BETULINIC ACID-MEDIATED INDUCTION IN APOPTOSIS AND INHIBITION IN LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE ACTIVITY IN MURINE ASCITES DALTON’S LYMPHOMA
Anamika Bhaumik*, Arun Bahadur Gurung, Atanu Bhattacharjee and Surya Bali Prasad
ABSTRACT
Betulinic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid originally isolated from the bark of the white birch Betula pubescens, from which it got its name. Antitumor potential of betulinic acid against murine ascites Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) has been established. The light, fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy based study showed that DL cells treated with betulinic acid depicted typical apoptotic features which could be imperative in its antitumor activity. Betulinic acid treatment also caused a significant decrease in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in DL cells. Further, molecular docking study revealed the strong binding affinity of betulinic acid with LDH which could be noteworthy in resulting decreased LDH activity. Based on these findings, it may be suggested that along with the induction in apoptosis, lactate dehydrogenase could be a possible target for betulinic acid-mediated antitumor activity in DL-bearing mice, since its inhibition by betulinic acid may decrease energetic and anabolic supply to cancer cells, which could be one of the important factors to reduce the metastatic and invasive potential of DL cells.
Keywords: Betulinic acid, Apoptosis, Dalton’s lymphoma, Lactate dehydrogenase, Molecular docking.
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