Abstract
Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths throughout the world and the complexity of apoptosis resistance in lung cancer is apparent. Venom from Heteractis magnifica caused dose-dependent decreases in survival of the human non-small-cell lung cancer cell line, as determined by the MTT and Crystal Violet assays. The H. magnifica venom induced cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis of A549 cells, as confirmed by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. The venom-induced apoptosis in A549 cells was characterized by cleavage of caspase-3 and a reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Interestingly, crude extracts from H. magnifica had less effect on the survival of non-cancer cell lines. In the non-cancer cells, the mechanism via which cell death occurred was through necrosis not apoptosis. These findings are important for future work using H. magnifica venom for pharmaceutical development to treat human lung cancer.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by an FMC Foundation Grant and a Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC) research grant. The authors are thankful to Mrs. Bailey from the Department of Immunology, Allergy and Arthritis, Flinders Medical Centre, for her collaboration with flow cytometry.
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Ramezanpour, M., da Silva, K.B. & Sanderson, B.J.S. Venom present in sea anemone (Heteractis magnifica) induces apoptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells through activation of mitochondria-mediated pathway. Biotechnol Lett 36, 489–495 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-013-1402-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-013-1402-4