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Alpha‐phellandrene‐induced apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI ‐3 cells in vitro
Author(s) -
Lin JenJyh,
Hsu ShuChun,
Lu KungWen,
Ma YiShih,
Wu ChihChung,
Lu HsuFeng,
Chen JawChyun,
Lin JaungGeng,
Wu PingPing,
Chung JingGung
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
environmental toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1522-7278
pISSN - 1520-4081
DOI - 10.1002/tox.22168
Subject(s) - apoptosis , viability assay , reactive oxygen species , in vitro , cell cycle , flow cytometry , cytochrome c , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , cell , immune system , mitochondrion , leukemia , cell cycle checkpoint , biology , immunology , biochemistry
Although reports have shown that α‐phellandrene (α‐PA) is one of the monoterpenes and is often used in the food and perfume industry, our previous studies have indicated that α‐PA promoted immune responses in normal mice in vivo . However, there is no available information to show that α‐PA induced cell apoptosis in cancer cells, thus, we investigated the effects of α‐PA on the cell morphology, viability, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI‐3 cells in vitro . Results indicated that α‐PA induced cell morphological changes and decreased viability, induced G0/G1 arrest and sub‐G1 phase (apoptosis) in WEHI‐3 cells. α‐PA increased the productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca 2+ and decreased the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δ Ψ m ) in dose‐ and time‐dependent manners in WEHI‐3 cells that were analyzed by flow cytometer. Results from confocal laser microscopic system examinations show that α‐PA promoted the release of cytochrome c, AIF, and Endo G from mitochondria in WEHI‐3 cells. These results are the first findings to provide new information for understanding the mechanisms by which α‐PA induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in WEHI‐3 cells in vitro . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1640–1651, 2016.