Influence of novel supramolecular substance, [2] rotaxane, on the caspase signaling pathway in melanoma and colon cancer cells in vitro.

We studied the influence of novel supramolecular substance, [2] rotaxane (TRO-A0001), on caspase signaling and cell viability in cancer cell lines. TRO-A0001 suppressed concentration-dependently cell proliferation. Expression of the cleaved-form caspase-3 and PARP was significantly increased in cells exposed to TRO-A0001. The expression of Bax was increased by TRO-A0001. Furthermore, the down-regulation of Bax by siRNA resulted in growth activation significantly. The morphological analysis demonstrated that TRO-A0001 increased the levels of apoptotic cells in human cancer cell lines. These results suggest that TRO-A0001 induces apoptosis in cancer cells and holds potential as a new anti-tumor medicine.