Apoptosis‐like, reversible changes in plasma membrane asymmetry and permeability, and transient modifications in mitochondrial membrane potential induced by curcumin in rat thymocytes

FEBS Letters

Franceschi, Claudio⁵  Jaruga, Ewa²  Chrul, Sławomir¹  Salvioli, Stefano⁵  Sikora, Ewa³  Bartosz, Grzegorz²  Cossarizza, Andrea⁵  Bandorowicz-Pikuła, Joanna³  Dobrucki, Jurek⁴ 

[1] Laboratory of Flow Cytometry, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland;Department of Molecular Biophysics, University of Lodz, Banacha 12116, 90-237 Lodz, Poland;Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland;Laboratory of Confocal Microscopy and Image Analysis, Department of Biophysics, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland;Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena School of Medicine, Modena, Italy

关键词: Apoptosis;    Curcumin;    Membrane asymmetry;    Permeability;    Mitochondrial membrane potential;    CUR;    curcumin;    CON;    control non-treated;    DEX;    dexamethasone;    FITC;    fluorescein isothiocyanate;    FSC;    forward scatter;    SSC;    side scatter;    Anx VI;    annexin VI;    JC-1;    5;    5′;    6;    6′-tetrachloro-1;    1′;    3;    3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide;    PI;    propidium iodide;    PS;    phosphatidylserine;    Δγ m;    mitochondrial membrane potential;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(98)00919-3

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Curcumin (diferuoylmethane) is a natural compound with anticarcinogenic activities which is able to exert either proapoptotic or antiapoptotic effects in different cell types. This paper focuses on the sequence and extent of primary events induced by curcumin, in comparison with those occurring during dexamethasone-induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes. It also presents annexin VI-FITC as a new probe for studying membrane asymmetry. Curcumin readily penetrates into the cytoplasm, and is able to accumulate in membranous structures such as plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope. Curcumin-treated cells exhibit typical features of apoptotic cell death, including shrinkage, transient phosphatidylserine exposure, increased membrane permeability and decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. However, nuclei morphology, DNA fragmentation, the extent and time-course of membrane changes are different from those observed during dexamethasone-induced apoptosis, suggesting that, despite many similarities, the mode of action and the events triggered by curcumin are different from those occurring during typical apoptosis.

【 授权许可】

Unknown