Unraveling the in vitro antitumor activity of Vismia baccifera against HepG2: role of hydrogen peroxide

Abstract Currently natural products derived from plants are receiving huge attention because of their antitumor activities. In previous work we reported that an aqueous leaf extract of Vismia baccifera induced toxicity in HepG2. The present study focuses on the mechanisms of the cytotoxic actions induced by the extract. Results showed that V. baccifera was innocuous in non-transformed human HH4 hepatocytes. In HepG2 it caused deregulation of antioxidant status (increasing superoxide dismutase expression and decreasing glutathione levels and glutathione peroxidase activity) and accumulation of reactive oxygen species, particularly hydrogen peroxide. The extract induced a) cell cycle arrest at G 2 /M phase, b) phosphorylation of ATM (protein kinase ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) and γH2AX (γ-histone family 2A variant), c) caspase-3 activation, and e) deregulation of the Bax/Bcl family, increasing pro-apoptotic proteins. ATM did not seem to be involved in γH2AX activation. Co-incubation with catalase prevented the alterations elicited by V. baccifera in HepG2. Taking together, these results indicate that hydrogen peroxide mediates the HepG2 cytotoxic response and provide evidence for more in-depth studies of the signaling involved.