Escin sodium induces apoptosis of human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells.

Escin sodium has been used in the clinic as an antioedematous, antiexudative and vasoprotective agent for many years and has shown excellent tolerability. However, little is known about its anticancer activity. This is a report for the first time that escin sodium exerts a cytotoxic effect on human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells via the induction of apoptosis rather than cell cycle arrest. Escin sodium activated the initiator caspase-8, -9, and the effector caspase-3, degraded poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and attenuated the expression of Bcl-2. In addition, escin sodium inhibited the growth of cancer cells in a selective manner with Jurkat cells most sensitive to it. Taken together, the data show that escin sodium possesses potent apoptogenic activity toward human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells.