Sodium butyrate inhibits cell growth and stimulates p21WAF1/CIP1 protein in human colonic adenocarcinoma cells independently of p53 status.

Butyric acid, one of the short-chain fatty acids produced by microbial fermentation in the colon, exhibits antiproliferative activities in various cancer cell lines. The initial objective of the study was to assess whether the effect of sodium butyrate (NaB) on cell growth differed by p53 status of the cells. Four human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines were used: HT29 (p53 point mutation), Caco2 (p53 truncation), LS513 (p53 wild type), and Lovo (p53 wild type). NaB significantly inhibited cell growth in all four cell lines. NaB arrested HT29 and LS513 cells in G0/G1 and Caco2 and Lovo in G2-phase. A second objective was to determine whether NaB similarly affected the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21WAF1/CIP1. In all cell lines, p21 mRNA levels were immediately elevated after NaB exposure, and p21 protein levels were increased within 6 h. NaB increased p21 promoter activity in both Caco2 and Lovo, suggesting p53 independence. NaB did not influence p21 mRNA stability. Although three DNase I hypersensitivity sites were identified in the region of the p21 gene, induction of p21 mRNA by NaB was not accompanied by relaxation of the chromatin in the region of the p21 gene.