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Honokiol produces anti‐neoplastic effects on melanoma cells in vitro
Author(s) -
Mannal Patrick W.,
Schneider John,
Tangada Abhilasha,
McDonald Debbie,
McFadden David W.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.21936
Subject(s) - honokiol , melanoma , medicine , cytochrome c , apoptosis , in vitro , cancer research , programmed cell death , pharmacology , cell culture , depolarization , cytotoxic t cell , cytosol , cytotoxicity , cell , caspase , mitochondrion , biology , biochemistry , enzyme , genetics
Background Melanoma continues to be a therapeutic challenge for the medical community owing to the scarcity of effective agents available to treat the disease. Honokiol, a traditional Chinese herb, has been proven to have anti‐cancer effects in various cell types, therefore we hypothesized it may have similar cytotoxic capabilities against melanoma cells in vitro. Methods Two cell lines, SK‐MEL2 and MeWo, were grown in culture and exposed to increasing doses of Honokiol. Cell proliferation, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, intra‐cellular caspase activity, and mitochondrial depolarization were then evaluated after treatment with honokiol. Results Melanoma cells in culture underwent cell death, had increased cytosolic cytochrome c , showed greater caspase activity, and demonstrated increased mitochondrial depolarization after treatment when compared to controls. Conclusions It appears that honokiol is an effective inhibitor of cultured human melanoma cells. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 104:260–264. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.