Prostate cancer is one of the most common non-
skin cancers in men.
Amygdalin is one of the nitrilosides, natural
cyanide-containing substances abundant in the seeds of plants of the
prunasin family that have been used to treat
cancers and relieve
pain. In particular, D-
amygdalin (D-
mandelonitrile-beta-D-gentiobioside) is known to exhibit selective killing effect on
cancer cells. Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is an important mechanism in
cancer treatment. In the present study, we prepared the aqueous extract of the
amygdalin from Armeniacae semen and investigated whether this extract induces apoptotic cell death in human DU145 and LNCaP
prostate cancer cells. In the present results, DU145 and LNCaP cells treated with
amygdalin exhibited several morphological characteristics of apoptosis. Treatment with
amygdalin increased expression of Bax, a
pro-apoptotic protein, decreased expression of Bcl-2, an
anti-apoptotic protein, and increased
caspase-3 enzyme activity in DU145 and LNCaP
prostate cancer cells. Here, we have shown that
amygdalin induces apoptotic cell death in human DU145 and LNCaP
prostate cancer cells by
caspase-3 activation through down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax. The present study reveals that
amygdalin may offer a valuable option for the treatment of
prostate cancers.