title: Ovothiol isolated from sea urchin oocytes induces autophagy in the Hep-G2 cell line.
abstract: Ovothiols are histidine-derived thiols isolated from sea urchin eggs, where they play a key role in the protection of cells toward the oxidative burst associated with fertilization by controlling the cellular redox balance and recycling oxidized glutathione. In this study, we show that treatment of a human liver carcinoma cell line, Hep-G2, with ovothiol A, isolated from Paracentrotus lividus oocytes, results in a decrease of cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The activation of an autophagic process is revealed by phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, together with the expression of the specific autophagic molecular markers, LC3 II and Beclin-1. The effect of ovothiol is not due to its antioxidant capacity or to hydrogen peroxide generation. The concentration of ovothiol A in the culture media, as monitored by HPLC analysis, decreased by about 24% within 30 min from treatment. The proliferation of normal human embryonic lung cells is not affected by ovothiol A. These results hint at ovothiol as a promising bioactive molecule from marine organisms able to inhibit cell proliferation in cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino 83100, Italy. glrusso@isa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Gian Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino 83100, Italy. mrusso@isa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples 80121, Italy. immacolata.castellano@szn.it.
authors.forename: Immacolata
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castellano
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80126, Italy. alesnapo@unina.it.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples 80121, Italy. anna.palumbo@szn.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palumbo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009865:Oocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds