Palladium(II) complex induces apoptosis through ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549)

Treatment for lung cancer is still far from satisfactory. Therefore, there is a call for novel anticancer agents. In the present study, the anticancer activity of (Pd(L)Cl), 1a complex towards A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells was investigated. (Pd(L)Cl), 1a inhibited the growth of A549 cells in a time and dose-dependent manner. The IC50 value was 10μM after 24 h treatment. Flow cytometric analyses revealed a dose-related increase in the percentages of cells in the Sub-G0/G1 state, indicative of apoptosis which was further confirmed by Annexin V binding assay, via a ROS-mediated mitochondria-dependent pathway. Western blot analysis showed that 1a complex induced Bax expression to desintegrate the outer mitochondrial membrane and causing cytochrome c release, associated with the activation of caspase-3. All of these signal transduction pathways are involved in initiating apoptosis. (Pd(L)Cl), 1a seems to represent a potentially active drug against non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell line in vitro, and further studies in vivo are warranted. (author)