Int J Oral Biol.  2016 Sep;41(3):105-111. 10.11620/IJOB.2016.41.3.105.

Effect of β-carotene on Cell Growth Inhibition of KB Human Oral Cancer Cells

• Yang SS
• Kim SG
• Park BS
• Go DS
• Yu SK
• Kim CS
• Kim J
• Kim DK

• KMID: 2354197
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11620/IJOB.2016.41.3.105

Abstract

β-carotene is present in carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. It suppresses many types of cancers by regulating cellular proliferation and apoptosis through a variety of mechanisms. However, the effects of β -carotene on oral cancer cells have not been clearly established. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of β-carotene on cell growth and apoptosis in oral cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that treatment with β-carotene induced inhibition of cell growth, and that the effect was dependent on β-carotene treatment time and concentration in KB cells. Furthermore, treatment with β-carotene induced nuclear condensation and fragmentation in KB cells. β-carotene promoted proteolytic cleavage of procaspase-3, -7, -8 and -9 with associated increases in the concentration of cleaved caspase-3, -7, -8 and -9. In addition, the level of cleaved PARP was increased by β-carotene treatment in KB cells. These results suggest that β-carotene can suppress cell growth and induce apoptosis in KB human oral cancer cells, and that it may have potential usefulness in anti-cancer drug discovery efforts.

Keyword

β-carotene; cell death; apoptosis; oral cancer cells

MeSH Terms

Apoptosis
Caspase 3
Cell Death
Cell Proliferation
Cucurbita
Daucus carota
Drug Discovery
Humans*
Ipomoea batatas
KB Cells
Mouth Neoplasms*
Caspase 3