Effects of retinoic acid isomers on apoptosis and enzymatic antioxidant system in human breast cancer cells.
- Author:
Tae Kyong HONG
1
;
Yang Cha LEE-KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Breast cancer cells; RA Isomers; apoptosis; antioxidant enzymes
- MeSH: Apoptosis; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Catalase; Cell Survival; Cytochromes c; Cytoplasm; Glutathione Peroxidase; Humans; MCF-7 Cells; Mitochondria; Signal Transduction; Tretinoin
- From:Nutrition Research and Practice 2009;3(2):77-83
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Retinoic acids (RAs) modulate growth, differentiation, and apoptosis in normal, pre-malignant & malignant cells. In the present study, the effects of RA isomers (all-trans RA, 13-cis RA, and 9-cis RA) on the cell signal transduction of human breast cancer cells have been studied. The relationship between RAs and an enzymatic antioxidant system was also determined. Estrogen-receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 and ER-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells were treated with different doses of each RA isomers, all-trans RA, 13-cis RA, or 9-cis RA. Treatment of RA isomers inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells as a result of increased caspase activity in cytoplasm and cytochrome C released from mitochondria. All-trans RA was the most effective RA isomer in both cell growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. However, no significant effect of RA isomers was observed on the cell growth or apoptosis in ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase were decreased effectively after treatment of RA in MCF-7 cells, whereas SOD activity was rarely affected. Thus, the present data suggest that all-trans RA is the most potential inducer of apoptosis and modulator of antioxidant enzymes among RA isomers in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.
