Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis & Mutagenesis ›› 2021, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (1): 32-36.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-616x.2021.01.007

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Activation of the TRAIL death receptor by apigenin for induction of apoptosis in the gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells

CUI Zhaoyang1, LI Suna1, JIANG Xuqian1, WANG Yidan2, HOU Liying1   

  1. 1. School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210;
    2. School of Science, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210, Hebei, China
  • Received:2020-09-16 Revised:2020-12-02 Online:2021-01-30 Published:2021-02-06

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of apigenin (API) on proliferation and apoptosis induction in the human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. METHODS: SGC7901 cell cultures were organized into different groups:control and API-treated groups. The latter groups were treated with 20, 40, 60 and 80 μmol/L API for 12, 24 and 48 h. Cell proliferation rates were detected using the CCK-8 method, apoptosis rates by flow cytometry, and expression levels of death receptors DR4 and DR5 proteins in the TRAIL pathway by Western blot. Using RNAi technology, DR4 siRNA and DR5 siRNA were used to silence the expression of death receptors DR4 and DR5, respectively. Apoptosis rates after 24 h treatments for the control, API, DR4 siRNA + API and DR5 siRNA + API groups were determined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: The results indicated that API significantly inhibited proliferation rates of SGC7901 cells in a concentrationdependent way (r12 h=-0.99, r24 h=-0.88, r48 h=-0.89, all P < 0.05). Apoptosis rates increased with increased API concentrations (r=0.96, P < 0.05). In addition, API treatment upregulated the expression levels of DR4 and DR5 proteins. When the expressions of DR4 and DR5 were silenced by their respectively siRNAs, the apoptosis rates for the DR4 siRNA + API and the DR5 siRNA + API groups were reduced compared with the API group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that apigenin inhibited the proliferation rates and induced apoptosis in the human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells. The observed changes might be mediated by apigenin-activation of the death receptors DR4 and DR5 proteins in the TRAIL pathway.

Key words: apigenin, gastric cancer, TRAIL, death receptor, apoptosis

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