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Roy, M.K. et al.

Roy, Thalang, Trakoontivakorn, Nakahara,

Mahanine, a carbazole alkaloid from Micromelum minutum, inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in U937 cells through a mitochondrial dependent pathway.

1 Mahanine, a naturally occurring carbazole alkaloid in some Asian vegetables, has been shown to exhibit antimutagenicity, antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity, and other biological properties. 2 In the present study, we investigated the effect of mahanine on the activation of the apoptotic pathway in human leukemia U937 cells. Various end points were used to screen for apoptosis: Morphological changes in cells, the relative numbers of viable and apoptotic cells; translocation of membrane bound phosphatidylserine and DNA analysis. 3 We found that mahanine-induced apoptosis in U937 cells involved activation of caspases, including caspase-3, release of cytochrome c into cytosol, loss of mitochondrial membrane permeability, and decreased levels of cellular ATP. 4 Pretreatment of cells with cyclosporine A, prior to/concomitant with exposure to mahanine, effectively prevented the deleterious effects of the alkaloid on cellular integrity and viability. 5 As mitochondrial permeability is known to be important in the regulation of cytochrome c release, our observations indicate that mitochondria are the principal target of mahanine. More specifically, we propose that mahanine causes the mitochondrial membranes to lose their permeability, resulting in caspase-3 activation and apoptosis.[1]

References

Mahanine, a carbazole alkaloid from Micromelum minutum, inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in U937 cells through a mitochondrial dependent pathway. Roy, M.K., Thalang, V.N., Trakoontivakorn, G., Nakahara, K. Br. J. Pharmacol. (2005) [Pubmed]

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