Differential signaling involved in Sutherlandia frutescens-induced cell death in MCF-7 and MCF-12A cells

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• 作者：Chris Vorster ; Andre Stander ; Annie Joubert ; ^{annie.joubert@up.ac.za}
• 关键词：Sutherlandia frutescens ; Cytotoxicity ; Cancer ; Ethnopharmacology ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy
• 刊名：Journal of Ethnopharmacology
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：6 March 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：140
• 期：1
• 页码：123-130
• 全文大小：2399 K

文摘

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The scientific study of natural products traditionally used in anticancer preparations has yielded several therapeutically relevant compounds. One of these traditional preparations with potentially beneficial properties is aqueous extracts of m>Sutherlandia frutescensm>, a shrub indigenous to the Western Cape region of South Africa. The aims of this study were to evaluate in vitro efficacy of these preparations on the MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma and MCF-12A non-tumorigenic cell lines in terms of cell proliferation, cell morphology and possible induction of cell death.

Materials and methods

Crystal violet staining was used to evaluate cell proliferation, light-and fluorescence microscopy were used to investigate both intracellular and extracellular morphological features of apoptosis and autophagy (e.g. membrane blebbing, condensed chromatin and intracellular lysosomes), while flow cytometry quantified cell cycle changes and induction of apoptosis through analysis of the flip-flop translocation of phosphatidylserine.

Results

Crystal violet staining showed a time- and dose specific response to aqueous m>Sutherlandia frutescensm> extracts, revealing exposure to 1 mg/ml aqueous extract for 48 h to be ideal for comparing the differential effects of m>Sutherlandia frutescensm> in the MCF-7 and MCF-12A cell lines. Microscopy showed distinct morphological changes with hallmarks of apoptosis being observed in both cell lines. Flow cytometry revealed a decrease in actively cycling cells in both cell lines, and a 4.36 % increase in phosphatidylserine translocation in the MCF-7 cell line, indicative of apoptosis induction, while fluorescence microscopy showed evidence of the induction of autophagy.

Conclusions

Analyses revealed the carcinogenic MCF-7 cell line to be more susceptible to the cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of m>Sutherlandia frutescensm> when compared to the non-tumorigenic MCF-12A cell line, thus warranting further research into the exact cellular mechanisms involved and the possible synergistic activities of m>Sutherlandia frutescensm> ingredients.