Resveratrol 유도체의 일종으로 stilbene계열 물질인 piceatannol은 암세포의 증식을 억제하고 apoptosis를 유발하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 A549 인체 폐암세포를 대상으로 piceatannol에 의한 암세포 증식억제와 연관된 부가적인 기전연구를 실시하였다. 본 연구의 결과에서 piceatannol이 A549 세포에서 extrinsic 및 intrinsic pathway의 동시 활성을 통하여 apoptosis를 유발하였음을 Fas/FasL의 발현 증가와 caspase-8 및 -9의 활성증가로 확인하였다. 또한 piceatannol은 caspase-3의 활성을 증가시켰으며, caspase-3의 다양한 표적 단백질들의 발현 감소가 동반되었다. 아울러 piceatannol에 의한 apoptosis 유발 과정은 iNOS의 발현 감소에 의한 NO의 생성 억제와도 연관성이 있었다.
Piceatannol (trans-3,4,3",5"-tetrahydroxystilbene), a natural stilbene, is an analogue of resveratrol. Although recent experimental data have revealed the health benefit potency of piceatannol, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer activity have not yet been studied in detail. In the present study, the further possible mechanisms by which piceatannol exerts its pro-apoptotic action in cultured human lung cancer A549 cells were investigated. Exposure of A549 cells to piceatannol resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis induction of A549 cells by piceatannol showed correlation with proteolytic activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, and concomitant degradation of activated caspase-3 target proteins such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, phospholipase C-γ1, β-catenin, and Inhibitor caspase-activated DNase. The increase in apoptosis by piceatannol treatment was also associated with an increase of pro-apoptotic Bax expression and decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression, and caused down-regulation of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family members and up-regulation of Fas and Fas legend. In addition, piceatannol treatment markedly inhibited the expression of mRNA and proteins of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase, and the levels of NO production were progressively down-regulated by piceatannol treatment in a dose-dependent fashion. The results indicate that piceatannol may have therapeutic potential against human gastric cancer cells.