Antioxidants (Dec 2019)

Chemopreventive Effect of β-Cryptoxanthin on Human Cervical Carcinoma (HeLa) Cells Is Modulated through Oxidative Stress-Induced Apoptosis

  • Enkhtaivan Gansukh,
  • Arti Nile,
  • Iyyakkannu Sivanesan,
  • Kannan R. R. Rengasamy,
  • Doo-Hwan Kim,
  • Young-Soo Keum,
  • Ramesh Kumar Saini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9010028
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
p. 28

Abstract

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The present study was aimed to assess cellular and molecular events involved in the chemopreventive activities of β-cryptoxanthin derived from mandarin oranges (Citrus unshiu Marc.) on human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells. In vitro experiments established that β-cryptoxanthin significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells with the IC50 value of 4.5 and 3.7 µM after 24 and 48 h of treatments, respectively. β-cryptoxanthin-treated HeLa cells exhibited enhanced levels of oxidative stress correlated with significant downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, and upregulation of pro-apoptotic Bax mRNA expression. Moreover, β-cryptoxanthin triggered nuclear condensation and disruption of the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane, upregulated caspase-3, -7, and -9 mRNA, and enhanced activation of caspase-3 proteins, resulting in nuclei DNA damage and apoptosis of HeLa cells. Remarkably, TUNEL assay carried out to detect nuclei DNA damage showed 52% TUNEL-positive cells after treatment with a physiological concentration of β-cryptoxanthin (1.0 μM), which validates its potential as an anticancer drug of natural origin.

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