title: Suppression by geraniol of the growth of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and inhibition of the mevalonate pathway in culture and in vivo: potential use in cancer chemotherapy.
abstract: Geraniol (G)-a natural compound present in the essential oils of many aromatic plants-has attracted interest for its potential antitumor effects. The molecular mechanisms of the growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by G in cancer cells, however, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of G on cell proliferation in culture in A549 cells and in vivo in those same tumor cells implanted in nude mice fed diets supplemented with 25, 50, and 75 mmol G/kg. We demonstrated that G caused a dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition of A549 cells and tumor growth in vivo along with an induction of apoptosis. Moreover, further in vivo assays indicated that G decreased the levels of 3-hydroxymethylglutarylcoenzyme-A reductase-the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterogenesis-in a dose-dependent manner along with cholesterogenesis and cholesterolemia in addition to reducing the amount of membrane-bound Ras protein. These results showed that the doses of G used in this work, though nontoxic to animals, clearly inhibited the mevalonate pathway, which is closely linked to cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in A549 tumors, but not in normal mouse-liver cells. Accordingly, we suggest that G displays significant antitumor activity and should be a promising candidate for cancer chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: a Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Científico Tecnológico , Universidad Nacional de La Plata , Facultad de Cs. Médicas , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Marianela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galle
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.forename: Boris Rodenak
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kladniew
authors.forename: Sandra Montero
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Villegas
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.forename: Margarita G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: de Bravo
mesh_terms: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D008798:Mevalonic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D013729:Terpenes; D002784:Cholesterol; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; C007836:geraniol; D008798:Mevalonic Acid