Luteolin promotes apoptotic cell death via upregulation of Nrf2 expression by DNA demethylase and the interaction of Nrf2 with p53 in human colon cancer cells

• Main Authors: Kyoung Ah Kang, Mei Jing Piao, Yu Jae Hyun, Ao Xuan Zhen, Suk Ju Cho, Mee Jung Ahn, Joo Mi Yi, Jin Won Hyun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2019-04-01
• Series: Experimental and Molecular Medicine
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-019-0238-y

Cancer: Cell-killing plant compound exerts antioxidant effects A molecule found in fruits, vegetables and herbs helps kill colon cancer cells by activating a master regulator of detoxifying enzymes. Jin Won Hyun from Jeju National University School of Medicine in South Korea and colleagues treated human colon cancer cells with luteolin, a molecule that occurs naturally in many food plants. They showed that luteolin increased the levels of proteins involved in cell death and antioxidant responses by causing DNA-modifying enzymes to strip suppressive chemical markers off the gene encoding Nrf2, a protein that regulates antioxidant effects. Nrf2 levels subsequently increased and the protein interacted with the tumor suppressor p53 to facilitate destruction of the colon cancer cells. The findings offer a mechanistic basis for using luteolin to help prevent and treat cancer.