Affiliations: College of Life Science, South China Normal
University, Guangzhou, China | MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science and Institute
of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China | Laboratory of Laser Sports Medicine, South China
Normal University, Guangzhou, China | Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated
Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
Note: [] Corresponding author: Prof. Tongsheng Chen, Ph.D., Institute of
Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
Tel.: +86 20 85211421-8613; Fax: +86 20 85216052; E-mail: chentsh@scnu.edu.cn
Abstract: Artemisinin (ARTE), an antimalarial phytochemical component from the
sweet wormwood plant, has been shown a potential anticancer activity by
inducing cell apoptosis. The aim of this report is to explore the mechanism of
ARTE-induced human lung adenocarcinoma (ASTC-a-1) cell apoptosis. Cell counting
kit (CCK-8) assay showed that ARTE induced cytotoxcity in a dose- and
time-dependent manner. Confocal microscopy fluorescence imaging of cells
stained with Hoechst 33258 and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis of cells stained
with Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) showed that ARTE induced reactive
oxygen species (ROS)-dependent apoptosis. Confocal fluorescence resonance
energy transfer (FRET) imaging of single living cells expressing SCAT3,
SCAT9 or CFP-Bid-YFP and fluorometic substrate assay showed that ARTE
induced the activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9. Moreover, inhibition of
caspase-8 or -9 completely blocked ARTE-induced apoptosis which was only
partially attenuated by caspase-3 inhibitor. Interestingly, silencing Bax and
Bak by RNA interference (RNAi) did not attenuate ARTE-induced apoptosis.
Collectively, ARTE induces caspase-dependent but Bax/Bak-independent apoptosis in ASTC-a-1 cells.
Keywords: Artemisinin (ARTE), apoptosis, caspase, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), Bax/Bak
