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Garlic organosulfur components exhibit antitumor activity, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects have not been well characterized. We showed that Z-ajoene, a sulfur-rich compound purified from garlic, induced time- and dose-dependent apoptosis in HL-60 cells. This process implied the activation of caspase-3 and the cleavage of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. The caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-[OMe]-fluoromethylketone inhibited Bcl-2 cleavage and apoptosis induced by Z-ajoene. This effect was partially prevented by treatment of HL-60 cells with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. Hence, the transmission of apoptotic signal induced by Z-ajoene involved a reactive oxygen species-dependent pathway leading to caspase-dependent Bcl-2 cleavage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel 3D Co(II) coordination polymer (CP) {Co3(IBT)2(H2O)2}n (1) has been synthesized through the reaction of 4,5-Bis(tetrazol-5-yl)imidazole (H3IBT) with Co(NO3)2 in a mixed solvent of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and water. The structural determination results show that complex 1 is a 3D framework with a (3,4)-connected net. Furthermore, its inhibitory activity on endometrial cancer cells was evaluated and the related mechanism was also discussed in the research. The relative expression of the miRNA29 in endometrial cancer cells was measured with real-time PT-PCR. In addition to this, the western blot was performed to detect the endometrial cancer cell apoptosis after compound treatment for the mechanism exploration. The hypothesis that arises from the experimental observation has been further investigated by using molecular docking simulation, where the possible binding interactions between the ligand and Bcl2 protein are studied explicitly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]