POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in Salons 10-12.

FRIDAY, 5:45-6:30 PM


Levine RA, Jiang H, Kuo K, Kuo J, Jackson-Hunter T, Gautam SC, Corcoran GB, Seidman MD, Rodriguez AI.

Resveratrol-induced apoptotic death in human U251 glioma cells.

Henry Ford Health System bob-levine@earthlink.net

Resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound highly enriched in grapes, peanuts, red wine and a variety of food sources. Resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and also has potent anticancer properties. Human glioma U251 cells were used to understand the molecular mechanisms by which resveratrol acts as an anti-cancer agent, since glioma is a particularly difficult cancer to treat and eradicate. The hypothesis tested is that resveratrol kills human U251 glioma by stimulating apoptotic death. Our data demonstrate that resveratrol induces dose- and time-dependent death of U251 cells, as measured by LDH release and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation assays. Resveratrol induces activation of caspase-3 and increases the cleavage of the downstream caspase substrate, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Resveratrol-induced DNA fragmentation can be completely blocked by either a general caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) or a selective caspase-3 inhibitor (ZDEVD-FMK), but not by a selective caspase-1 inhibitor. Resveratrol induces cytochrome C release from mitochondria to the cytoplasm and activation of caspase-9. Resveratrol also increases _expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and its translocation to the mitochondria. Resveratrol inhibits U251 proliferation, as measured by MTS assay, and induces G0/G1 growth arrest, as determined by flow cytometry. The CDK inhibitor, olomoucine, prevents cell cycle progression and resveratrol-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that multiple signaling pathways may underlie the apoptotic death of U251 glioma induced by resveratrol, which warrants further exploration as an anti-cancer agent in human glioma.

 

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