Title:The Venom of the Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans Inhibits the Growth of Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Lines
Volume: 10
Issue: 5
Author(s): Shiyan Xu, Fan Zhang, Hengyun Wang, Yu Liu, Dan Li, Zhe Wu and Zhonghua Liu
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Centipede, Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, Venom, Myelogenous leukemia cell line, Cell growth inhibition
Abstract: Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, also known as Chinese red-headed centipede, is a venomous centipede from
East Asia and Australasia. In traditional Chinese medicine, this centipede has been widely used for the treatment of various
ailments, but few researches on the venom from this centipede have been conducted so far. In the present study, we
reported that the venom could potently suppress the growth of the myelogenous leukemia cell lines K562, U937 and HL-
60, in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of 20 μg/mL, 30 μg/mL, 200 μg/mL, respectively. K562 cells treated
with the venom showed typical morphological indicators of apoptosis including condensation of nuclei. Annexin V-FITC
and propidium iodide double staining further demonstrated that the venom had potent apoptogenic activity. Venom treatment
induced caspase 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 activation in K562 cells, which might involve in the venom-induced apoptosis. The
venom could also cause cell cycle arrest. Increased cell accumulation at S phase was observed in K562 cells treated with
the venom. Taken together, the Chinese red-headed centipede venom could inhibit the growth of myelogenous leukemia
cell lines through apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. It might be a useful source for the identification of substances
with anti-leukemia activity.