Apoptotic effects of resveratrol, a grape polyphenol, on imatinib-sensitive and resistant K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

AIM: To examine the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of resveratrol on imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antiproliferative effects of resveratrol were determined by the 3-Bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulphophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide inner salt (XTT) cell proliferation assay. Apoptotic effects of resveratrol on sensitive K562 and resistant K562/IMA-3 cells were determined through changes in caspase-3 activity, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and apoptosis by annexin V-(FITC). RESULTS: The concentrations of resveratrol that inhibited cell growth by 50% (IC(50)) were calculated as 85 and 122 µM for K562 and K562/IMA-3 cells, respectively. There were 1.91-, 7.42- and 14.73-fold increases in loss of MMP in K562 cells treated with 10, 50, and 100 µM resveratrol, respectively. The same concentrations of resveratrol resulted in 2.21-, 3.30- and 7.65-fold increases in loss of MMP in K562/IMA-3 cells. Caspase-3 activity increased 1.04-, 2.77- and 4.8-fold in K562 and 1.02-, 1.41- and 3.46-fold in K562/IMA-3 cells in response to the same concentrations of resveratrol, respectively. Apoptosis was induced in 58.7%- and 43.3% of K562 and K562/IMA-3 cells, respectively, in response to 100 µM resveratrol. CONCLUSION: Taken together these results may suggest potential use of resveratrol in CML, as well as in patients with primary and/or acquired resistance to imatinib.

Quercetin-induced apoptosis involves increased hTERT enzyme activity of leukemic cells.

We aimed to examine the growth suppressive effects of quercetin on acute promyelocytic and lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia, and to find out whether the growth suppression is related to the blocking of telomerase enzyme activity. Cytotoxic effects of quercetin were shown by trypan blue analyses. Apoptotic effects of quercetin were examined by acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining by fluorescence microscopy. The effects of quercetin on telomerase enzyme activity were shown by hTERT Quantification Kit. Our results demonstrated that quercetin has antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute promyelocytic leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. We also showed for the first time by this study that quercetin suppresses the activity of telomerase in ALL and CML cells. The results of this study show the importance of quercetin for its therapeutic potential in treatment of leukemias.

Resveratrol triggers apoptosis through regulating ceramide metabolizing genes in human K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

Resveratrol, an important phytoalexin in many plants, has been reported to have cytotoxic effects on various types of cancer. Ceramide is a bioactive sphingolipid that regulates many signaling pathways, including cell growth and proliferation, senescence and quiescence, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Ceramides are generated by longevity assurance genes (LASS). Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) and sphingosine kinase-1 (SK-1) enzymes can convert ceramides to antiapoptotic molecules, glucosylceramide, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, respectively. C8:ceramide, an important cell-permeable analogue of natural ceramides, increases intracellular ceramide levels significantly, while 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP) and SK-1 inhibitor increase accumulation of ceramides by inhibiting GCS and SK-1, respectively. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematological disorder resulting from generation of BCR/ABL oncogene. In this study, we examined the roles of ceramide metabolizing genes in resveratrol-induced apoptosis in K562 CML cells. There were synergistic cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of resveratrol with coadministration of C8:ceramide, PDMP, and SK-1 inhibitor. Interestingly, there were also significant increases in expression levels of LASS genes and decreases in expression levels of GCS and SK-1 in K562 cells in response to resveratrol. Our data, in total, showed for the first time that resveratrol might kill CML cells through increasing intracellular generation and accumulation of apoptotic ceramides.

Suppression of STAT5A increases chemotherapeutic sensitivity in imatinib-resistant and imatinib-sensitive K562 cells.

STAT proteins are cytoplasmic transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of numerous cellular activities such as cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In this study, we aimed to identify the expression pattern of STAT genes in imatinib-sensitive and -resistant K562 cells, and further, to reveal the effects of STAT5A siRNA knockdown on cell growth and apoptosis induction. The XTT cell proliferation assay showed that both sensitive and resistant K562 cells were sensitized to imatinib upon transfection with STAT5A siRNA. Caspase-3 enzyme activity was increased significantly in both cells. These results may open up new opportunities to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance in leukemia.