Purpose: Piperlongumine (PL) has been shown to selectively induce apoptotic cell death in cancer cells via reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. In this study, we characterized a molecular mechanism for PL-induced cell death.
Methods: Cell viability and cell death were assessed by MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, respectively. ROS generation was measured using the H2DCFDA. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used for suppressing gene expression. The mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively.
Results: We found that PL promotes C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) induction, which leads to the up-regulation of its targets Bim and DR5. Pretreatment with the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine abolishes the PL-induced up-regulation of CHOP and its target genes, suggesting an essential role for ROS in PL-induced CHOP activation. The down-regulation of CHOP or Bim with siRNA efficiently attenuates PL-induced cell death, suggesting a critical role for CHOP in this cell death. Furthermore, PL potentiates TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells by upregulating DR5, as DR5 knockdown abolished the sensitizing effect of PL on TRAIL responses.
Conclusions: Overall, our data suggest a new mechanism for the PL-induced cell death in which ROS mediates CHOP activation, and combination treatment with PL and TRAIL could be a potential strategy for breast cancer therapy.