초록
Quercetin is one of the most distributed flavonoids in the plant kingdom and occurs naturally in a wide range of fruits and vegetables. This study was undertaken to determine whether quercetin exerts beneficial effect against necrotic and apoptotic cell death induced by hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O2$) in intestinal cells using the human-derived cultured T84 colonic epithelial cell line. Necrotic cell death was induced by exposing cells to 0.5 mM $H_2O_2$ for 2 h and apoptosis was induced by incubating cells in normal culture medium for 18 h following exposure of cells to 0.5 mM $H_2O2$ for 2 h. Cell viability was evaluated by the trypan blue exclusion assay and apoptosis was assessed by Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. $H_2O_2$ induced necrotic cell death in a time and dose-dependent fashion. Both necrotic and apoptotic cell deaths were not prevented by the antioxidants N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine(DPPD) and Trolox, whereas both cell deaths induced by the organic hydroperoxide t-butylhydroperoxide (tBHP) were prevented by DPPD, suggesting that $H_2O_2$ induces cell death through a lipid peroxidation-independent mechanism. $H_2O2$-induced necrotic death was prevented by deferoxamine and 3-aminobenzamide, while the apoptotic cell death was not affected by these agents. Quercetin prevented both necrotic and apoptotic cell deaths induced by $H_2O_2$ in a dose-dependent manner. $H_2O_2$ caused activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polmerase (PARP), which was inhibited by deferoxamine, 3-aminobenzamide, and quercetin, but not DPPD. These results indicate that quercetin inhibits both necroticand apoptotic deaths of T84 cells. The anti-necrotic effect of quercetin may be attributed to its iron chelator activity rather than a direct $H_2O_2$ scavenging capacity and antioxidant. The present study suggests that quercetin may play a therapeutic role in the treatment of human gastrointestinal diseases mediated by oxidants.