MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, the anticancer effects and the mechanisms of action of 17βH-neriifolin (cardiac glycoside) were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay and a proteomic approach in treated and non-treated SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells.
RESULTS: 17βH-neriifolin was found to be active with IC50 values of 0.01 ± 0.001 in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, as evaluated by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS from TUNEL assay indicated that 17βH-neriifolin caused apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Based on differential analysis of treated and non-treated SKOV-3 two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) profiles, four proteins, namely vimentin (VIM), pyruvate kinase, muscle (PKM), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNPA1) and transgelin (TAGLN1) were identified to be involved in apoptosis. Other proteins including piggybac transposable element derived 5 (PGBD5), DENN/MADD domain containing 2D (DENND2D) and formin-like 1(FMNL) have also been identified to be associated in SKOV-3 cell death induced by 17βH-neriifolin.
CONCLUSION: These findings may provide new insights on the potential of 17βH-neriifolin's mechanism of action in killing ovarian cancer cells.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Salivaricin 9 was found to be auto-regulated when an induction assay was applied and this finding was used to develop a successful salivaricin 9 production system in liquid medium. A combination of XAD-16 and cation exchange chromatography was used to purify the secondary metabolite which was shown to have a molecular weight of approximately 3000 Da by SDS-PAGE. MALDI-TOF MS analysis indicated the presence of salivaricin 9, a 2560 Da lantibiotic. Salivaricin 9 is a bactericidal molecule targeting the cytoplasmic membrane of sensitive cells. The membrane permeabilization assay showed that salivaricin 9 penetrated the cytoplasmic membrane and induced pore formation which resulted in cell death. The morphological changes of test bacterial strains incubated with salivaricin 9 were visualized using Scanning Electron Microscopy which confirmed a pore forming mechanism of inhibition. Salivaricin 9 retained biological stability when exposed to high temperature (90-100°C) and stayed bioactive at pH ranging 2 to 10. When treated with proteinase K or peptidase, salivaricin 9 lost all antimicrobial activity, while it remained active when treated with lyticase, catalase and certain detergents.
CONCLUSION: The mechanism of antimicrobial action of a newly discovered lantibiotic salivaricin 9 was elucidated in this study. Salivaricin 9 penetrated the cytoplasmic membrane of its targeted cells and induced pore formation. This project has given new insights on lantibiotic peptides produced by S. salivarius isolated from the oral cavities of Malaysian subjects.