Arsenic trioxide induces gallbladder carcinoma cell apoptosis and study of its mechanism / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:Gallbladder carcinoma, lacks of specific clinical manifestations,and is usually diagnosed at advanced stages of the diseases and even fewer can be resected.Chemotherapy has not shown significant activity in gallbladder carcinoma,so new agents should be applied to its treatment.Arsenic trioxide,verified as a breakthrough in the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia,has been applied in the research of a variety of solid tumors.This study is to investigate the biological effect of As_(2)O_(3) on human gallbladder carcinoma cell GBC cells and its mechanism.Methods:Hoechest33258 staining,DNA gel electrophoresis and flowcytometric were used to determine apoptosis.Western blot was performed to analysis apoptotic proteins expression.Results:The treatment of As_(2)O_(3) in gallbladder carcinoma cells could induce apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner and downregulate the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.Moreover,Bcl-2 overexpression could protect gallbladder carcinoma cells from As_(2)O_(3)-induced apoptosis.Conclusions:As_(2)O_(3) induces gallbladder carcinoma cell apoptosis via down regulation of Bcl-2.