Aurintricarboxylic acid inhibits protein synthesis independent, sanguinarine-induced apoptosis and oncosis.

Sanguinarine, a benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has anticancer potential through induction of cell death. We previously demonstrated that sanguinarine treatment at a low concentration (1.5 microg/ml) induced apoptosis in K562 human erythroleukemia cells, and a high concentration (12.

Sanguinarine overcomes P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug-resistance via induction of apoptosis and oncosis in CEM-VLB 1000 cells.

Permeability-glycoprotein (Pgp) positive cells are known to be encoded by the multidrug-resistance gene (MDR1), and characterized by a reduced ability to accumulate drugs. The vinblastin-resistant, Pgp positive CEM-VLB 1000 and its wild type (Pgp-negative and vinblastin-sensitive) counterpart CEM-T4 human leukemia cells, when treated with the alkaloid sanguinarine, were both found to undergo apoptosis at concentrations of 1.5 microg/ml and oncosis/blister cell death (BCD) at concentrations of 12.

Cyclooxygenase 2 rescues LNCaP prostate cancer cells from sanguinarine-induced apoptosis by a mechanism involving inhibition of nitric oxide synthase activity.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), an inducible enzyme responsible for the production of prostaglandins from arachidonic acid, is elevated in human prostate tumor samples. The aim of this study was to investigate whether expression of Cox-2 is effective against prostate cancer cell apoptosis triggered by sanguinarine, the quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloid with antineoplastic properties. Sanguinarine effectively induced apoptosis in LNCaP human prostate cancer epithelial cells as assessed by caspase-3 activation assay, Annexin V staining assay, or by visual analysis for the apoptotic morphology changes.

The alkaloid sanguinarine is effective against multidrug resistance in human cervical cells via bimodal cell death.

Sanguinarine, a benzophenanthrine alkaloid, is potentially antineoplastic through induction of cell death pathways. The development of multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle to the success of chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sanguinarine is effective against uterine cervical MDR and, if so, by which mechanism.

Role of Bcl-2 family proteins and caspase-3 in sanguinarine-induced bimodal cell death.

Sanguinarine, a benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has anticancer potential through induction of cell death. We previously demonstrated that sanguinarine treatment at a low level induced apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD) in the Bcl-2 low-expressing K562 human erythroleukemia cells, and that a high level induced blister cell death (BCD); whereas Bcl-2 overexpressing, sanguinarine-treated JM1 pre-B lymphoblastic cells displayed neither apoptosis nor BCD morphologies. Here, we report that sanguinarine-treated K562 cells, when analyzed by western blot, showed significant increase in expression of the pro-apoptotic Bax protein in apoptosis, but not in BCD.