Caspase-Dependent and Caspase-Independent Apoptosis Induced by Evodiamine in Human Leukemic U937 Cells
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2398 Caspase-dependent and caspase-independent apoptosis induced by evodiamine in human leukemic U937 cells Tae-Jin Lee,1 Eun Jung Kim,1 Shin Kim,1 inducing factor, which suggests that evodiamine is, at Eun Mi Jung,1 Jong-Wook Park,1 least in part, able to bypass the resistance of leukemia cells Seung Hun Jeong,2 Sang Eun Park,2 via caspase-independent apoptotic pathways. Thus, thera- Young Hyun Yoo,2 and Taeg Kyu Kwon1 peutic strategy using evodiamine may warrant further evaluation. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(9):2398–407] 1Department of Immunology and Chronic Disease Research Center and Institute for Medical Science, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Taegu, South Korea and 2Department of Introduction Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dong-A University College of Medicine Most anticancer agents eradicate tumor cells by the induc- (BK21 Program), and Medical Science Research Center, tion of apoptosis. Recent studies have suggested that the Busan, South Korea various anticancer agents used against cancer mediate their effects by induction of apoptosis of the cancer cells (1–3). Abstract It is suggested that there are several apoptotic pathways in cells responsive to apoptotic stimuli,such as the death Evodiamine is one of the major bioactive compounds that receptor–mediated pathway,the mitochondrial apoptotic have been isolated and purified from the fruit of Evodiae pathway,and the endoplasmic reticulum pathway (4–6). fructus. Evodiamine exhibits antitumor activities against Although each pathway is initially mediated by different the human tumor cells, including multidrug-resistant tumor mechanisms,they share a common final phase of apoptosis, cells. However, the molecular mechanism involved in cell consisting of the activation of the executioner caspases and death induced by evodiamine treatment remains poorly dismantling of substrates critical for cell survival (7). understood. In the present study, we showed that evodi- Induction of apoptosis by chemotherapeutic agents,such amine activated the caspase-dependent apoptotic path- as DNA-damaging agents,topoisomerase inhibitors,and way. This apoptosis was only partially inhibited by a antimitotic agents,is largely mediated by the mitochondrial pancaspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp- apoptotic pathways (2),which in turn increase the fluoromethyl ketone, which suggested that evodiamine- permeability of outer mitochondrial membrane (8–10). induced apoptosis in leukemic U937 cells is partially This involves release of mitochondrial apoptotic compo- caspase independent. We observed the nuclear transloca- nents,such as cytochrome c,apoptosis-inducing factor tion of apoptosis-inducing factor in evodiamine-induced (AIF),second mitochondrial-derived activator of caspase, apoptosis of U937 cells, which may be responsible for endonuclease G,and Omi1/HtrA2 (11–14). The released the caspase-independent apoptotic execution. We next apoptotic proteins initiate caspase activation and trigger showed that evodiamine induced the substantial amount caspase-mediated apoptotic DNA fragmentation and even- of apoptosis both in Bcl-2- and Akt-overexpressing U937 tually cell death. On the other hand,mammalian cells in a cells but not in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. certain circumstance can undergo caspase-independent Although benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl apoptosis that is mediated by the disruption of the ketone inhibited caspase activity in Bcl-2-overexpressing mitochondrial membrane potential and the translocation U937 cells, it completely prevented neither the induction of AIF and endonuclease G to nucleus where they induce of apoptosis or the nuclear translocation of apoptosis- chromatin condensation and/or large-scale DNA fragmen- tation (15). Leukemia is grouped into two. The one is lymphocytic Received 3/28/06; revised 6/21/06; accepted 7/11/06. leukemia originated from lymphocytes in the bone marrow Grant support: Korea Science and Engineering Foundation grants and the other is myelogenous leukemia mainly originated R13-2002-028-03001-0 and Korea Research Foundation grant from granulocytes or monocytes (16). Both acute mye- KRF-2005-041-E00047. logenous leukemia and adult-onset acute lymphocytic The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the leukemia are aggressive diseases that respond poorly to payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to conventional chemotherapy. The primary cause of treat- indicate this fact. ment failures in patients with these diseases is the Requests for reprints: Taeg Kyu Kwon, Department of Immunology and emergence of multidrug resistance,including decreased Chronic Disease Research Center and Institute for Medical Science, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, 194 DongSan-Dong Jung-Gu, Taegu drug uptake,increased drug export,modification of targets 700-712, South Korea. Phone: 82-53-250-7846. Fax: 82-53-250-7074. to drug action,decreased apoptosis,and increased drug E-mail: [email protected]; Young Hyun Yoo, Department of Anatomy metabolism (17). Leukemia cells,in turn,have adopted and Cell Biology, Dong-A University College of Medicine (BK21 Program) and Medical Science Research Center, Busan 602-714, South Korea. various mechanisms to resist apoptosis. Natural inhibitors Phone: 82-51-240-2926. E-mail: [email protected] of apoptosis,such as Bcl-2 and inhibitor of apoptosis Copyright C 2006 American Association for Cancer Research. protein (IAP) family members,protect the tumor cells from doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-06-0167 the apoptotic effects of various antineoplastic agents. These Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(9). September 2006 Downloaded from mct.aacrjournals.org on September 25, 2021. © 2006 American Association for Cancer Research. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2399 proteins may impair the ability to achieve remission and 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD). Cells were washed twice cure with chemotherapy. In trying to overcome drug in cold PBS and resuspended in Annexin V–binding buffer resistance and improve clinical outcomes,attention is (BD Pharmingen) at a concentration of 3  106 per mL. This turning to developing therapeutic agents that overcome suspension (100 AL) was stained with 5 AL of Annexin defects in the apoptotic pathways. Current chemotherapy V-FITC and 5 AL 7-AAD. 7-AAD (BD Pharmingen) is a protocols for leukemia commonly use drugs that interfere nucleic acid dye that was used for the exclusion of with DNA replication and induce apoptosis primarily in nonviable cells. The cells were gently vortexed and replicating cells (18,19). However,these regimens may not incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature in the dark. effectively discriminate between normal and malignant After addition of 400 AL of binding buffer to each tube,cells cells,thus causing substantial damage to normal tissues. were analyzed by flow cytometry. For this reason,it is important to develop treatments that Western Blotting can more specifically target the leukemic cell population Cellular lysates were prepared by suspending 1  106 without showing the cytotoxicity to normal cells. cells in 100 AL of lysis buffer (137 mmol/L NaCl,15 A variety of plant antioxidants,such as dietary and mmol/L EGTA,0.1 mmol/L sodium orthovanadate, herbal polyphenols and carotenoids,with anticancer 15 mmol/L MgCl2,0.1% Triton X-100,25 mmol/L MOPS, activity have been identified in both epidemiologic studies 100 Amol/L phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride,20 Amol/L and experimental model systems (20–23). Natural products leupeptin,adjusted to pH 7.2). The cells were disrupted have provided a large number of currently used chemo- by sonication and extracted at 4jC for 30 minutes. The therapeutics and will continue to be an important compo- proteins were electrotransferred to Immobilon-P mem- nent of drug discovery (24,25). Evodiamine,an alkaloidal branes (Millipore Corp.,Bedford,MA). Detection of specific component extracted from the fruit of Evodiae fructus,has proteins was carried out with an enhanced chemilumines- been reported to inhibit various tumor cell proliferations, cence Western blotting kit according to the manufacturer’s including monocytic leukemia (26),melanoma (27),pros- instructions (Amersham,Arlington Heights,IL). tate cancer (28),and breast cancer cell (29). However,the Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting Analysis for mechanism underlying its antiproliferative,antimetastatic, Apoptosis and apoptotic activities is poorly defined yet. Approximately 1  106 U937 cells were suspended in In the present study,we examined the apoptosis- 100 AL PBS,and 200 AL of 95% ethanol were added while inducing potential of evodiamine in U937 cell lines and vortexing. The cells were incubated at 4jC for 1 hour, dissected the evodiamine-induced apoptotic signaling path- washed twice with PBS,and resuspended in 250 ALof way. Our results showed that evodiamine induced relatively 1.12% sodium citrate buffer (pH 8.4) together with 12.5 Ag high levels of apoptosis in the majority of U937 cells through RNase (Sigma,St. Louis,MO). Incubation was continued both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent path- at 37jC for 30 minutes. The cellular DNA was then stained ways. Furthermore,evodiamine induced cell death in both by applying 250 AL of propidium iodide (50 Ag/mL) for Bcl-2-overexpressed and active Akt-overexpressed U937 30 minutes at room temperature. The stained cells were cells without effect on the viability of human normal analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) on a peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). FACScan flow cytometer for relative DNA content based on red fluorescence. Materials and Methods DNA Fragmentation Assay Cell Lines After treatment with drugs,U937 cells were lysed in The human leukemic U937 cells were obtained from buffer containing 10 mmol/L Tris (pH 7.4),150 mmol/L the American Type Culture Collection (Rockville,MD). NaCl,5 mmol/L EDTA,and 0.5% Triton X-100 for The cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 30 minutes on ice. Lysates were vortexed and cleared by  2 mmol/L L-glutamine,100 units/mL penicillin,100 Ag/mL centrifugation at 10,000 g for 20 minutes. Fragmented streptomycin,and 10% fetal bovine serum.