Photodynamic activity of aloe-emodin induces resensitization of lung cancer cells to anoikis.

Aloe-emodin was found to be a photosensitizer and possess anti-tumor activity. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the biological effects of aloe-emodin remains unknown. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of photocytotoxicity induced by aloe-emodin in lung cancer H460 cells. According to the results of the photoactivated aloe-emodin-induced disruption of cytoskeleton, we verify that aloe-emodin with irradiation induces anoikis of H460 cells. Photosensitized aloe-emodin-induced anoikis is associated with the protein expression of α-actinin and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase members. In this study, a rapid opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and the change in apoptosis-related protein expression were involved in photoactivated aloe-emodin-induced cell death. We also demonstrated that anoikis induced by aloe-emodin with irradiation is mediated through the intrinsic and extrinsic death pathways in a caspase-dependent manner in H460 cells.