Resveratrol induces apoptosis, autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress in colon cancer cells

Objective : Resveratrol exerts various biologic effects. This study was designed to investigate its anti-cancer effect and its impact on cell apoptosis, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER-stress) in colon cancer. Methods : Colon cancer cells were treated with resveratrol. Cell viability, apoptosis, and autophagy were assessed by MTT, flow cytometry, and green fluorescence protein (GFP)-tagged LC3B analysis, respectively. Gene expression was detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. Xenograft model was subjected to verify the effects of resveratrol on tumorigenesis of colon cancer cells in vivo. Results : The viability of colon cancer cells was reduced by resveratrol. The cell apoptosis and the protein levels of apoptotic markers (cleaved-PARP and cleaved-Caspase3) were increased by resveratrol. The protein level of autophagic marker (MAP1LC3B) and the LC3B dots accumulation were elevated by resveratrol. Autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) partially reversed the effect of resveratrol on cell apoptosis. The protein and mRNA levels of ER-stress markers (IRE-1 and ATF6) and pro-apoptotic signals (GRP-78, GADD153) were up-regulated by resveratrol. The tumor growth of colon cancer cells was suppressed by resveratrol in vivo. Conclusion : Resveratrol exerts anti-cancer function of colon cancer, which is associated with its induction effect of cell apoptosis, autophagy and ER-stress. Keywords: resveratrol; colon cancer; apoptosis; autophagy; endoplasmic reticulum stress