College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Bee Product Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, China.
J Food Biochem. 2019 Nov;43(11):e12998. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.12998. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
Jujube honey, a very popular honey in China, has been shown to own numerous biological properties. However, the anticancer effect and the underlying mechanisms of jujube honey in HepG2 cells have not been investigated to date. This study was designed to evaluate jujube honey-induced apoptosis and its molecular mechanism in HepG2 and the following results were obtained. Firstly, treatment with jujube honey blocked cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase, reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), induced DNA damage, and upregulates p53 expression. Secondly, pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad were upregulated and antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were downregulated. Lastly, caspase activation and apoptotic death occurred in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, this study showed that jujube honey induces HepG2 cell apoptosis via DNA damage, p53 expression, and caspase activation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: We demonstrate the molecular mechanism by which jujube honey triggers apoptosis in HepG2 cells. This new insight provided useful information on the use of jujube honey as a potential therapeutic and preventive agent.
红枣蜜是中国非常受欢迎的一种蜂蜜，已被证明具有多种生物特性。然而，红枣蜜在 HepG2 细胞中的抗癌作用及其潜在机制尚未得到研究。本研究旨在评估红枣蜜诱导 HepG2 细胞凋亡及其分子机制，得出以下结果。首先，红枣蜜处理使细胞周期停滞在 G0/G1 期，降低线粒体膜电位（Δψm），诱导 DNA 损伤，并上调 p53 表达。其次，促凋亡蛋白 Bax 和 Bad 上调，抗凋亡蛋白 Bcl-2 和 Bcl-xL 下调。最后，caspase 激活和凋亡发生在 HepG2 细胞中。综上所述，本研究表明红枣蜜通过 DNA 损伤、p53 表达和 caspase 激活诱导 HepG2 细胞凋亡。实际应用：本研究阐明了红枣蜜触发 HepG2 细胞凋亡的分子机制。这一新的认识为红枣蜜作为一种潜在的治疗和预防药物提供了有用的信息。
