TITLE:
Chemotherapeutic Effect of Withaferin A in Human Oral Cancer Cells
AUTHORS:
In-Hyoung Yang, Lee-Han Kim, Ji-Ae Shin, Sung-Dae Cho
KEYWORDS:
Oral Cancer, Withaferin A, Apoptosis, Bim, Bax
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.6 No.8,
August
10,
2015
ABSTRACT: Withaferin A (WA) is a bioactive compound
derived from a medicinal plant Withania somnifera and has potential
therapeutic effects against various types of cancers. The purpose of this study is to investigate an apoptotic effect of WA and
identify its molecular target in HSC-3 and HSC-4 human oral cancer cell lines
using Trypan blue exclusion assay, DAPI staining and western blotting. WA
inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in a concentration- or
time-dependent manner, as evidenced by induction of nuclear condensation and
fragmentation, activation of caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
cleavage. WA-induced apoptosis was partly diminished by Z-VAD, a pancaspase
inhibitor. WA also increased Bim and Bax protein in HSC-3 and HSC-4 cells,
respectively. These results suggest that WA may be a potential chemotherapeutic
drug candidate against human oral cancer.