Int J Oral Biol.  2015 Dec;40(4):223-228. 10.11620/IJOB.2015.40.4.223.

Apoptotic Effects of 6-Gingerol in Human Breast Cancer Cells

• Kim HW
• Oh DH
• Koh JT
• Lim YC

• KMID: 2133228
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11620/IJOB.2015.40.4.223

Abstract

6-Gingerol exerts anti-tumor effects in various cancer cell models. We evaluated the effect of 6-gingerol on the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A breast epithelial cells to determine whether any growth-inhibitory effects found were attributable to apoptosis, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action. 6-Gingerol inhibited the viability of both cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner; however, the degree of inhibition was greater in MCF-7 than MCF-10A cells. By flow cytometry, induction of dose- and time-dependent apoptosis was found, and the magnitude of apoptosis was also markedly greater in MCF-7 than MCF-10A cells. Expression of caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed in MCF-7 cells treated with 6-gingerol, and further cleavage of PARP occurred in these cells. We suggest that 6-gingerol induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells mainly by promoting caspase-3 expression and subsequent degradation of PARP.

Keyword

6-Gingerol; Apoptosis; Caspase-3; PARP; Human Breast Cancer Cells

MeSH Terms

Apoptosis
Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Caspase 3
Cell Line
Epithelial Cells
Flow Cytometry
Humans*
MCF-7 Cells
Caspase 3