Neochamaejasmin B extracted from <i>Stellera chamaejasme</i> L. induces apoptosis through caspase‐10‐dependent way in insect neuronal cells
Guirong Gu, Mingfang Jiang, Hanying Hu, Weijie Qiao, Hong Jin, Taiping Hou, Tao Ke
Abstract
To explore the toxicity mechanisms of neochamaejasmin B (NCB) extracted from Stellera chamaejasme L., we first evaluated its cytotoxicity in neuronal cells of Helicoverpa zea (AW1 cells). NCB inhibited cell growth and was cytotoxic to AW1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Further, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to analyze the microstructure, and typical apoptotic characteristics were observed in AW1 cells treated with NCB. Moreover, the NCB-induced apoptosis was dose dependent. Subsequently, we explored the mechanism of apoptosis. A decline in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was found. Also, the levels of Bax were increased with increases in drug concentration, but there was no statistical difference in Bcl-2 levels at different NCB doses. Caspase-3 and caspase-10 activity was increased. These findings confirmed that NCB induced apoptosis in AW1 cells through a caspase-10-dependent mechanism. The results provide the basic information needed for understanding the toxicity and mechanisms of action of NCB, which could potentially be used to develop NCB as a new insecticide.