PUBLICATION

Phloridzin docosahexaenoate, a novel flavonoid derivative, suppresses growth and induces apoptosis in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Authors
Arumuggam, N., Melong, N., Too, C.K., Berman, J.N., Rupasinghe, H.V.
ID
ZDB-PUB-180110-4
Date
2017
Source
American journal of cancer research   7: 2452-2464 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Berman, Jason, Melong, Nicole
Keywords
Phloridzin, STAT3, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, docosahexaenoic acid, flavonoid derivative, leukemia, proliferation, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
none
PubMed
29312799
Abstract
The overall clinical outcome in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) can be improved by minimizing risk for treatment failure using effective pharmacological adjuvants. Phloridzin (PZ), a flavonoid precursor found in apple peels, was acylated with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) yielding a novel ester known as phloridzin docosahexaenoate (PZ-DHA). Here, we have studied the cytotoxic effects of PZ-DHA on human leukemia cells using in vitro and in vivo models. The inhibitory effects of PZ-DHA were tested on human Jurkat T-ALL cells in comparison to K562 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells and non-malignant murine T-cells. PZ-DHA, not PZ or DHA alone, reduced cell viability and ATP levels, increased intracellular LDH release, and caused extensive morphological alterations in both Jurkat and K562 cells. PZ-DHA also inhibited cell proliferation, and selectively induced apoptosis in Jurkat and K562 cells while sparing normal murine T-cells. The cytotoxic effects of PZ-DHA on Jurkat cells were associated with caspase activation, DNA fragmentation, and selective down-regulation of STAT3 phosphorylation. PZ-DHA significantly inhibited Jurkat cell proliferation in zebrafish larvae; however, the proliferation of K562 cells was not affected in vivo. We propose that PZ-DHA-induced cytotoxic response is selective towards T-ALL in the presence of a tumor-stromal microenvironment. Prospective studies evaluating the combinatorial effects of PZ-DHA with conventional chemotherapy for T-ALL are underway.
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Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping