The Effect of Kynurenic Acid on Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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İmamoğlu Şirvanlı N. N., Atalay Dündar P.

3rd International conference on Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Kayseri, Türkiye, 18 - 20 Aralık 2019, cilt.40, ss.6

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Cilt numarası: 40
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/proceedings2019040006
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Kayseri
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.6
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Kynurenic Acid (KYNA) is a metabolite of tryptophan pathway and also an endogenous

antagonist of glutamate receptors. Several studies indicated that glutamate antagonists have antiproliferative

potential. Moreover, subunits of the NMDA receptor which is one of the glutamate

receptors have been shown to be found in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2). In

this study, the antitumor effects of KYNA in HepG2 cells were investigated for the first time at the

molecular level. The effects of KYNA on the viability of HepG2 cells were determined by MTT

analyses. Effects of KYNA on mRNA transcriptions of apoptosis related genes Bax, Bcl-2 and

Caspase-3 were analyzed by qRT-PCR. mRNA expression analysis revealed that the mRNA levels

of effector Caspase-3 and pro-apoptotic Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were not increased in HepG2 cells treated

with KYNA. In conclusion, our findings showed that KYNA does not exert its anti-proliferative

effects on HepG2 cells through caspase-mediated apoptotic cell death, but it may perform this antiproliferative

effect through a different mechanism of death. Further studies are needed to find out

potential cell death mechanisms that may play a role in anti-proliferative activity of KYNA on

HepG2 cells.