Arsenic trioxide induced the apoptosis of laryngeal cancer via down-regulation of survivin mRNA

Objective Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is used clinically to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia and has activity in vitro against several solid tumor cell lines, where induction of differentiation and apoptosis are the prime effects. As a novel anticancer agent for treatment of solid cancers, As2O3 is promising and the mechanism has been not still fully understood. Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one common tumor in head and neck cancers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of As2O3 on LSCC cell line HEP-2, and their possible involvement in As2O3-induced apoptosis. Methods The cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay method and the morphological changes were observed by an inverted microscope and acridine orange (AO) staining. The caspase-3 activity was measured by a fluorophotometer. The expression of survivin mRNA was evaluated by RT-PCR. Results In this study, we demonstrated an apoptotic effect of As2O3 in LSCC cell line Hep-2. In Hep-2 cells, As2O3 decreased the cell viability, inhibited the growth and proliferation, induced apoptosis and increased the activity of caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner. And the expression of survivin mRNA was also decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion We concluded that As2O3 induced the apoptosis of Hep-2 cells via down-regulating the expression of survivin mRNA.