Myricetin enhances on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells mediated by mitochondrial signaling pathway.

Polyphenols have many beneficial effects and an effective disease therapeutic auxiliary drug. Previously, myricetin, a polyphenol, had been reported to possess various biological effects on human physiology. However, mechanism of myricetin on apoptosis induced in PC12 cells is still unclear. PC12 cells were treated with myricetin in two concentration levels comprising 0.1 and 1 μM under serum-free condition. As a result, morphological changes were observed using trypan blue assay. DNA fragmentation was determined by DNA ladder assay to evaluate DNA damage levels. Western blotting results showed that cytosolic cytochrome c which was released from mitochondria. Subsequently, tumor suppressor gene p53, pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were expressed. The caspase cascade reaction was induced through caspase 3 and 9 expression. From these results, it is suggested that myricetin significantly enhanced the apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in a dose-dependent manner in PC12 cells.