Abstract
The naturally occurring chemical indole-3-carbinol (13C), found in vegetables of the Brassica genus, is a promising anticancer agent that was shown previ- ously to induce a Gl cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cell lines, independent of estrogen receptor signaling. The anticancer activity of 13C and the possible mechanisms of its action were explored in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C suppressed the growth of the cells. The growth sup- pression caused by 13C ($IC_{50}$/: 444$\mu$M) was found to be partially due to its ability to stop the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis for the Gl phase artiest demonstrated that the expression-levels of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4, Cdk6) and cyclic D were reduced strongly after treatment of Hep72 cells with 13C (4007M) for 24- 72 hrs. Furthermore, I3C selectively abolished the expression of Cdk6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and accordingly, inhibited the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma. Interestingly, after the HepG2 cells reached their max- imal growth arrest, the level of the p21, a well-known Cdk inhibitor, increased significantly. Therefore, it could be considered that the Gl arrest of HepG2 cells treated with 13C was due to the indirect inhibition of Cdk4/6 activities by p21 Western blot analysis for G2/M phase arrest of demonstrated the levels of Cdc2 and cyclin Bl werer reduced dramatically after the treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C ($40\mu$M) for 24-72 hrs. flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained HepG2 cells revealed that 13C induces a Gl (53%,72hr incubation) and G2 (25%,24hr incubation) cell cycle arrest. Thus, our observations have uncovered a previously undefined antiproliferative pathway for r3C that implicates Cdk4/6 and Cdc2 as a target for cell cycle control in human HepG2 cells. However, the 13C-medi- ated cell cycle arrest and repression of Cdk4/6 production did not affect the apoptotic induction of HepG2 cell.
유방암 세포주에서는 우수한 항암활성을 가진 것으로 알려진 indole-3-carbinol을 HepG2세포주에 시간과 농도별로 처리한 결과 cell growth inhibition을 확인하였으며, $IC_{50}$ 값은 48시간배양에서 $446\mu$M 72시간 배양에서 444$\mu$M로 나타났다. $400\mu$M의 I3C을 투여하고, 24, 48, 72시간에 HePG2 세포주의 cell cycle pattern을 분석한 결과, G1 phase에서 P21의증가와 함께 Cdk 6와 cyclin D의 확연한 감소와 Pb protein의 hypo-phosphorylation을 확인하였다. 반면 G2 phase에서는 I3C의 직접적인 억제로 인해 24시간 후부터 Cdc2와 cyclin B1가 급격히 감소하는것을 확인하였다. Flow cytomery 분석결과 I3C 처리 24시간 뒤 G2 arrest (25%)가 발생하였으며, 72시간이 지난후 G1 arrest (53%)가 발생하였다. 이러한 I3C의 간암세포주인 HePG2 cell의 cell cycle arrest가 apoptosis를 유발하는지를 알고자 caspase 3 Bcl2 Bax protein의 발현양상을 확인한 결과 아무런 변화가 보이지 않았다. 즉 I3C은 간암세포주인 HepG2 cell에서 apoptosis를 유도하지 못한다는것을 확인하였따. 결론적으로 I3C은 HepG2 세포주에서 G1와 G2 phase에서 cell cycle arrest는 발생시키나, 특이적으로 apoptosis 와는 연관되지 않는다는 사실을 확인하였다.