Growth inhibitory effect of D-allose on human ovarian carcinoma cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND D-allose is a rare sugar found in nature and, because of its very limited amount and of the high cost associated with its synthesis, its physiological functions remain virtually unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of D-allose on the proliferation of human ovarian carcinoma cells in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS Human ovarian carcinoma cells (OVCAR-3 cell line) were exposed to rare sugars including D-allose, D-altrose, D-psicose and D-talitol. Cell growth was evaluated by MTT assay. Cell cycle analysis was carried out by flow cytometric assay. The expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins was determined by Western blot analysis. TUNEL assay was employed for the detection of apoptotic cells. RESULTS D-allose had a significant inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, and caused a moderate G2/M arrest in the cell cycle, up-regulation of Cdk inhibitors p21 and p27 levels, and the induction of apoptosis in OVCAR-3 cells. CONCLUSION Our results show, for the first time, that D-allose inhibits the growth of ovarian carcinoma cells in vitro. Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear, these findings suggest that D-allose possesses a novel inhibitory property on ovarian carcinoma cell proliferation, and may represent a new class of compounds with possible therapeutic potential.