Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid Induces Apoptosis via Reduction of COX-2 Expression in TPA-Induced HT-29 Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Eun Ju Shin¹  Mi Jeong Sung¹  Jae Ho Park¹  Hye Jeong Yang²  Myung Sunny Kim²  Haeng Jeon Hur²  Jin-Taek Hwang¹ 

[1] Department of Food Biotechnology, University of Science & Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-333, Korea; E-Mails:;Korea Food Research Institute, 1201 Anyangpangyoro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 463-746, Korea; E-Mails:

关键词: poly-γ-glutamic acid;    HT-29 human colorectal cancer cell;    apoptosis;    cyclooxygenase;    AMP-activated protein kinase;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms16047577

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) is one of the bioactive compounds found in cheonggukjang, a fast-fermented soybean paste widely utilized in Korean cooking. PGA is reported to have a number of beneficial health effects, and interestingly, it has been identified as a possible anti-cancer compound through its ability to promote apoptosis in cancer cells, although the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Our findings demonstrate that PGA inhibits the pro-proliferative functions of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a known chemical carcinogen in HT-29 human colorectal cancer cells. This inhibition was accompanied by hallmark apoptotic phenotypes, including DNA fragmentation and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase 3. In addition, PGA treatment reduced the expression of genes known to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer cells, including cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Lastly, PGA promoted activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein (AMPK) in HT-29 cells. Taken together, our results suggest that PGA treatment enhances apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells, in part by modulating the activity of the COX-2 and AMPK signaling pathways. These anti-cancer functions of PGA make it a promising compound for future study.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.