BIO003 Evaluation of ?-tomatine effects on the RNAm of MARK2, HSPA5, HSPA14 and GADD153 genes expression on HepG2/C3A cells

Abstract

The most abundant glycoalkaloid present on the tomato plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) is the ?-tomatine. It is found specially on the green fruit and has been described as a compound with antimutagenic, antinflamatory, immunomodulator, fungicide and bactericide properties. Its inhibitory activity is highly effective against many human cell lines, including the neoplastic ones. Some studies have revealed that this glycoalkaloid can react and desistabilize cell membranes, and it also induces apoptosis, but is known that the classical apoptotic pathways are not involved. The mechanism involved in the cell death by ?-tomatine could be related to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in which the accumulation of misfolded proteins on the ER - a common situation in tumor cells - activates a cellular response that attempts to maintain homeostasis. However, in some situations, the response is not sufficient to restore normal ER function and cells die by apoptosis.