High concentration of ascorbic acid induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 in vitro

Objective: To investigate the effects of ascorbic acid (AA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cells, and to explore the possible mechanism.Methods: The proliferation of SKOV-3 cells after treatment with different concentrations of AA was detected by CCK-8 assay. After treatment with 5 mmol/L AA, the changes of apoptotic rate and mitochondrial membrane potential of SKOV-3 cells were measured by FCM, and the expression of reactive oxygen species stained by 2’, 7’-dichlorofluorescin diacetate was examined under a fluorescence microscope, while the expressions of cytochrome C, cleaved-caspase 3 and Bcl-2 proteins were detected by Western blotting.Results: AA could inhibit the proliferation of SKOV-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). The apoptotic rate of SKOV-3 cells after 5 mmol/L AA treatment was higher than that of the blank control (SKOV-3 cells without any treatment) (P < 0.05). The descent rate of mitochondrial membrane potential was higher than that of the blank control (P < 0.05), the expression level of reactive oxygen species was higher than that of the blank control (P < 0.05). The expression levels of cytochrome C and cleaved-caspase 3 in SKOV-3 cells in AA treatment group were up-regulated (both P < 0.05), and the expression level of Bcl-2 protein was down-regulated (P < 0.05).Conclusion: AA can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of human ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cells. The apoptosis may be induced by reactive oxygen species through mitochondrial pathway. DOI:10.3781/j.issn.1000-7431.2016.11.728