Different Concentrations Of Arsenic Trioxide Research Articles

Novel combination therapy of prostate cancer cells with arsenic trioxide and flutamide: An in-vitro study

ObjectiveThe study objective was to assess the therapeutic potential of Arsenic Trioxide (ATO) and Flutamide combination for metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. Material and methodLNCaP and PC3 cell lines were treated with different concentrations of ATO and PCa conventional drug Flutamide alone and/or in combination to find effective doses and IC50 values. Percentages of apoptotic cells were evaluated by Annexin/PI staining and the proliferative inhibitory effect was assessed by Micro Culture Tetrazolium Test (MTT). Expression of SNAIL, KLK2, E-cadherin, and angiogenesis genes (VEGFA and VEGFC), and apoptosis genes (Bcl2, and P53) were examined by real-time PCR. ResultsThe combination of Flutamide and ATO significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic cells and inhibited PCa cells proliferation compared with each drug alone in LNCaP and PC3 cell lines. Generally, both cell lines treated with the combination of Flutamide and ATO showed a decrease in expression of KLK2, angiogenesis genes (VEGFA and VEGFC), and apoptosis gene (Bcl2), and an increase in expression of E-cadherin and P53 genes; however, contradictory findings were found regarding SNAIL expression in LNCaP and PC3 cells. ConclusionThe combination therapy with ATO and flutamide has augmented the anti-tumor effect on LNCaP and PC3 cells, which probably originates from their potential to induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of PCa cells simultaneously.

Combination of canstatin and arsenic trioxide suppresses the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Complication of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and other drugs in cancer treatment has attracted much focus, but is limitedly investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to explore the role of ATO combined with canstatin in HCC. HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of ATO with or without canstatin, CCK-8, flow cytometry, Transwell assays were conducted to determine cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and invasion abilities. Besides, the protein expression or mRNA level of caspase-3, PCNA, and MMP-2 was measured using western blotting or qRT-PCR. BALB/c-nu/nu mice were used to establish nude mouse transplantation tumor model, and received ATO or canstatin treatment for 3 weeks. The results showed that ATO inhibited cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis with a concentration-dependent way. Canstatin had a significantly inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, but had limited effects on the other cellular behaviors. Besides, combination with ATO and canstatin strengthened the effects of ATO alone on cell proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis promotion. Moreover, both of ATO and canstatin increased the protein expression of caspase-3, while decreased PCNA and MMP-2, which was further strengthened upon their combination. Furthermore, both of ATO and canstatin inhibited tumor growth in vivo, which was also strengthened upon their combination. Collectively, we found that combined canstatin and ATO significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and adhesion abilities, and promoted cell apoptosis, and inhibited tumor growth, thus suppressed the progression of HCC.

Effect of arsenic trioxide on cervical cancer and its mechanisms.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of gynecological tumor, and thus identifying complementary or substitute treatment methods to treat cervical cancer is important. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO), a traditional Chinese medicine, on cervical cancer cells and its underlying mechanism. MTT, colony formation and Transwell assays were performed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of ATO on cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were applied to measure hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression (HIF-1α) expression following ATO treatment. Finally, the effects of HIF-1α knockdown on cervical cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion were evaluated. The results demonstrated that ATO could inhibit cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, ATO could induce reactive oxygen species production in a time- and dose-dependent manner. ATO could also promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells via HIF-1α. Therefore, the present study may provide a theoretical basis for identifying effective molecular targets for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Effect of arsenic trioxide on the Tregs ratio and the levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17 and TGF-β1 in the peripheral blood of severe aplastic anemia patients.

Previous studies have suggested that the anticancer agent, arsenic trioxide (ATO), could attenuate T cell mediated immunity by not only inhibiting the proliferative response of T cells but by also increasing the frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Furthermore, ATO represents a reasonable salvage treatment in some patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The current study aimed to evaluate the function of ATO on the Tregs percentage and cytokines changes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SAA patients.PBMCs were collected from 20 newly diagnosed SAA patients in Henan Cancer Hospital and treated with different concentrations of ATO (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 μmol/L). Then we investigated the efficacy of ATO on Tregs ratio and the levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-17 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in the peripheral blood of SAA patients in vitro.The results showed that ATO significantly increased the proportion of Tregs (P < .001) at 2.5 and 5 μmol/L concentrations, and the proportion of Tregs was increased with increasing ATO concentration (r = 0.524). At 1 (P = .03), 2.5 (P < .001) and 5 μmol/L (P < .001), ATO significantly up-regulated the expression levels of Foxp3 mRNA, which was positively and linearly correlated with the increase of Tregs cell-frequency (r = 0.52, 95%CI, 0.37–0.67). In addition, ATO significantly reduced the levels of IFN-γ (at 1, 2.5 and 5 μmol/L, P < .001), IL-4 (at 2.5 μmol/L, P = .009; at 5 μmol/L, P < .001), and IL-17 (at 2.5, P = .016; at 5 μmol/L, P < .001). ATO significantly reduced the levels of TGF-β1 at 5 μmol/L (P = .03), but showed no significant effects at 1 and 2.5 μmol/L (P > .05).ATO could mediate the immune regulation, which might contribute to improve hematopoietic recovery in SAA patients.

Arsenic trioxide upregulates UL16 binding protein 1 expression in KG1a cells through ataxia telangiectasia mutated and RAD3-related kinase pathway

Objective To observe the effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the expression of NKG2D ligand UL16 binding protein 1(ULBP1) in acute myeloid leukemia KG1a cells, and explore the molecular mechanism for its regulation of ULBP1 expression. Methods KG1a cells were cultured in vitro.Then, the inhibition of KG1a cell proli-feration by different concentrations of ATO was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK8) assay, and the expression of ULBP1 mRNA and surface protein in KG1a cells were examined by real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively.After that, the blocking effects of ataxia telangiectasia mutated and RAD3-related kinase (ATM/ATR) inhibitor caffeine on ATO-upregulated expression of ULBP1 mRNA and surface protein expressions were investigated, and the effects of ATO on the expression of CHK1 and CHK2 proteins and their phosphorylation in KG1a cells were observed by Western blot method. Results Different concentrations (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 μmol/L) of ATO could inhibit the proliferation of KG1a cells, which was concentration dependent, and the half inhibitory (IC50) concentration to KG1a cells was 2.7 μmol/L.The expression of ULBP1 mRNA on KG1a cells were increased when incubated with ATO at concentration 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 μmol/L, compared without ATO group, ULBP1 mRNA expression level relatively increased respectively to (1.86±0.30) times, (3.02±0.71) times, (3.16±0.75) times, (4.80±0.70) times and (3.70±0.89) times, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Furthermore, ATO (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 μmol/L) upregulated ULBP1 protein expression on KG1a cells compared with that in the group without caffeine, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). After caffeine pretreat KG1a cell 2 h and ATO incubate KG1a cell 24 h, ULBP1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly reduced.When caffeine concentration was 8 mmol/L, ULBP1 mRNA expression level relatively reduces from (9.55±0.38) times to (6.36±0.93) times compared with that in the group without caffeine, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). When caffeine concentration was 2, 4 and 8 mmol/L respectively, the expression of ULBP1 protein was reduced from that in the group without caffein treatment (3.50±0.08) times to (2.17±0.07) times, (2.02±0.06) times and (1.75±0.06) times, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The expression of CHK1 and CHK2 proteins decreased with the increase of ATO concentration, while p-CHK1 and p-CHK2 are increased as ATO. Conclusions ATO upregulate the expression of ULBP1 mRNA and protein in KG1a cells, and the ATM/ATR-CHK1/CHK2 pathway may be involved in it. Key words: Arsenic trioxide; KG1a cells; Natural killer cell; UL16 binding protein 1; Ataxia telangiectasia mutated and RAD3-related kinase pathway

Acute toxicity of intratracheal arsenic trioxide instillation in rat lungs.

This study investigated the acute toxicity of different concentrations of arsenic trioxide (As2O3; ATO) on rat lungs. In total, 160 Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control, low‐, medium‐ and high‐dose groups, which were exposed to 0, 0.16, 1.60 and 16 μg/kg of ATO by intratracheal instillation, respectively. Samples were collected at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after exposure and the dynamic changes indicative of acute lung toxicity were monitored. Compared with the control group, the exposure groups exhibited significant changes such as increased lung water content ratio and protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, pulmonary interstitial thickening, cell membrane edema, increased inflammatory factor concentration, JNK and P38 were significantly activated, and the degree of phosphorylation was increased. Furthermore, all the changes in the exposure groups were exposure concentration‐dependent. ATO respiratory tract exposure can cause restrictive ventilatory disturbance in rats, and the degree of injury is exposure concentration‐dependent.

Effects of Arsenic Trioxide on Cdc20 and Mad2 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia HL-60 Cell Line

To investigate the effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on Cdc20 and Mad2 in process of AML HL-60 cell proliferation. The proliferation of HL-60 cells was detected by CCK-8 method at different concentrations of arsenic trioxide for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The cell morphological changes were observed by inverted microscopy. The expressions of Mad2 and Cdc20 mRNA and protein in HL-60 cells treated with As2O3 for 48 h were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot respectively. Arsenic trioxide significantly inhibited the HL-60 cell proliferation and displayed a good time-dose correlation. RT-PCR and Western blot showed that the expression of Mad2 was up-regulated and the expression of Cdc20 was down-regulated in HL-60 cells treated with arsenic trioxide of different concentration (4,8,10 µmol/L). Arsenic trioxide can inhibit the human acute myeloid leukemia HL-60 cell proliferation, and its mechanism may be related with up-regulation of Mad2 expression and down-regulation of Cdc20 expression.

Synergistic Effects of Arsenic Trioxide and Radiation: Triggering the Intrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis

Background:Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been reported as an effective anti-cancer and a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for treatment of some cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the underlying apoptosis molecular and cellular mechanisms of ATO in the presence or absence of ionizing radiation (IR) in vitro in the glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell line, U87MG.Methods:Cells were treated by different concentrations of ATO either in presence or absence of IR. Viability and apoptosis pathway of both treated and control groups were evaluated using MTT assay and the expression analysis of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 genes, respectively. All treatments were performed on 100-μm diameter spheroids.Results:Results showed a significant reduction in the survival of the cells in all treated groups. As expected, cell survival was much less in combination treatment than treatment with only ATO. Moreover, combination therapy made Bax and caspase-3 up-regulated and Bcl-2 down-regulated.Conclusion:ATO and radiation had a synergistic apoptotic effect on GBM cells by up-regulation of caspase-3 and alteration of the Bax-Bcl-2 balance; therefore, ATO may act as a potential anti-cancer agent against GBM cells through triggering the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis.

Effect of Arsenic Trioxide on K562 Cell Proliferation and Its Mechanism

To investigate the molecular mechanism of arsenic trioxide(ATO) inhibiting K562 cell proliferation, and explore the new targets for treating chronic myeloid leukemia(CML). human CML cell line K562 cells were cultured in vitro, and were treated with different concentrations of ATO; MTT was used to detect the cell proliferation; flow cytometry(FCM) was used to determine cell apoptosis, cell cycle and the expression of CD44; Transcriptional levels of β-catenin and cyclin D1 were assayed by RT-PCR. 2 µmol/L ATO could inhibit the cell proliferation obviously in a time-and-dose-dependent manner. With drug concentration increasing and time prolonging, the expression rate of CD44 was declined gradrually. FCM with AnnexinV/PI double staining showed that K562 cells were induced to apoptosis after exposure to 2.5-10 µmol/L ATO for 48 hours and in dose-dependent manner. Treating with different concentration ATO for 48 hours, cell ratio of G0/G1 phase increased and cell ratio in S phase decreased gradually. RT-PCR showed that the expression of β-catenin and CyclinD1 decreased with increasing of drug concentration. ATO in certain concentration range can inhibit K562 cell proliferation, and induce the cell apotosis, the mechanismin influencing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may be the downregulation of CD44 expression, arresting K562 cells in G0/G1 phase, and affecting the gene transcription, thus inhibiting K562 cell proliferation.

Arsenic Trioxide Suppresses the Expression of EVI-1 Gene and Regulates Related Hematopoietic Transcription Factors in THP-1 Cells

IntroductionAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease. Ecotropic viral integration site-1(EVI-1) has been recognized as one of the most dominant oncogenes associated with murine and human myeloid leukemia. EVI-1 harbors several hallmark functions that are normally associated with leukemogenesis. Overexpression EVI-1 upregulates the transcription of the transcription factor gene GATA-2, which plays a critical role in the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells.EVI-1 also binds to the transcription factors GATA-1,PU.1,RUNX-1,SCL and LMO2 thereby inhibiting their activity and blocking the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors. Arsenic trioxide (ATO), which was used as a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown excellent therapeutic efficiency for acutepromyelocyticleukemia. A previous study has demonstrated that ATO targets EVI-1 protein to induce apoptosis . However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this regulation of AML cells by ATO have not been fully elucidated. We aim to expand our understanding of the cellular regulation and effect of ATO on EVI-1 and several related transcription factors (such as GATA1, GATA2, RUNX-1, LMO2, PU-1) in human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells.MethodsThe endogenous expression of EVI-1 is higher in THP-1 cells, which was confirmed through gene analysis sequencing and comparison with Genbank.THP-1 cells were treated with various concentrations of ATO( 0,1,3,5¦ÌM) for 24h, 48h and 72h. Expressions of EVI-1,and related transcription factor genes(GATA-2 ,GATA-1, RUNX-1,MPO,LMO,PU.1,SCL2) were determined by qRT-PCR.ResultsCompared to controls, THP-1 cells with high expression of EVI-1 gene were selected to confirm that overexpression of EVI-1 can promote the expression of GATA-2 , and reduce the level of GATA-1, RUNX-1, MPO, LMO, PU.1, SCL2 simultaneously in vitro(Fig.1).To determine whether ATO is able to directly regulate EVI-1 and related transcription factor genes expression in THP-1 cells, we examined their mRNA expression by qRT-PCR after treatment with different concentrations of ATO. We found that ATO has the ability to down regulate EVI-1 gene in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner( Fig.2a).Moreover, GATA-2 gene expression decreased when THP-1 cells were treated with ATO(Fig.2b). We examined the related transcription factors expression and found that ATO suppressed the expression levels of PU.1, RUNX-1, SCL and LMO2 (Fig.2c, 2d, 2e) in THP-1 cells. Interestingly, exposure to increasing concentrations of ATO for increasing lengths of time was associated with gradual promotion in the expression of GATA-1 mRNA( Fig 2f).SummaryWe verified that the endogenous expression of EVI-1 is higher in THP-1 cells, which confirmed THP-1 cells can be a vitro model to investigate EVI-1 gene functions. Meanwhile, related transcription factor gene GATA-2, which is regarded as EVI-1 regulatory element, is upregulated in THP-1 cells. Moreover, GATA-1, which is essential for erythroid differentiation, and other related transcription factor genes (PU.1, RUNX-1, SCL and LMO2) decreased in THP-1 cells. ATO dose-and time-dependently decreased expressions of EVI-1 and GATA-2 gene and regulated those related transcription factors in EVI-1-overexpressing cells compared with control cells.Disclosure: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. DisclosuresLang:National Natural Science Fundation of China (no.81470312),: Research Funding; Foundation of Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (no. 14411950704): Research Funding. Chen:National Natural Science Fundation of China (no.81470312): Research Funding; Foundation of Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (no. 14411950704): Research Funding. Zhu:Foundation of Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (no. 14411950704): Research Funding; National Natural Science Fundation of China (no.81470312): Research Funding. Zhong:National Natural Science Fundation of China (no.81470312): Research Funding; Foundation of Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (no. 14411950704): Research Funding.

Arsenic trioxide induces apoptosis in the THP1 cell line by downregulating EVI-1.

Acute leukemia is a malignant clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease. In the current study, the effects of arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the ecotropic viral integration site-1 (EVI-1) gene were investigated in the THP1 cell line. THP-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of ATO (0, 1, 3 and 5 μM) for 24, 48 or 72 h, then tested for cell viability by CCK-8 kit, cell morphology by cytospin smear, cell apoptosis by flow cytometry, EVI-1 mRNA expression by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and protein quantity by western blot. ATO treatment was shown to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in THP1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. ATO downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of EVI-1 in the THP1 cell line. In addition, ATO significantly decreased the expression of antiapoptotic proteins, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and B cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL), but markedly increased the expression of proapoptotic proteins, including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), phosphorylated-JNK, Bax, full length caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3. These results indicated that ATO inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in THP1 cells partially via blocking the inhibitory effects of EVI-1 on the JNK signaling pathway with the involvement of apoptosis-associated proteins, including Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and caspase-3. These novel observations may be used to elucidate the mechanism by which ATO induces apoptosis in acute leukemia cells, and provide rationales to develop a personalized medicine strategy for ATO via targeting EVI-1 positive neoplasm.

Enhanced autophagy follows LMP1 expression disruption in EBV+ P3HR1 cells treated with arsenic trioxide.

Event Abstract Back to Event Enhanced autophagy follows LMP1 expression disruption in EBV+ P3HR1 cells treated with arsenic trioxide. Abderezak Zebboudj1*, Chafia Touil-Boukoffa1 and Mehdi Bourouba1 1 University of Sciences and Technologies Houari Boumediene (USTHB), FSB, Algeria Introduction : The Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) latency is associated with several malignancies among which nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and immunocompromised patients lymphoma. Expression and signaling of the major viral oncogene latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is essential to the immortalization of NPC cells and in vitro of B lymphocytes. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) treatment was reported to induce apoptosis in NPC cells via LMP1 down-regulation. Conversely, autophagy has been linked to LMP1 expression in B cells and survival. Here, we analyzed the anti-proliferative activity of ATO on P3HR1 EBV+ lymphoblastoid cells and assessed it's effect on apoptosis, autophagy and LMP1 expression. Materials and Methods : LMP1 expressing cells P3HR1 were treated with different concentrations of ATO. Apoptosis was measured by annexin V/PI double staining. DiOC6 labeling was assessed for mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm). Degree of autophagy was assessed based on LC3BI/LC3BII conversion. The anti-proliferative effect of ATO was studied using soft agar clonogenicity test. LMP1 expression and transcription was analyzed by western blot and Q-RT-PCR. Results : Our results show that ATO treatment leads to increased annexin V labeling and loss of mitochondrial potential in P3HR1 cells. We found that apoptosis is accompanied with enhanced autophagic activity as indicated by LC3B profile. Our results also indicate that ATO treatment induces disruption of LMP1 expression after 72H of treatment and inhibition of its transcription. Thus effects were associated with suppression of cells clonogenicity. Conclusion : Our study suggests that ATO cytotoxicity in P3HR1 cells occurs via induction of apoptosis and up-regulation of autophagic activity. These processes may occur as a consequence of LMP1 transcription repression and depletion of cellular LMP1 pools. Taken together, our data suggest that ATO may regulate negatively tumor cells survival by suppressing LMP1 anti-apoptotic signaling and enhancing autophagic cell death. Acknowledgements This work was performed and co-directed in collaboration with Dr Mounira Chelbi- Alix and Dr Sébastien Nisole team "INSERM UMR-S 1124, Université Paris Descartes,Paris, France". We thank Pr Mohamed Seghier "Institut Pasteur d'Algérie" for material and technical support. Keywords: ATO, apoptosis and autophagy, LMP1, ebv, Lymphoma, B-Cell Conference: The First International Congress of Immunology and Molecular Immunopathology (CIMIP2014), Tlemcen, Algeria, 17 Oct - 20 Oct, 2014. Presentation Type: Oral Poster Presentation Topic: Lymphoproliferative disorders Citation: Zebboudj A, Touil-Boukoffa C and Bourouba M (2014). Enhanced autophagy follows LMP1 expression disruption in EBV+ P3HR1 cells treated with arsenic trioxide.. Front. Immunol. Conference Abstract: The First International Congress of Immunology and Molecular Immunopathology (CIMIP2014). doi: 10.3389/conf.fimmu.2014.04.00007 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 10 Sep 2014; Published Online: 01 Dec 2014. * Correspondence: Mr. Abderezak Zebboudj, University of Sciences and Technologies Houari Boumediene (USTHB), FSB, Bab-Ezzouar, Algiers, 16111, Algeria, azebboudj@usthb.dz Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Abderezak Zebboudj Chafia Touil-Boukoffa Mehdi Bourouba Google Abderezak Zebboudj Chafia Touil-Boukoffa Mehdi Bourouba Google Scholar Abderezak Zebboudj Chafia Touil-Boukoffa Mehdi Bourouba PubMed Abderezak Zebboudj Chafia Touil-Boukoffa Mehdi Bourouba Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Arsenic Trioxide Toxicity in H9c2 Myoblasts—Damage to Cell Organelles and Possible Amelioration with Boerhavia diffusa

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been long used as a chemotherapeutic agent because of its significant anticancer property. Unfortunately, the use of ATO is limited due to its cardiotoxic effects. The present study evaluates the protective property of ethanolic extract of Boerhavia diffusa (BDE) against ATO-induced toxicity on various cell organelles in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. The effects of different concentrations of ATO (5, 7.5 and 10 μM) on cell organelles like mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), lysosome and actin, generation of reactive oxygen species, antioxidant enzyme status and intracellular calcium overload were evaluated. ATO significantly (P ≤ 0.05) altered mitochondrial transmembrane potential, intracellular calcium level, ER, lysosomal activity and F-actin network in addition to induction of oxidative stress. Co-treatment with BDE protected the cardiomyocytes from the adverse effects of ATO, especially at 5 μM concentration, which was evident from decreased activity of lactate dehydrogenase (5 μM ATO + 20 μg/mL BDE: 6.61 ± 1.97 μU/mL, respective control group: 16.15 ± 1.92 μU/mL), reduced oxidative stress, calcium influx and organelle damage. Results obtained from the present study allow for a better characterization of the effects of ATO on H9c2 myoblasts. In conclusion, our data suggest that cell organelles are also the targets of ATO-induced cardiotoxicity in addition to other reported targets like ion channels, and BDE has the potential to protect the cardiotoxicity induced by ATO.

Arsenic Trioxide Induces Platelet Apoptosis

Abstract 5149 Objective:Arsenic trioxide, a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is known as an effective anticancer drug especially in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). APL has emerged as the most curable subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia since the widely use of arsenic trioxide-based chemotherapy. However, recent researches show that thrombocytopenia occurred in 79% of the relapsed or refractory APL patients treated with arsenic trioxide, and part of the APL patients had to be stopped treatment because of catastrophic bleeding, such as intracranial and pulmonary haemorrhage. Thrombocytopenia also occurred in 43% of the myelodysplastic syndrome patients treated with arsenic trioxide. Recently, arsenic trioxide has been proved to have a pro-apoptotic effect on various kinds of nucleated tumour cells or non-tumour cells. The effect of arsenic trioxide on enucleated platelet, however, still remains unclear. The aim of current study is to investigate whether arsenic trioxide induces platelet apoptosis. Methods:Washed platelets (3 × 108/ml) were incubated with different concentrations of arsenic trioxide or vehicle at 37°C for 4 hours. Then, mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure were tested by flow cytometry. In the mean time, the treated platelets were analyzed by western blot for the expression levels of pro-apoptotic protein (Bax), and anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL). Activation of caspase-3 was also examined by western blot using an anti-caspase-3 antibody. Results:ΔΨm depolarization and PS exposure were dose-dependently induced in platelets incubated with different concentrations (2 uM, 4 uM, 8 uM, 16 uM) of arsenic trioxide as detected by flow cytometry, and the lowest concentration of arsenic trioxide incurring ΔΨm depolarization and PS exposure was 4 umol/L. Simultaneously, arsenic trioxide induced up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, 17 kD cleaved caspase-3 fragments were dose-dependently induced in platelets treated with different concentrations of arsenic trioxide indicating that caspase-3 was activated by arsenic trioxide. Conclusions:Taken together, the data indicate that arsenic trioxide induces platelet apoptosis in vitro, which might suggest a novel pathogenic mechanism of thrombocytopenia in the patients who treated with arsenic trioxide. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Arsenic trioxide re-sensitizes ERα-negative breast cancer cells to endocrine therapy by restoring ERα expression in vitro and in vivo

Approximately one-third of breast cancers lack estrogen receptor α (ERα) because of the hypermethylation of the CpG island in the receptor's promoter. These tumors are associated with poorer histological differentiation, a higher growth fraction, are rarely responsive to endocrine therapy and have a worse clinical outcome. Thus, re-expression of ERα in ERα-negative breast cancers may restore the sensitivity of antiestrogen therapy. The ERα-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-435s was treated with different concentrations of arsenic trioxide (As2O3). MS-PCR was used to detect the change in the methylation status of ERα. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were used to detect changes in the mRNA and protein expression of DNA methyl-transferase-1 (DNMT1) and ERα. Cell proliferation was examined using the MTT assay. A xenograft model in nude mice was used to further examine the results we observed in vitro. The ERα gene was demethylated after As2O3 treatment of MDA-MB-435s cells. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses revealed that DNMT1 expression was inhibited and ERα was re-expressed in a concentration-dependent manner after As2O3 treatment. The MTT assay showed that cell proliferation was significantly suppressed after exposure to different concentrations of As2O3. Addition of tamoxifen (TAM) further suppressed levels of cell proliferation. In vivo, the xenograft tumor volumes of As2O3-treated mice were smaller than those observed in untreated and TAM-treated mice. Treatment with a combination of As2O3+TAM resulted in further suppression. As2O3 can act as a demethylation agent to restore ERα expression in ERα-negative breast cancer cells and re-sensitize these cells to endocrine therapy in vitro and in vivo.

The conformation change of Bcl-2 is involved in arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation in SGC7901 human gastric cancer cells

BackgroundArsenic trioxide has been established as a first-line agent for treating acute promyelocytic leukemia. Experimental data suggest that arsenic trioxide also can have a potential use as chemotherapeutic agent for other malignancies. The precise mechanisms of action of arsenic trioxide have though not been elucidated. As the role of Bcl-2 in arsenic trioxide-mediated cell apoptosis and conformation change of Bcl-2 in response to arsenic trioxide treatment has not been studied. The aim of the present study was to determine whether conformation change of Bcl-2 is involved in the action of arsenic trioxide.MethodsHuman gastric cancer SGC7901 cells were exposed to different concentrations of arsenic trioxide. Proliferation was measured by using the Kit-8 cell counting assay. Analysis of nuclear morphology was observed by DAPI staining. The apoptosis rates of cells treated with arsenic trioxide were analyzed by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC staining. The conformation change of Bcl-2 and Bax activation were detected by immunostaining and Western blot analysis. Total expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were examined by Western blot analysis.ResultsArsenic trioxide inhibited the growth of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells and induced apoptosis. There were two Bcl-2 phenotypes coexisting in SGC7901 cells and the Bcl-2 cytoprotective phenotype could change into a cytodestructive phenotype following conformational change of Bcl-2, triggered by arsenic trioxide exposure. Bax activation might also be involved in arsenic trioxide-induced Bcl-2 conformational change. Arsenic trioxide did not change levels of total Bcl-2 expression, but up-regulated total Bax expression for the treatment time ranging from 3 to 24 hours.ConclusionArsenic trioxide induces apoptosis through induction of Bcl-2 conformational change, Bax activation and up-regulation of total Bax expression rather than affecting total Bcl-2 expression in human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. The conformational change of Bcl-2 may be a novel described mechanism of arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis in cancer cells.

Effects of Arsenic Trioxide on the Cerulein-Induced AR42J Cells and Its Gene Regulation

To study the molecular mechanism of arsenic trioxide-induced cell death on cerulein-stimulated AR42J cells. AR42J cells were incubated for 24 hours, and cerulein (10 nmol/L) and different concentrations of arsenic trioxide were added for another 24 hours. The cells were collected and analyzed for apoptosis and oncosis by using rhodamine 123 and propidium iodide staining, and the changes in the genes that related to cell death were detected by a gene chip. After cerulein stimulation, apoptosis was significantly increased in the AR42J cells. The addition of arsenic trioxide increased the number of apoptotic cells, and the apoptotic index reached its peak in the 1-micromol/L group. Regarding oncosis, low concentrations of arsenic trioxide (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 micromol/L) reduced the development of oncosis, and in the 2-micromol/L group, it was most significant, whereas high concentration of arsenic trioxide (8 micromol/L) promoted the development of oncosis. A total of 96 genes related to apoptosis were detected, and 36 genes were differentially expressed. Appropriate concentrations of arsenic trioxide can induce apoptosis in AR42J cells that were induced by cerulein and lead to changes in the expressions of certain genes.

Arsenic trioxide induces apoptosis of glucocorticoid-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia CEM-C1 cells

To explore the effects of arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the apoptosis of glucocorticoid (GC)-resistant T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) CEM-C1 cells and its possible mechanisms. Different concentrations of ATO (0.25 μmol/L-5 μmol/L) were used to induce the apoptosis of CEM-C1 cells. The inhibition rate of cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT test, Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and optical microscopy, respectively. RT-PCR was applied to semi-quantitatively analyze the mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bad and PDCD4) and anti-apoptotic proteins (XIAP and MCL-1) induced by different concentrations of ATO at different time points. ATO could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of CEM-C1 cells at a concentration and time dependent manner. Low-dose ATO mildly inhibited the proliferation of CEM-C1 cells while higher concentrations (1 μmol/L and 5 μmol/L) had strong anti-tumor effect with the inhibiting rates of 40.07±7.98% and 88.67±2.88%, respectively. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry showed that the apoptotic rates of CEM-C1 cells were significantly increased after 48 hours treatment of different concentrations of ATO. RT-PCR demonstrated up-regulated mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bad and PDCD4 but down-regulated mRNA expression of anti-apoptotic protein XIAP when CEM-C1 cells were treated with different concentrations of ATO at different time points. The MCL-1 mRNA expression was down-regulated only after the treatment of 5 μmol/L ATO. ATO can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in GC-resistant CEM-C1 cells. The molecular mechanisms might involve the increased mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bad and PDCD-4, and rapid down-regulation of XIAP mRNA expression.

Effects of arsenic trioxide on apoptosis and proliferation of human lung cancer cells under hypoxia

To observe the effects of different concentrations of arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) on apoptosis and proliferation of human lung cancer cell line A549 in vitro under hypoxia and normoxia. A549 cells were treated with 0, 1, 2, 4 micromol/L As2O3 for 12, 24 and 48 h under hypoxia (5% O(2)) and normoxia (21% O(2)). The proliferative inhibition rate of A549 cells was measured with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, and the apoptotic rate of A549 cells was detected by Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) double staining. Under normoxia and hypoxia, 1, 2, 4 micromol/L As(2)O(3) could significantly inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells. The results depended on the drug concentration and action time. And the hypoxia couldn't influence the effects of As(2)O(3). As(2)O(3) can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells under hypoxia and normoxia.