Figure 4

Fas, caspase-8 and caspase-3-dependent apoptosis is induced by PSE in AGS gastric cancer cells. (A) AGS cells were exposed to 200 μg/ml PSE and 0.1% DMSO for 12 h and 24 h. The cell lysates were separated by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting with specific antibodies was performed (anti-Fas receptor, anti-cleaved caspase-8, anti-cleaved caspase-3, anti-cleaved-PARP, and anti-α-actin). (B) The band intensities were normalized to α-actin. (C) AGS cells were exposed to 200 μg/ml PSE and 0.1% DMSO either with or without z-VAD-fmk (50 □M). The morphology of the cells was imaged using light microscopy (x200). (D) AGS cells were exposed to 200 μg/ml PSE and 0.1% DMSO either with or without z-VAD-fmk (50 □M) for 12 h, the cell lysates were separated by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting with specific antibodies was performed (anti-procaspase-3, anti-cleaved caspase-8, anti-cleaved caspase-3, anti-cleaved-PARP, and anti-α-actin). The data shown are representative of three independent experiments that gave similar results. Bars, SD. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, control versus PSE-treated cells.