Thiosulfinates from Allium tuberosum L. induce apoptosis via caspase-dependent and -independent pathways in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells

This study was aimed to evaluate the apoptotic effects of thiosulfinates purified from Allium tuberosum L. on PC-3 human prostate cancer cells, and to elucidate detailed apoptosis mechanisms. Thiosulfinates significantly decrease viable cell numbers in dose- and time-dependent manners by apoptotic cell death via DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and an increased sub-G1 phase. Apoptosis induced by thiosulfinates is associated with the activation of initiator caspase-8 and -9, and the effector caspase-3. In this study, thiosulfinates stimulated Bid cleavage, indicating that the apoptotic action of caspase-8-mediated Bid cleavage leads to the activation of caspase-9. Thiosulfinates decreased the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and increased the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax. Thiosulfinates also increased the expression of AIF, a caspase-independent mitochondrial apoptosis factor, in PC-3 cells. These results indicate that thiosulfinates from A. tuberosum L. inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in PC-3 cells, which may be mediated via both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways.