Sericin from Antheraea proylei J. cocoons as Genotoxic inducing cell death through activation of p38 in PC3 cells

Abstract

Sericin is a byproduct of silk fibre industries with potential applications in therapeutics and cosmetic industries. Sericin protein differs in amino acid composition pertaining to the habitat and species of the silkworm. Though antiproliferative activity of sericin from B. mori is documented, sericin from A. proylei remains largely unexplored on various cell lines. The study envisages use of sericin protein as an anticancer agent in prostate cancer by using PC3 cells as a model. The study reports a caspase-3 and PARP independent cell death mechanism in PC3 cells treated with sericin and its ability to induce apoptosis through activation of p38 and arrests of cell cycle at G0/G1 phase.