Journal
CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS
Volume 186, Issue 1, Pages 30-35Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2010.03.021
Keywords
Artemisinin; Heme; Reactive oxygen species; Cytotoxicity
Funding
- Geisinger Clinic
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Artemisinin (ART) is a sesquiterpene lactone natural product that is widely used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of malaria. Artemisinin and its derivatives are also selectively cytotoxic to cancer cells, which can be modulated by altering heme synthesis. Cytotoxicity to cancer cells is thought to involve generation of oxidative stress, although conflicting data exist. We have analyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation using the fluorescent probes 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF) and dihydroethidine (HET) upon exposure to dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in Molt-4 leukemia cells. HET fluorescence correlated with dose-dependent DHA-induced cytotoxicity, increased within 30 min of DHA exposure, and was significantly enhanced by increasing heme synthesis. Protein levels of copper,zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), manganese-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidases 1/2 were also found to increase with DHA exposure. 4-hydroxy-tempol (TEMPOL) and DF-Mn, MnSOD mimetics, could significantly inhibit ROS generation and reduce cell death. Production of superoxide appears to be a central mediator of cytotoxicity from DHA. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available