Abstract 583: Ghrelingene expression avoiding the D-ribose caused HepG2 cell death

Liver cancer patients could suffer from high saccharide environment due to the malfunction of liver. To mimic this high saccharide environment, HepG2 cells were culture with 30 mM D-riboses. We found that this high concentration of saccharide cause cell death. Cinnamon was report to reduce glucose in model rats. We hypothesized that the administration of cinnamon extracts may benefit liver cancer patients whose metabolism is defected. To test the hypothesis, three different chemical subtypes of cinnamon extracts were added into the culture medium. The adding of all three cinnamon extracts protected HepG2 cells from D-ribose administration and increased around 20% of surviving cells. These protections were even better than the addition of aminoguanidine hemisulfate salt, a chemical used in the treatment of diabetes. The expressions of ghrelin gene and two ghrelin-related genes was monitored by RT-PCR. Ghrelin gene expression was up-regulated in cinnamon treated cells. Also, the ghrelin modify gene, MBOAT4, and ghrelin process enzyme, furin, gene were all detected in HepG2 cells and cinnnamon treated cells. These results demonstrated that if ghrelin expressed in HepG2 cell and maybe liver as well, it can be processed properly. Both ghrelin transcript variants 1 and 3 recombinant plasmid were transfected into HepG2 cells and both transcript variants protected HepG2 cells from the addition of D-ribose without the administration of cinnamon extracts. We conclude that the cinnamon avoids HepG2 cell damage from D-ribose induced oxidative stress by inducing ghrelin gene expression, and through the ghrelin signaling increases cell surviving. Since ghrelin level is abnormally regulated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and post-hepatitic liver cirrhosis, the understanding of how ghrelin been regulated in liver may benefit liver disease patients. Citation Format: Jia Huei Shiu, Chin Hao Huang, Tai Lin Lee, Shih Chieh Lee, Shu Ying Liu, Meng Feng Tsai. Ghrelingene expression avoiding the D-ribose caused HepG2 cell death. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 583. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-583