Resorcinol alleviates alpha-terpineol-induced cell death in Schizosaccharomyces pombe via increased activity of the antioxidant enzyme Sod2.

Abstract

Alpha-terpineol, popular monoterpenoid alcohol, is known to cause cytotoxicity in a few cancer cells or to have antioxidant activity, but underlying mechanisms or apoptotic processes in yeast cell death should be understood. We used the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) as a unicellular model to monitor cellular toxicology and physiological mechanisms for the involvement of alpha-terpineol in cell death. Alpha-terpineol caused Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and following cytotoxicity and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of oxidative stress was proved using sod1 and sod2 mutants (antioxidant-limited cells), and the results showed that apoptosis was caused by alpha-terpineol-driven oxidation. In addition, resorcinol, a herbal extract from medicinal plants, showed protective activity against alpha-terpineol cytotoxicity. Survival rates, apoptotic cell death ratios, oxidation levels, and antioxidant gene expressions were completely altered; surprisingly sod1 and sod2 levels dramatically increased. However, sod2 was highly upregulated in response to resorcinol treatment with alpha-terpineol. The potential role of the Sod2 enzyme was proved using sod2 mutant cells that do not have a mitochondrial radical-clearing activity. Consequently, the dose-dependent and ROS-mediated cytotoxic/apoptotic effects of alpha-terpineol and the Sod2-dependent protective and antioxidant effects of resorcinol were demonstrated in unicellular model organism S. pombe by this study.

• Authors: Hizlan Hincal Agus, Ahsen Cetin, Nurcan Ozdemir, Melis Gulay Ozbay, Muhammet Ali Caglar, Mehmet Ali Sariyildiz, Umut Yildiz
• Journal: FEMS yeast research (FEMS Yeast Res) Vol. 22 Issue 1 (11 11 2022) ISSN: 1567-1364 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 36309474 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.

Chemical References

• alpha-terpineol
• Antioxidants
• Reactive Oxygen Species
• Resorcinols
• Superoxide Dismutase-1

Topics

• Antioxidants (metabolism)
• Apoptosis
• Reactive Oxygen Species (metabolism)
• Resorcinols (pharmacology)
• Schizosaccharomyces (metabolism)
• Superoxide Dismutase-1 (metabolism)