Apoptosis of human breast cancer cells induced by microencapsulated betulinic acid from sour jujube fruits through the mitochondria transduction pathway

作者：Sun, Yan-Fang^*; Song, Chuan-Kui; Viemstein, Helmut; Unger, Frank; Liang, Zong-Suo

来源：Food Chemistry, 2013, 138(2-3): 1998-2007.

DOI：10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.10.079

• Ziziphus jujuba MilL var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu
• ex H. F. Chou
• Betulinic acid
• Microencapsulation
• Human breast cancer MCF-7 cells
• Apoptosis

Betulinic acid (BA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, was isolated from sour jujube fruits for the first time. An inclusion complex comprising BA and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) was formed to improve the dissolution of BA, but little is known about its anticancer effect. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptosis mechanisms of BA-beta-CD on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells were further investigated. Experimental results confirmed that the complexation model inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, arrested cell cycle in the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis via the mitochondria transduction pathway. Gene and protein analyses showed that the complexation model significantly inhibited Bcl-2 expression and promoted Bax expression, causing caspase-3 and caspase-9 cascade activation. These findings corroborated evidence on microencapsulated BA as an apoptosis inducer in MCF-7 cells. Thus, sour jujube fruits may have potential use as a breast cancer chemotherapeutic agent.

• 出版日期2013-6-1
• 单位辽宁工程技术大学; 西北农林科技大学