title: Gallic acid induces apoptosis in human cervical epithelial cells containing human papillomavirus type 16 episomes.
abstract: The high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) that infect the anogenital tract are strongly associated with the development of cervical carcinoma, which is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Therapeutic drugs specifically targeting HPV are not available. Polyphenolic compounds have gained considerable attention because of their cytotoxic effects against a variety of cancers and certain viruses. In this study, we examined the effects of several polyphenols on cellular proliferation and death of the human cervical cancer cells and human cervical epithelial cells containing stable HPV type 16 episomes (HPVep). Our results show that three polyphenols inhibited proliferation of HeLa cells dose-dependently. Furthermore, one of the examined polyphenols, gallic acid (GA), also inhibited the proliferation of HPVep cells and exhibited significant specificity towards HPV-positive cells. The anti-proliferative effect of GA on HPVep and HeLa cells was associated with apoptosis and upregulation of p53. These results suggest that GA can be a potential candidate for the development of anti-HPV agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.|Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Ranjana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.affiliation: SoonFast Pharma Science & Technology, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.|Cancer Research Center, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005707:Gallic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005707:Gallic Acid
keywords: antiviral; exifone; gallic acid; human papillomavirus; propyl gallate