Inhibitory Effect of Bee Venom Toxin on the Growth of Cervix Cancer C33A Cells via Death Receptor Expression and Apoptosis

Objectives : We investigated whether bee venom(BV) inhibit cell growth through enhancement of death receptor expressions in the human cervix cancer C33A cells. Methods : BV(1~5 μg/ml) inhibited the growth of cervix cancer C33A cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Results : Consistent with apoptotic cell death, expression of Fas, death receptor(DR) 3, 4, 5 and 6 was increased concentration dependently in the cells. Moreover, Fas, DR3 and DR6 revealed more sensitivity to BV. Thus, We reconfirmed whether they actually play a critical role in anti-proliferation of cervix cancer C33A cells. Consecutively, expression of DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including caspase-8, -3, -9 was upregulated and Bax was concomitantly overwhelmed the expression of Bcl-2. NF-κB were also inhibited by treatment with BV in C33A cells. Conclusions : These results suggest that BV could exert anti-tumor effect through induction of apoptotic cell death in human cervix cancer C33A cells via enhancement of death receptor expression, and that BV could be a promising agent for preventing and treating cervix cancer.