Apoptosis pathways in cells are classified into two pathways: the extrinsic pathway, mediated by binding of the ligand to a death receptor and the intrinsic pathway, mediated by mitochondria. Apoptosis is regulated by various proteins such as Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) family and cellular FLICE (Fas-associated Death Domain Protein Interleukin-1β-converting enzyme)-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), which have been reported to inhibit caspase-8 activity. In this study, it was found that C5 (3β-Acetyl-nor-erythrophlamide), a compound of cassaine diterpene amine from Erythrophleum fordii, induced cell apoptosis in a variety of types of cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by C5 was inversely related to the level of Bcl-2 expression. Overexpression of Bcl-2 into cancer cells significantly decreased C5-induced apoptosis. It was also found that treatment of cancer cells with a caspase-8 inhibitor significantly suppressed C5-induced apoptosis; however, treatment with caspase-9 inhibitors did not affect C5-induced apoptosis, suggesting that C5 may induce apoptosis via the extrinsic pathway by activating caspase-8. It was confirmed that treatment with C5 alone induced an association of FADD with procaspase-8; however, overexpression of c-FLIP decreased C5-induced caspase-8 activation. In conclusion, C5 could be utilized as a new useful lead compound for the development of an anti-cancer agent that has the goal of apoptosis.
Keywords: Bcl-2; C5 (3β-Acetyl-nor-erythrophlamide); apoptosis; caspase-8; extrinsic pathways.