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dc.contributor.authorO K, Vintermyr
dc.contributor.authorA C, Johannessen
dc.contributor.authorG W, Francis
dc.contributor.authorB T, Gjertsen
dc.contributor.authorE, Dimba
dc.date.accessioned2013-06-29T11:14:50Z
dc.date.available2013-06-29T11:14:50Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.identifier.citationDIMBA, E., GJERTSEN, B. T., FRANCIS, G. W., JOHANNESSEN, A. C. and VINTERMYR, O. K. (2003), Catha edulis (Khat) Induces Cell Death by Apoptosis in Leukemia Cell Lines. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciencesen
dc.identifier.urihttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/42380
dc.description.abstractKhat is the Celastraceus edulis plant, a flowering evergreen tree or large shrub, which grows in the Horn of Africa and southwestern Arabia. Khat use has been associated with development of oral cancer, but its molecular effects remain controversial. This study describes a novel cytotoxic effect of whole khat extract on three leukemia cell lines. Cells were exposed to khat extract and harvested for analysis by fluorescent and electron microscopy, trypan blue exclusion, as well as immunoblotting to characterize the mode of cell death. In a separate series, cells were pretreated with a panel of caspase inhibitors for possible inhibitory effects. Khat induced a rapid cell death effect in HL-60, Jurkat, and NB4 cells that occurred within 2 h of exposure. The treated cells retained their ability to exclude trypan blue dye, a key feature in the apoptotic process. Exposed cells consistently developed morphological features of manifest apoptosis. Z-VAD, a pan-caspase inhibitor, completely inhibited toxic activity for up to 8 h, with partial inhibition by other caspase-specific agents. Western blot analysis showed specific cleavage of caspase-3 in khat-exposed cells. This study shows that khat induces cell death by apoptosis in a process sensitive to inhibition by caspase inhibitors, suggesting that subcellular interactions could be of particular relevance for the biological effects of khat in the cell death process and possibly carcinogenesisen
dc.language.isoenen
dc.subjectNB4en
dc.subjectJurkaten
dc.subjectHL-60en
dc.subjectcell cultureen
dc.subjectkhaten
dc.subjecthumanen
dc.subjectapoptosisen
dc.subjecttoxicologyen
dc.titleCatha edulis (khat) induces cell death by apoptosis in leukemia cell linesen
dc.typeArticleen
local.publisherDepartment of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine/Pathology, Oral/Maxillofacial Radiologyen


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