Induction of apoptosis by 3,4'-dimethoxy-5-hydroxystilbene in human promyeloid leukemic HL-60 cells.

3, 4'-Dimethoxy-5-hydroxystilbene (DMHS) is a hydroxystilbene compound obtained by methylation and acid hydrolysis of piceid (resveratrol-3-O-glucoside) from Polygonum cuspidatum. Herein, we report that DMHS induces programmed cell death or apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells. We found that treatment of HL-60 cells with DMHS suppressed the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 25 microM. DMHS increased internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in a time-dependent manner. The cell death by DMHS was partially prevented by the caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk. DMHS caused activation of caspases such as caspase-3, -8, and -9. Immunoblot experiments revealed that DMHS-induced apoptosis was associated with the induction of Bax expression. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol was increased in response to DMHS. Taken together, our present results indicated that DMHS leads to apoptotic cell death in HL-60 cells through increased Bax expression and release of cytochrome c into cytosol and may be considered as a good candidate for a cancer chemopreventive agent in humans.