Garlic-derived compound S-allylmercaptocysteine inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis via the JNK and p38 pathways in human colorectal carcinoma cells.

Yan Zhang,Hong-Yan Li,Zhi-Hua Zhang,Hong-Lei Bian,Gui Lin

doi:10.3892/ol.2014.2579

Abstract

S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC) is an active compound that is derived from garlic and has been demonstrated to possess antitumor properties in vitro. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of SAMC and determine the underlying mechanism of this effect on human colorectal carcinoma cells. The SW620 cells were cultured with various concentrations of SAMC and cell viability was detected using an MTT assay. Analysis of apoptosis was performed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling. The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38) signaling pathways were investigated by polymerase chain reaction. SAMC was observed to reduce cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, partially through the induction of apoptosis in human colorectal carcinoma cells. At the molecular level, SAMC induces apoptosis through JNK and p38 signaling pathways, increasing tumor protein p53 (p53) and Bax activation in the SW620 cells. The most effective concentration of SAMC for the induction of SW620 cell apoptosis was found to be 400 μM, which was confirmed through cell viability assays and apoptosis analysis. The current study indicated that SAMC inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis of SW620 cells via the JNK and p38 pathways. The results from the current study demonstrated that SAMC must be further investigated as a novel preventive or therapeutic agent for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma, and potentially for use in other tumor types.

Highlights

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a vegetable of the Allium class of bulb‐shaped plants, which has been used for thousands of years and in numerous cultures as a food and for its medicinal purposes, dating back >4,000 years [1]
The results clearly demonstrated that SAMC induces apoptosis in the human colorectal carcinoma cell line SW620 in vitro, which may explain the antiproliferative activity of garlic
These results suggest that the induction of apoptotic cell death by SAMC occurs via the JNK and p38 pathways that activate p53 and Bax

Summary

Introduction

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a vegetable of the Allium class of bulb‐shaped plants, which has been used for thousands of years and in numerous cultures as a food and for its medicinal purposes, dating back >4,000 years [1]. Subsequent to reacting with endogenous antioxidants, including cysteine and reduced glutathione, the majority of garlic allyl sulfides, which are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, have been reported to biotransform to the corresponding allylmercapto glutathione S‐congugate [6]. One of these allylmercapto glutathione S‐conjugates, S‐allylmercapto‐L‐cysteine (SAMC), is a water soluble organosulfur compound that is found in aged garlic extract and is obtained through the ethanol extraction of sliced garlic bulbs. The current study investigates the effects of SAMC on the growth of the SW620 human colorectal carcinoma cell line

Methods

Results

Conclusion