Reyes-Zurita, Fernando J.Rufino Palomares, Eva E.García Salguero, LeticiaPeragón, JuanMedina, Pedro P.Parra Puerto, AndrésCascante i Serratosa, MartaLupiáñez, José A.2016-12-022016-12-022016-01-111932-6203https://hdl.handle.net/2445/104424Maslinic acid (MA) is a natural triterpene present in high concentrations in the waxy skin of olives. We have previously reported that MA induces apoptotic cell death via the mito- chondrial apoptotic pathway in HT29 colon cancer cells. Here, we show that MA induces apoptosis in Caco-2 colon cancer cells via the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in a dose- dependent manner. MA triggered a series of effects associated with apoptosis, including the cleavage of caspases -8 and -3, and increased the levels of t-Bid within a few hours of its addition to the culture medium. MA had no effect on the expression of the Bax protein, release of cytochrome-c or on the mitochondr ial membrane potential. This suggests that MA triggered the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in this cell type, as opposed to the intrinsic pathway found in the HT29 colon-cancer cell line. Our results suggest that the apoptotic mechanism induced in Caco-2 may be different from that found in HT29 colon-cancer cells, and that in Caco-2 cells MA seems to work independently of p53. Natural antitumoral agents capable of activating both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways could be of great use in treating colon-cancer of whatever origin.16 p.application/pdfengcc-by (c) Reyes-Zurita, Fernando J. et al., 2016http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/esOlis vegetalsCàncer colorectalDiferenciació cel·lularProteïnesVegetable oilsColorectal cancerCell diferentiationProteinsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article6562712016-12-02info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess26751572