Mechanism of activation of caspase cascade during β-carotene-induced apoptosis in human tumor cells

In this study, we examined possible mechanisms of caspase activation during carotenoid-induced apoptosis in tumor cells. We found that beta-carotene induces apoptosis by the activation of caspase-3 in human leukemia (HL-60), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) as well as melanoma (SK-MEL-2) cell lines. This activation is dose dependent and follows that of caspase-8 and caspase-9. Although caspase-8 cleavage is an early event, reaching its maximum activation at 3 h, caspase-9 reaches its maximum activation only at 6 h. The addition of IETD-CHO, a caspase-8-specific inhibitor, completely prevents P-carotene-induced apoptosis, whereas only a partial prevention was observed in the presence of LEHD-CHO, a caspase-9-specific inhibitor beta-Carotene activates caspase-9 via cytochrome c release from mitochondria and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim). Concomitantly, a dose-dependent decrease in the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and a dose-dependent increase in the cleaved form of BID (t-BID) are observed. Moreover NF-kappaB activation is involved in P-carotene-induced caspase cascade. These results support a pharmacological role for beta-carotene as a candidate antitumor agent and show a possible sequence of molecular events by which this molecule may induce apoptosis in tumor cells.