Synthesis and Characterization of a Walnut Peptides–Zinc Complex and Its Antiproliferative Activity against Human Breast Carcinoma Cells through the Induction of Apoptosis

Abstract

The walnut peptides and zinc ions were combined to generate a walnut peptides-zinc complex (WP1-Zn) with enhanced antiproliferative ability as well as reduced toxicity. The result indicated that Zn ions were successfully combined with WP1 through Zn-N and Zn-O covalent bonds. WP1-Zn compounds exhibited strong antiproliferative ability against the selected human cell lines, especially MCF-7 cells, whose survival rate reduced to 20.02% after exposure to 300 μg/mL of WP1-Zn for 48 h. WP1-Zn inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation through inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The results indicated that WP1-Zn induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis via the ROS triggered mitochondrial-mediated pathway and cell surface receptor-mediated pathway. Our work is the first attempt to elucidate the synergic effect of novel walnut peptides and Zn and with the hope of better understanding the antiproliferative action of bioactive peptides and a zinc complex and support the potential application of WP1-Zn as a functional food ingredient or complementary medicine.

Cerebrosides from Sea Cucumber Improved Aβ1–42‐Induced Cognitive Deficiency in a Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease

“…To determine the potential protection mechanisms of cerebrosides, we examined the effects of sea cucumber cerebrosides on mitochondria‐dependent apoptosis. Bax is a member of the Bcl‐2 family to activate apoptosis, while the Bcl‐2 protein is associated with anti‐apoptotic activity . As shown in Figure , the relative expression of Bax/Bcl‐2 was significantly increased in A β 1–42 ‐injected rats compared with that of sham group rats.…”

Geridonin and paclitaxel act synergistically to inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer cells through ROS-mediated regulation of the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway

“…The mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using JC-1 dye [45, 47]. MGC 803 cells were seeded on glass coverslips and treated with geridonin, paclitaxel, or geridonin plus paclitaxel for 24 h. MGC 803 cells were then stained with 5 μg/mL JC-1 (Beyotime Biotechnology) at 37°C for 20 min.…”

Purification and Structural Characterization of a Novel Water-Soluble Neutral Polysaccharide from Cantharellus cibarius and Its Immunostimulating Activity in RAW264.7 Cells

“…Polysaccharides are natural polymers that exist widely in plants, animals, and microorganisms [3][4][5]. Previous studies have demonstrated that the polysaccharides play a vital role in the life of living organisms [6][7][8]. In particular, plant polysaccharides have attracted much more attention from experts in the food and biomedical fields, due to their biological activities [9][10][11].…”