The Open Cancer Journal

2008, 2 : 31-41
Published online 2008 September 5. DOI: 10.2174/1874079000802010031
Publisher ID: TOCJ-2-31

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Culture Supernatant Induces Cancer Cell Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest

Chao Ma , Jiangbing Zhou , Xiaolu Yin , Chunfa Jie , Dongming Xing , Lijun Du and Ying Zhang
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

ABSTRACT

Human lung cancer remains one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. New approaches are needed for improved lung cancer treatment. In this study, we found that M. tuberculosis culture supernatant (TB-SN) could inhibit human lung cancer cell proliferation through a caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway and induce cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. The active components responsible for the growth inhibitory activities were attributed to some proteins or protein complex with molecular weight more than 100 kD. These findings are significant and may provide new insight into a possible antagonism between M. tuberculosis and lung cancer and also have implications for development of an alternative approach for lung cancer treatment.

Keywords:

M. tuberculosis, lung cancer, cell cycle.