Amentoflavone Induces Apoptosis and Reduces Expression of Anti-apoptotic and Metastasis-associated Proteins in Bladder Cancer

Background/Aim: Amentoflavone has been shown to be effective against a variety of cancer cells, but its role in bladder cancer remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether amentoflavone may induce toxicity effect of bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: Herein, we evaluated amentoflavone effects in a human bladder cancer cell line TSGH8301 in vitro. Results: Amentoflavone caused significant cytotoxicity in TSGH8301 cells at a concentration as low as 200 mu M. FAS/FASL-dependent extrinsic apoptosis and mitochondria-dependent intrinsic apoptosis were observed in amentoflavone-treated cells in a dose-dependent manner. Levels of several proapoptotic proteins, such as FAS, FAS-ligand and BAX (B-cell lymphoma 2 associated X) were increased following amentoflavone treatment. Meanwhile, anti-apoptotic MCL-1 (myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1) and cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (C-FLIP) protein levels were reduced. Additionally, angiogenesis and proliferation-related proteins, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, -9, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), urokinase-type plasminogen actvator (uPA) and cyclin D1 were diminished by amentoflavone. Conclusion: Amentoflavone induced toxicity of bladder cancer by inhibiting tumor progression and inducing apoptosis signaling transduction.