Defects in cell death signaling pathways are one of the hallmarks of cancer and can lead to resistance to conventional therapy. Natural products are promising compounds that can overcome this resistance. In the present study we studied the effect of six quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs), sanguinarine, chelerythrine, sanguirubine, chelirubine, sanguilutine, and chelilutine, on Jurkat leukemia cells, WT, and cell death deficient lines derived from them, CASP3/7/6-/- and FADD-/-, and on solid tumor, human malignant melanoma, A375 cells. We demonstrated the ability of QBAs to overcome the resistance of these deficient cells and identified a novel mechanism for their action. Sanguinarine and sanguirubine completely and chelerythrine, sanguilutine, and chelilutine partially overcame the resistance of CASP3/7/6-/- and FADD-/- cells. By detection of cPARP, a marker of apoptosis, and pMLKL, a marker of necroptosis, we proved the ability of QBAs to induce both these cell deaths (bimodal cell death) with apoptosis preceding necroptosis. We identified the new mechanism of the cell death induction by QBAs, the downregulation of the apoptosis inhibitors cIAP1 and cIAP2, i.e., an effect similar to that of Smac mimetics.

• Klíčová slova
• Smac mimetic drug resistance, apoptosis, benzophenanthridine alkaloids, cIAP, cancer, cell death, chelerythrine, sanguinarine,
• MeSH
• alkaloidy * farmakologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• apoptóza * MeSH
• benzofenantridiny farmakologie   MeSH
• kaspasa 3 metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• signální transdukce MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• alkaloidy * MeSH
• benzofenantridiny MeSH
• kaspasa 3 MeSH

Berberine, the most known quaternary protoberberine alkaloid (QPA), has been reported to inhibit the SIK3 protein connected with breast cancer. Berberine also appears to reduce the bcl-2 and XIAP expression-proteins responsible for the inhibition of apoptosis. As some problems in the therapy with berberine arose, we studied the DNA binding properties of escholidine, another QPA alkaloid. CD, fluorescence, and NMR examined models of i-motif and G-quadruplex sequences present in the n-myc gene and the c-kit gene. We provide evidence that escholidine does not induce stabilization of the i-motif sequences, while the interaction with G-quadruplex structures appears to be more significant.

• Klíčová slova
• DNA, G-quadruplex, alkaloid, cancer, escholidine, spectroscopy,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH