Resveratrol inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line C666-1 through AMPK activation

Background: Resveratrol, a natural phenolic compound found in red grapes, has been reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis via regulation of AMPK signaling pathways in several cancer cell types. However, little is known about the effect of resveratrol on the human Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell line C666-1. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of resveratrol-mediated apoptosis in C666-1 cells remain to be clarified. Methods: Cell proliferation was measured by CCK8 assay, cell apoptosis rate was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis, and the protein expression alterations of AMPK signaling pathways were detected by Western blotting. Results: Treatment of resveratrol inhibited cell viability and promote apoptosis of C666-1 cells. In addition, we showed that resveratrol could also activate caspase-3 and alter the Bax/Bcl-2 apoptotic signaling. Furthermore, all these changes may be due to the activation of AMPK activity by resveratrol treatment, and we also found that the p70S6K and s6 activities, downstream factors of AMPK, were also blocked by resveratrol. Conclusion: Our results revealed that resveratrol can be regarded as a new effective and chemopreventive compound for human NPC treatment.