Apoptosis Induced By DADS In The Human Breast Cancer Cell Line MCF-7 And Its Mechanisms

Purpose: To investigate the effect of diallyl disulfide (DADS), a component of garlic, on apoptosis in human breast MCF-7 cells explore mechanisms.Methods: Cytotoxicity was analyzed by MTT assays and AO/EB (ethidium bromide and acridine orange) staining assays. Apoptotic cells stained with Annexin V-FITC were examined using flow cytometry. Protein levels were detected by Western blot analysis.Results: DADS inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 cells and induced the apoptotic ratio to increase rapidly. Cleavage of the caspase-3 and caspase-3 substrate poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed in MCF-7 cells after 24 h treatment with DADS. When MCF-7 cells were treated with 200μmol·L^-1 of DADS, the stress-activated protein kinase ERK, a mitogen-activated protein kinase, was inhibited after 6 h; stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase were activated after 6 h.Conclusions: These results suggest that DADS both inhibits proliferation of MCF-7 cells and induces apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Mechanisms may include inhibition of ERK and activation of SAPK/JNK and p38 pathways.