Homeostatic unbalance via HSPA5 gene expression in HepG2/C3A cells exposed to ?-tomatine

Abstract

Abstract: The ?-tomatine is a glycoalkaloid found in immature tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculetum). Currently, ?-tomatine has shown anticancer effects due to its anti-proliferative property. Stressors are one of the factors contributing to the antiproliferative activity of ?-tomatine that can modify cellular homeostasis. Among the cell stressors are the endoplasmic reticulum stress response elements, which can be altered leading to cell death. In the course of this study, we verified the expression of genes involved in the stress response of the endoplasmic reticulum in HepG2/C3A cells. The ?-tomatine reduced the viability of HepG2/C3A cells in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, we selected 2µg/mL of ?-tomatine (62% in cell viability) to evaluate the gene expressions. After 24 hours of exposure to ?-tomatine, the level of HSPA5 transcripts was reduced. The HSPA5 chaperone reduced marker is an indicative of homeostasis unbalance with the consequent lack of cellular resistance and, probably, cell death. Our results indicate the involvement of oxidative stress mechanisms in the death of HepG2/C3A cells exposed to ?-tomatine and show the effectiveness of the system as a future candidate for the cancer therapy studies.