Although many anticancer drugs have been reported to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, the underlying mechanism remains unclear (1-3). Recent studies have revealed that the caspase family of cysteine proteases have been shown to play an important role in the regulation of several apoptotic processes. Thus, the present study investigated whether apoptosis induced by anticancer drugs is mediated by the activation of caspase cascade. NA cells, a squamous cell carcinoma cell line, were exposed to cisplatin (CDDP) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without inhibitors of caspase 1, 3 and 8. Analysis of DNA fragmentation revealed that caspase inhibitors consistently inhibited DNA fragmentation induced by 5-FU. During the early stages of apoptosis, phosphatidylserine (PS) is translocated from the inner side of the plasma membrane to the cell surface. This PS externalization was markedly inhibited by treatment with caspase-8 inhibitor. These findings suggested that 5-FU induced apoptosis was mediated by the activation of a caspase cascade involving caspase 1, 3 and 8.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunological studies on angioneurotic edema.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytotoxic effect of sodium nitroprusside on cancer cells: involvement of apoptosis and suppression of c-myc and c-myb proto-oncogene expression.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an unstable free radical gas known as an effector molecule of macrophage cytotoxicity against cancer cells. Although several mechanisms of NO-mediated cytotoxicity have been proposed, this phenomenon remains to be characterized in detail. To explore the mechanisms by which NO kills cancer cells, we made use of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), which releases NO in the culture medium. SNP showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on NA cells, an epithelial cancer cell line. When NA cells were killed by SNP, high levels of NO2- (stable end product of NO) were detected in the culture medium. The cell death induced by SNP was mediated by apoptosis, as demonstrated by the presence of nuclear condensation and blebbing of the nuclear membrane, and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation quantified by a specific ELISA. Northern blot analysis revealed that c-myc mRNA expression of NA cells was rapidly reduced by treatment with SNP. RT-PCR analysis showed that c-myb mRNA was expressed in untreated NA cells, and c-myb mRNA level of NA cells was dose-dependently reduced by treatment with SNP. These results indicate that SNP exerts its cytotoxic effect on NA cells through spontaneous release of NO. Cytotoxicity induced by SNP is at least partially mediated via the process known as apoptosis. Our results also suggest that down-regulation of c-myc and c-myb proto-oncogenes might be involved in SNP-induced cytotoxicity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗