Turkish Journal of Biology

Hydroxyurea Induces p53 Accumulation and Apoptosis in Human Cervical Carcinoma Cells
Hakan AKÇA
Akdeniz University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Arapsuyu, Antalya - TURKEY
Osman Nidai ÖZEŞ
Cancer Research Center, Walther Oncology Center, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Building R4, Room 340. Indianapolis/Indiana/USA

Abstract: Cervical carcinoma is one type of cancer with a high mortality rate in women. In this research, we investigated the cytotoxic, antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of hydroxyurea on a human cervical carcinoma cell line, HeLa. We found that hydroxyurea has cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects on HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. We also found that hydroxyurea can increase cellular levels of p53 and p21, and induce DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner. We concluded that the observed antiproliferative, cytotoxic and apoptosis inducing activities of hydroxyurea might be mediated by the induction of p53 and its transcriptional target, p21.

Key Words: Hydroxyurea, p53, p21, Cervical Carcinoma, DNA fragmentation, Apoptosis

Turk. J. Biol., 26, (2002), 145-150.
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Other articles published in the same issue: Turk. J. Biol.,vol.26,iss.3.