Planta Med 2012; 78 - PI143
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1320830

Enhancing effect of Thevetia peruviana flower extract on TNF-α induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells

C Managit 1, H Sakurai 2, I Saiki 3
  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhonnayok, Thailand
  • 2Department of Cancer Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
  • 3Division of Pathogenic Biochemistry, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine triggers several intracellular signaling pathways including mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, which involve in survival and apoptosis of cancers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract from the flowers of Thevetia peruviana on TNF-α induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells by determinations of cell viability and apoptosis using WST-1 cell proliferating assay and immunoblot analysis, respectively. Pretreatment of HeLa cells with various concentrations (3–300µg/mL) of flower ethanolic extracts of T. peruviana enhanced TNF-α induced antiproliferation in HeLa cells. Extracts at concentration of 30, 100 and 300µg/mL together with TNF-α significantly decreased viability of HeLa cells compared with that treated with only TNF-α. These extracts strongly promoted TNF-α induced cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP-1. Compared with HeLa cells treated with T. peruviana extract alone, only extract at concentration of 30µg/mL together with TNF-α strongly decreased cancer cell viability. The results suggested that ethanolic extract from the flowers of Thevetia peruviana showed enhancing effect on TNF-α induced apoptosis in HeLa cells by activation of caspase cascade.