Diallyl trisulfide induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of A549 cells in vitro and in vivo

Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2012 Jul;44(7):577-83. doi: 10.1093/abbs/gms033. Epub 2012 May 17.

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality all over the world. In recent years, pulmonary adenocarcinoma has surpassed squamous cell carcinoma in frequency and is the predominant form of lung cancer in many countries. Epidemiological investigations have shown an inverse relationship between garlic (Allium sativum) consumption and death rate from many cancers. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is one of the garlic-derived compounds (also known as: organosulfer compounds, OSC). DATS can induce apoptosis and inhibit the growth of many cancer cell lines. Our study demonstrated that the apoptotic incidents induced by DATS were a mitochondria-dependent caspase cascade through a significant decrease of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 that resulted in up-regulation of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and the activity of caspase-3, -8, and -9. Eventually, DATS induced the apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, by establishing an animal model of female BALB/c nude mice with A549 xenografts, we found that oral gavage of DATS significantly retarded growth of A549 xenografts in nude mice without causing weight loss or any other side effects compared with the control group. All the evidence both in vitro and in vivo suggested that DATS could be an ideal anti-cancer drug.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Allyl Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Caspases / genetics
  • Caspases / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Garlic / chemistry
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sulfides / pharmacology*
  • Tumor Burden / drug effects
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays*
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / genetics
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Allyl Compounds
  • Antioxidants
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Sulfides
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • diallyl trisulfide
  • Caspases