Assessment of apoptotic impact of ICD-85 in A549 cancer cells & HEK293 normal cells

Abstract Objective(s) One of the sources of medically useful drugs is animal venom. The significance of venom regarding cancer treatment has become more apparent. ICD-85 active fraction is an integration of three peptides, extracted from the venom of two independent species of venomous animals and exhibits anticancer properties. This paper assesses comparative ICD-85 activity in HEK293 normal cells and A549 cancer cells. Materials and methods Cytotoxicity was evaluated by Cell morphology analysis, MTTassay and Neutral Red Uptake (NRU). Apoptosis in A549 and HEK293 cells were investigated by assessing the attributes pattern of DNA laddering formed in the apoptotic cells by the use of gel electrophoresis. The caspase-8 colorimetric assay kit was used to assay caspase-8 activity. Results The results showed that ICD-85 significantly inhibited A549 cells growth with IC50 value of 22.23 ± 2.42 μg/ml by MTT assay through induction of apoptosis. Further studies showed that ICD-85 activated death receptor pathway and the activation of caspase-8, resulting in A549 cell apoptosis. However, caspase-8 activity did not show considerable changes in HEK293 normal cells. Conclusion Taken together, this study demonstrated that ICD-85 inhibited A549 the growth of cancel cells via apoptosis induction.