Cranberry extract initiates apoptosis in HL‐60 cell line through intrinsic apoptotic pathway (644.9)

Abstract

The potential anticancer activity of cranberry was reported for the first time in 1996. Proanthocyandins (PACs), the most abundant and complex flavonoid in cranberry, have been described as the major contributors of the anticancer activity reported in the literature. One of the proposed chemopreventative mechanisms is the induction of apoptosis by cranberry PACs. However, limited studies have been done to investigate the role of cranberry in initiating apoptosis in cancer cells and its underlying mechanism of action remains undetermined. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to investigate the apoptotic pathway that cranberry affects, intrinsic vs. extrinsic pathway. In our study, HL‐60 cells were incubated with 25 µg/ml cranberry‐(60‐65%)PAC extract for 24 hours. Cranberry treatment showed an 85 % increase in caspase 3/7 activity. The data also showed a great enhancement in the activation of caspase‐9 (379 %), but it did not exhibit any change in caspase‐8 activity. Further tests revealed that cranberry treatment caused a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential leading to an increase in the mitochondrial release of cytochrome C (87.5%) and Smac (41%). These findings indicate that this cranberry‐PAC extract can induce apoptosis in HL‐60 cells through triggering the intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptotic pathway.Grant Funding Source: Funded by Agricultural Experiment Station and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.