title: Ouabain induces apoptosis and autophagy in Burkitt's lymphoma Raji cells.
abstract: The steroid Na+/K+-ATPase blocker ouabain has been shown to exhibit cytotoxic effects in various tumor cell systems. This study aimed to determine the effects of ouabain on Burkitt's lymphoma Raji cells. Ouabain treatment of Raji cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and increased the morphological changes associated with apoptosis. Additionally, increased numbers of both early and late apoptotic cells were observed by annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry assay. Increased levels of caspase-3 and cleaved-caspase-3, higher Bax activity and decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 were detected in ouabain-treated Raji cells. Vacuole accumulation was also observed in transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of ouabain-treated Raji cells, indicating that these cells were undergoing autophagy. Expression of the autophagy-related proteins LC3-II and Beclin-1 was upregulated in ouabain-treated Raji cells. These results suggest that ouabain may promote cell death in Raji cells by inducing pathways associated with apoptosis and autophagy. Our study also provides novel evidence that ouabain may be an effective agent for treating Burkitt's lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yanting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Peipei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: oy626@sina.com.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ouyang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071186:Beclin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C491997:BECN1 protein, human; D000071186:Beclin-1; C477012:MAP1LC3A protein, human; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D010042:Ouabain
keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; Burkitt’s lymphoma; Ouabain; Raji