Abstract

Arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃), has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine; it has considerable efficacy in the treatment of relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia, inducing partial differentiation and promoting apoptosis of malignant promyelocytes. Although a number of studies have demonstrated that As₂O₃ has potent activity against cell growth in a series of leukemia cell lines, little information is available regarding this compound's effect on cell growth in solid tumor cell lines. In this study, we investigated the effects of As₂O₃in vitro on ovarian cancer cell lines sensitive (3AO) and resistant (3AO/CDDP) to cisplatin. The 3-(4,5-dimethy-thiazoyl-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity. Flow cytometric analysis was used to determine the apoptosis, cell cycle distribution. We clearly demonstrated that As₂O₃ induced cell apoptosis and inhibition of cell growth in both the cell lines. Furthermore, we identified that As₂O₃-induced apoptosis involved Fas pathway. As₂O₃ is an active agent against ovarian cancer cells and could be effective in the clinical treatment of ovarian cancer.