• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.7 s.87
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• pp.896-904
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• 2007

Regulation mechanism of apoptosis has been known to be important for understanding the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases including cancers. The effects of $RRR-{\alpha}-tocopheryl$ succinate(vitamin E succinate, VES) on the cell viability, generation of ROS, expression of proteins involved in apoptosis, and growth of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells were analyzed in this study. VES treatment not only induced the generation of the ROS but also increased the levels of $NF-{\kappa}B$, COX-2, and $p21^{WAF1/CIP1}$ in K562 cells. It modulates the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax provoking the apoptosis in K562 cells. The cleavage of PARP into 89 kDa was also increased upon VES treatment in a dosage-dependent manner. Induction of an apoptosis was evident by the increase of sub-Gl peak and cell shrinkage condensed chromatin in K562 cells treated with VES. It also resulted in an inhibition of tumor growth by 50% and prolonged survival of the Iymphoma-induced mice. This potentiation of VES obtained in vitro and in vivo may indicate the feasibility of more effective chemotherapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 2000

Vitamin E-succinate (VES) treatment of U937 human monoblasts induced cells to undergo apoptosis. After 96 h of VES treatment at 10 $\mu$/ml, more than 80% of cells appeared apoptotic. Evidence for apoptosis by VES was based on propidium iodide staining for detection of chromatin condensational fragmentation and electrophoretic DNA ladder formation. Western blot analyses showed a transient increase in Fas and p21 protein levels up to 48 h alter the VES treatment. Protein expression and activity of CDK1 and lamin B degradation were remarkably induced by VES, following the cleavage of caspase-3 after 48 h. The VES-induced apoptosis was found to involve activation of PKC as shown by increases in membrane translocation of PKC$\beat$II and PKC activity. Pretreatment of GF109203X (PKC inhibitor) prior to VES treatment almost completely inhibited the induction of apoptosis as assessed by blockage of VES-induced caspase-3 activity and DNA fragmentation. However, GF109203X h8d no effect on the VES-induced nitric oxide synthesis, which was required for monocvtic differentiation in our previous report (J Cell Sci 111, 435, 1998). Taken together, our data suggest that induction of apoptosis by VES in U937 cells occurs through activation of PKC-$\beat$II resulting in the activation of caspase-3 cascade and is independent of nitric oxide.