Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of resveratrol （Res） on autophagy and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. Methods A549 cells were divided into control group and resveratrol group （Res group）. Res group cells were treated with 50 μmol/L resveratrol，and the control group cells were cultured with DMEM containing 2% FBS. The morphological changes were observed by inverted microscopy. The formation of autophagosomes was observed by laser scanning confocoal. The expression of the autophagy-related proteins Beclin1，LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ，p62 and apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2，Bax，Active caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Results After 24 h culture，the cell in the Res group were more round and sparsely arranged than those in the control group. A large number of autophagy bodies formed in the cytoplasm. Western blot showed that Beclin1 and and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ expression were increased in A549 cells in the Res group than in the control group（0.151±0.032 vs 0.093±0.013，P=0.011；3.644±0.122 vs 1.903±0.054，P＜0.001），but p62 protein expression was reduced（0.032±0.002 vs 0.061±0.005，P=0.021） in the Res group. The expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and activated caspase-3 were increased in the Res group（0.633±0.061 vs 0.423±0.053，P=0.011；0.154±0.004 vs 0.111±0.011，P=0.002）. However，the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was reduced in the Res group（2.437±0.055 vs 3.503±0.138，P＜0.001）. Conclusion Resveratrol induces non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells apoptosis by promoting excessive autophagy.

Key words: Non-small cell lung cancer, A549 cells, Resveratrol, Autophagy, Apotosis