Harmal Extract Induces Apoptosis of HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells, Mediated by Inhibition of Nuclear Factor-κB and Activator Protein-1 Signaling Pathways and Induction of Cytoprotective Genes.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, being the second most common type of cancer worldwide in both men and women. It accounts yearly for approximately 9% of all new cases of cancers. Furthermore, the current chemotherapeutic regimens seem unsatisfactory, so that exploration of novel therapeutic modalities is needed. The present study was undertaken to investigate the inhibitory effects of a crude alkaloid extract (CAERS) of a medicinal herb, Rhazya stricta, on proliferation of CRC HCT116 cells and to elucidate mechanisms of action. To achieve these aims, we utilized MTT, comet, DNA laddering and gene reporter assays, along with Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. RESULTS: We found that CAERS inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptotic cell death in HCT116 cells. Hallmarks of morphological and biochemical signs of apoptosis were clearly evident. CAERS down-regulated DNA-binding and transcriptional activities of NF-κB and AP-1 proteins, while up-regulating expression of the Nrf-2 protein. It also down-regulated expression levels of the ERK MAPK, Bcl-2, cyclin D1, CDK-4, survivin and VEGF and up-regulated levels of Bax, caspase-3/7 and -9, p53, p21, Nrf-2. Markedly, it promoted mRNA expression levels of cytoprotective genes including the hemeoxygenase-1, NAD(P)H quinine oxidoreductase 1 and UDP-glucuronyltransferase. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that CAERS exerts antiproliferative action on CRC cells through induction of apoptotic mechanisms, and suggest CAERS could be a promising agent for studying and developing novel chemotherapeutic agents aimed at novel molecular targets for the treatment of CRC.

Effect of Very Low Dose Fast Neutrons on the DNA of Rats' Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Leukocytes.

The effect of very low dose fast neutrons on the chromatin and DNA of rats' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and leukocytes has been studied in the present work using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Fourteen female Wistar rats were used; seven were irradiated with neutrons of 0.9 cGy (Am-Be, 0.02 cGy h(-1)), and seven others were used as control. Second derivative and curve fitting were used to analyze the FTIR spectra. In addition, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to classify the group spectra. Meanwhile, the tail moment and percentage of DNA in the tail were used as indicators to sense the breaking and the level of damage in DNA. The analysis of FTIR spectra of the PBMC of the irradiated group revealed a marked increase in the area of phosphodiesters of nucleic acids and the area ratios of RNA/DNA and phosphodiesters/carbohydrates. A sharp significant increase and decrease in the areas of RNA and DNA ribose were recorded, respectively. In the irradiated group, leukocytes with different tail lengths were observed. The distributions of tail moments and the percentage of DNA in the tail of irradiated groups were heterogeneous. The mean value of the percentages of DNA in the tail at 0.5 h post-irradiation represented low-level damage in the DNA. Therefore, one can conclude that very low dose fast neutrons might cause changes in the DNA of PBMC at the submolecular level. It could cause low-level damage, double-strand break, and chromatin fragmentation of DNA of leukocytes.

Mechanism of Action of Nigella sativa on Human Colon Cancer Cells: the Suppression of AP-1 and NF-κB Transcription Factors and the Induction of Cytoprotective Genes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the growth-suppression potentiality of a crude saponin extract (CSENS) prepared from medicinal herb, Nigella sativa, on human colon cancer cells, HCT116. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HCT116 cells were subjected to increasing doses of CSENS for 24, 48 and 72 h, and then harvested and assayed for cell viability by WST-1. Flow cytometry analyses, cell death detection ELISA, fluorescent stains (Hoechst 33342 and acridine orange/ethidium bromide), DNA laddering and comet assays were carried out to confirm the apoptogenic effects of CSENS. Luciferase reporter gene assays, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses were performed to assess the impact of CAERS and CFEZO on the expression levels of key regulatory proteins in HCT116 cells. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that CSENS inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis. Apoptosis was confirmed by flow cytometry analyses, while CSENS-treated cells exhibited morphological hallmarks of apoptosis including cell shrinkage, irregularity in cellular shape, cellular detachment and chromatin condensation. Biochemical signs of apoptosis, such as DNA degradation, were observed by comet assay and gel electrophoresis. The pro-apoptotic effect of CSENS was caspase-3-independent and associated with increase of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. CSENS treatment down-regulated transcriptional and DNA-binding activities of NF-κB and AP-1 proteins, associated with down-regulation of their target oncogenes, c-Myc, cyclin D1 and survivin. On the other hand, CSENS up-regulated transcriptional and DNA-binding activities of Nrf2 and expression of cytoprotective genes. In addition, CSENS modulated the expression levels of ERK1/2 MAPK, p53 and p21. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CSENS may be a valuable agent for treatment of colon cancer.

Antigenotoxic ketosteroid from the red algae Jania adhaerens.

A new ketosteroid, 6ß,16ß-dihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one (1), in addition to the known 6ß-hydroxycholest-4-en-3-one (2), 6ß-hydroxycholest-4,22-dien-3-one (3) and 16ß-hydroxy-5α-cholestan-3,6-dione (4), was isolated from the red alga Jania adhaerens. The structures were assigned on the basis of (1)H- and (13)C-NMR experiments. The new compound (1) was evaluated for its genotoxic and cytotoxic activities and found to possess protective antigenotoxicity in human peripheral blood cells.

Acrylamide in selected foods and genotoxicity of their extracts.

Acrylamide is one of the most important contaminants in the environment. Acrylamide was shown to be a neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant, and carcinogen in animals. There is consensus among international food safety groups that acrylamide in the diet should be assessed. In the present study, we surveyed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) the levels of acrylamide in 23 foods marketed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The genotoxicity of all food samples, acrylamide and glycidamide were investigated using the Salmonella mutagenicity test. Also, the DNA damaging potency was done for 16 of these foods aqueous and organic extracts beside acrylamide in the comet assay. Acrylamide levels in food ranged from non-detectable to 2200microg/kg. Neither acrylamide nor food aqueous or organic extracts showed mutagenic effects in the Salmonella strains TA98, TA100 and TA1535 in the presence or absence of the metabolic activation system (S9). Also, they did not show DNA damaging effects in the comet assay. Glycidamide showed mutagenicity with TA100 only in the presence of S9 and exhibited extensive DNA breaks in the comet assay. Leukocytes from rat fed Pringles crisps showed extensive DNA damage in comet test. This genotoxicity could not be demonstrated by Pringles in vitro. Continuous surveying of food for acrylamide is necessary to minimize human exposure.