Pardhasaradhi, B V VReddy, MadhurimaAli, A MubarakKumari, A LeelaKhar, Ashok2005-03-122009-06-012005-03-122009-06-012005-03-12Pardhasaradhi BV, Reddy M, Ali AM, Kumari AL, Khar A. Differential cytotoxic effects of Annona squamosa seed extracts on human tumour cell lines: role of reactive oxygen species and glutathione. Journal of Biosciences. 2005 Mar; 30(2): 237-44http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/110794Annonaceous acetogenins are a new class of compounds that have been reported to have potent pesticidal, parasiticidal, anti-microbial, cell growth inhibitory activities. In this study, organic and aqueous extracts from the defatted seeds of Annona squamosa (custard apple) were tested on different human tumour cell lines for antitumoural activity. While organic and aqueous extracts induced apoptosis in MCF-7 and K-562 cells, they failed to do so in COLO-205 cells. Treatment of MCF-7 and K-562 cells with organic and aqueous extracts resulted in nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and reduced intracellular glutathione levels. In addition downregulation of Bcl-2 and PS externalization by Annexin-V staining suggested induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 and K-562 cells by both the extracts through oxidative stress. On the contrary, COLO-205 cells showed only PS externalization but no change in ROS and glutathione levels. These observations suggest that the induction of apoptosis by A. squamosa extracts can be selective for certain types of cancerous cells.engAcetogeninsAnnexin A5Annona --chemistryApoptosis --drug effectsCell Line, TumorDNA Fragmentation --drug effectsElectrophoresis, Agar GelFatty Alcohols --metabolismFlow CytometryGlutathione --metabolismHumansLactones --metabolismPlant Extracts --metabolismReactive Oxygen Species --metabolismReverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionSeeds --chemistryComparative Study