Sulforaphane-cysteine induces apoptosis by sustained activation of ERK1/2 and caspase 3 in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells

  • Authors:
    • Sai Wu
    • Yan Zhou
    • Gaoxiang Yang
    • Hua Tian
    • Yang Geng
    • Yabin Hu
    • Kai Lin
    • Wei Wu
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  • Published online on: April 6, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2017.5562
  • Pages: 2829-2838
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Abstract

We previously demonstrated that sulforaphane (SFN) inhibited invasion via sustained activation of ERK1/2 in human glioblastoma cells. However, sulforaphane-cysteine (SFN-Cys), an analog of SFN, enriched in plasma with longer half-life, had more potentiality to induce apoptosis. Here we investigated the molecular mechanisms of SFN-Cys-induced apoptosis in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells. Cell viability assay showed that SFN-Cys inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Cell morphology observation also showed SFN-Cys increased the phenotype of cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, flow cytometry assay showed that SFN-Cys induced apoptosis significantly in a dose-dependent manner in both cell lines. Furthermore, western blot analysis demonstrated that SFN-Cys induced activation of ERK1/2 in a sustained manner and the activation contributed to upregulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase 3, and these results can be reversed by the ERK1/2 blocker PD98059. Our results showed that SFN-Cys induced cell apoptosis via sustained activation of ERK1/2 and the ERK1/2 mediated signaling pathways such as activation of caspase 3 and apoptosis-related proteins, thus indicating that SFN-Cys might be a more promising therapeutic agent versus SFN to resist glioblastoma cells, especially in Taxol-resistant cancer cells.
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May-2017
Volume 37 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1021-335X
Online ISSN:1791-2431

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Spandidos Publications style
Wu S, Zhou Y, Yang G, Tian H, Geng Y, Hu Y, Lin K and Wu W: Sulforaphane-cysteine induces apoptosis by sustained activation of ERK1/2 and caspase 3 in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells. Oncol Rep 37: 2829-2838, 2017
APA
Wu, S., Zhou, Y., Yang, G., Tian, H., Geng, Y., Hu, Y. ... Wu, W. (2017). Sulforaphane-cysteine induces apoptosis by sustained activation of ERK1/2 and caspase 3 in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells. Oncology Reports, 37, 2829-2838. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2017.5562
MLA
Wu, S., Zhou, Y., Yang, G., Tian, H., Geng, Y., Hu, Y., Lin, K., Wu, W."Sulforaphane-cysteine induces apoptosis by sustained activation of ERK1/2 and caspase 3 in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells". Oncology Reports 37.5 (2017): 2829-2838.
Chicago
Wu, S., Zhou, Y., Yang, G., Tian, H., Geng, Y., Hu, Y., Lin, K., Wu, W."Sulforaphane-cysteine induces apoptosis by sustained activation of ERK1/2 and caspase 3 in human glioblastoma U373MG and U87MG cells". Oncology Reports 37, no. 5 (2017): 2829-2838. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2017.5562