Glycoprotein isolated from Laminaria japonica (LJGP) is known to exhibit significant cytotoxic activity against human cancer cells; however, the mechanisms of its cytoxicity are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated further possible mechanisms by which LJGP exerts its anti-cancer action in cultured human gastric carcinoma AGS cells. LJGP treatment of AGS cells resulted in inhibition of growth and induction of apoptosis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, as determined by MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry analysis. The increase in apoptosis was associated with up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression, down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and IAP family members, and activation of caspase-3 and -9. LJGP treatment markedly down-regulated the activity of telomerase and expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase, a main determinant of telomerase enzymatic activity, with inhibition of Sp1 and c-Myc expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, LJGP treatment also caused a progressive decrease in the expression levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 without significant changes in the levels of COX-1, which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin E2 synthesis. These results provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of LJGP.

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