PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - EUN SEON YOO
AU  - GANG SIK CHOO
AU  - SUNG HYUN KIM
AU  - JOONG SEOK WOO
AU  - HYEONG JIN KIM
AU  - YOUNG SEOK PARK
AU  - BYEONG SOO KIM
AU  - SANG KI KIM
AU  - BYUNG KWON PARK
AU  - SUNG DAE CHO
AU  - JEONG SEOK NAM
AU  - CHANG SUN CHOI
AU  - JEONG HWAN CHE
AU  - JI-YOUN JUNG
TI  - Antitumor and Apoptosis-inducing Effects of Piperine on Human Melanoma Cells
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.13296
DP  - 2019 Apr 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 1883--1892
VI  - 39
IP  - 4
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/4/1883.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/4/1883.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2019 Apr 01; 39
AB  - Background/Aim: Piperine is a major pungent alkaloid present in black pepper (Piper nigrum L). This study investigated the potential anticancer effects of piperine on human melanoma cells and explored the potential pharmacological mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: Studies were performed using the MTT assay, 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, western blotting, a xenograft model, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, and immunohistochemistry. Results: Piperine inhibited the growth of melanoma cells. Several apoptotic events were observed following treatment, as revealed by DAPI staining. Piperine increased the expression of BCL2-associated X, apoptosis regulator (BAX), cleaved poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase, cleaved caspase-9, phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase and phospho-p38, and reduced that of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis, and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of mice for 4 weeks with piperine inhibited tumor growth without apparent toxicity. Piperine increased the expression of apoptotic cells and cleaved-caspase-3 protein and reduced the expression of phospho-ERK1/2 protein in melanoma tumors. Conclusion: Piperine suppressed the growth of human melanoma cells by the induction of apoptosis via the inhibition of tumor growth of human melanoma cells and tumor xenograft models.