Abstract
Jellyfish species are widely distributed in the world’s oceans, and their population is rapidly increasing. Jellyfish extracts have several biological functions, such as cytotoxic, anti-microbial, and antioxidant activities in cells and organisms. However, the anti-cancer effect of Jellyfish extract has not yet been examined. We used chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells to evaluate the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity of hexane extracts from Nomura’s jellyfish in vitro. In this study, jellyfish are subjected to hexane extraction, and the extract is shown to have an anticancer effect on chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells. Interestingly, the present results show that jellyfish hexane extract (Jellyfish-HE) induces apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. To identify the mechanism(s) underlying Jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis in K562 cells, we examined the effects of Jellyfish-HE on activation of caspase and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which are responsible for cell cycle progression. Induction of apoptosis by Jellyfish-HE occurred through the activation of caspases-3,-8 and -9 and phosphorylation of p38. Jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis was blocked by a caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD. Moreover, during apoptosis in K562 cells, p38 MAPK was inhibited by pretreatment with SB203580, an inhibitor of p38. SB203580 blocked jellyfish-HE-induced apoptosis. Additionally, Jellyfish-HE markedly arrests the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. Therefore, taken together, the results imply that the anti-cancer activity of Jellyfish-HE may be mediated apoptosis by induction of caspases and activation of MAPK, especially phosphorylation of p38, and cell cycle arrest at the Go/G1 phase in K562 cells.
Highlights
Jellyfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria; they are lower animals with a non-polyp form
In order to examine whether Jellyfish extracts can affect cell viability in the K562 cancer cell line, jellyfish were extracted with a variety of organic solvents (EtOH, BuOH, Ethyl Acetate, and hexane), as well as distilled water, as described in the Materials and Methods section
Human chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells were treated for 3 days with 50 μg/ml EtOH, BuOH, ethyl acetate, or hexane extract
Summary
Jellyfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria; they are lower animals with a non-polyp form. They consist of an umbrella-typed bell and trailing tentacles and are made of gelatin-based compounds. Stinging jellyfish is known to have poisonous venom such as cardiovascular and poreforming toxins (Li et al, 2014; Burnett, 2009; Yanagihara & Shohet, 2012; Tibballs et al, 2011; Marino et al, 2007; Mariottini, 2014; Jennifer purcell, Shin-ichi Uye & Wen-Tseng Lo, 2007). Various kinds of jellyfish venoms have been reported to have diverse potential effects in the health science field as novel bioactive therapeutic agents with water-soluble or lipid-soluble compounds (Leone et al, 2013; Rocha et al, 2011; Haefner, 2003; Schwartsmann et al, 2003; Mariottini & Pane, 2013; Morabito et al, 2015; Yanagihara & Shohet, 2012; Tibballs et al, 2011). Green fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria (Shimomura, 1979) is a well-known biomarker used in the life sciences
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