Abstract
Purpose:
Chrysin is a natural flavnoid and has been reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in various tumor cells. However, the effect of chrysin on uveal melanoma cells has not been reported. The present study investigated the effects of chrysin on the viability of cultured human uveal melanoma cells and compared with normal ocular cells.
Methods:
Cell viability of two immortal cell lines of uveal melanoma (SP6.5 and M17) treated by chrysin (0, 10, 30 and 100 μM) was studied using the MTT test. Normal uveal melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE19) were used as the controls. Cell apoptosis was determined by annexin V-FITC staining. All studies were conducted in triplicate.
Results:
Chrysin showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the cell viability in two uveal melanoma cell lines treated. Cell viability in cells treated with 30-100 μM chrysin was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that in cells not treated with chrysin. The ID50 in SP6.5 and M17 cell lines were 28.3 and 35.8 μM, respectively. Annexin V-FITC staining showed that chrysin (30-100 μM) could induce apoptosis of uveal melanoma cells. Chrysin at 10-100 μM did not change the cell viability in normal uveal melanocytes or retinal pigment epithelial cells.
Conclusions:
Chrysin reduced the cell viability and caused apoptosis of uveal melanoma cells at 30-100 μM, but did not influence the cell viability of normal uveal melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelial cells at identical dosages. These findings suggest that chrysin has a specific cytotoxic effect on uveal melanoma cells.