Wortmannin induces MCF-7 breast cancer cell death via the apoptotic pathway, involving chromatin condensation, generation of reactive oxygen species, and membrane blebbing

rtmannin induces MCF-7 breast cancer cell death via the apoptotic pathway, involving chromatin condensation, generation of reactive oxygen species, and membrane blebbing Original Research (2513) Total Article Views Authors: Akter R, Hossain MZ, Kleve MG, Gealt MA Published Date July 2012 Volume 2012:4 Pages 103 - 113 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/BCTT.S31712 Received: 11 March 2012 Accepted: 23 May 2012 Published: 13 July 2012 Rozina Akter,1 Md. Zakir Hossain,2 Maurice G Kleve,3 Michael A Gealt3 1Applied Biosciences Emphasis, Department of Applied Science, 2Graduate Institute of Technology, 3Department of Biology, College of Science and of Mathematics, University Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USA Background: Apoptosis can be used as a reliable marker for evaluating potential chemotherapeutic agents. Because wortmannin is a microbial steroidal metabolite, it specifically inhibits the phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase pathway, and could be used as a promising apoptosis-based therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the biomolecular mechanisms involved in wortmannin-induced cell death of breast cancer-derived MCF-7 cells. Methods and results: Our experimental results demonstrate that wortmannin has strong apoptotic effects through a combination of different actions, including reduction of cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, inhibition of proliferation, and enhanced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that wortmannin induces MCF-7 cell death via a programmed pathway showing chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, reactive oxygen species, and membrane blebbing, which are characteristics typical of apoptosis.