated in cells co-treated with H2O2 and ellagic acid by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining and in cells co-treated with gallic acid and ellagic acid by morphological analysis. Apoptosis was assessed by microscopy, flow cytometry, luminescence, and immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ellagic acid was cytotoxic to carcinoma cells, but not to normal cells. Its pro-oxidant nature was minimal, whereas its antioxidant property was biologically significant. Ellagic acid-treated cells demonstrated apoptotic morphology, induction of apoptosis (flow cytometry), increase in caspase 3/7 activities (luminescence), and activation of caspase 3 and cleavage of poly ADP ribose polymerase (immunoblot).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ellagic acid exhibited significant antioxidant, but not pro-oxidant, activity and was selectively cytotoxic to oral carcinoma cells.
authors: Department of Biology, Stern College for Women, 245 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016 USA. weisburg@yu.edu
authors: Jeffrey H
authors: JH
authors: Weisburg
authors: Alyssa G
authors: AG
authors: Schuck
authors: Sarah E
authors: SE
authors: Reiss
authors: Bella J
authors: BJ
authors: Wolf
authors: Simone R
authors: SR
authors: Fertel
authors: Harriet L
authors: HL
authors: Zuckerbraun
authors: Harvey
authors: H
authors: Babich
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004610:Ellagic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004610:Ellagic Acid
keywords: Ellagic acid; H5C-2 oral carcinoma cells; antioxidant; antiproliferative; apoptosis; pro-oxidant