-acetoxyisovalerylalkannin suppresses proliferation and induces ROS-based mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in human melanoma cells

beta-acetoxyisovalerylalkannin (beta-AIVA) is one of shikonin/alkannin derivative, which were mainly extracted from Boraginaceae family. The effects of beta-AIVA on human melanoma A375 cells and U918 cells were investigated in vitro. The CCK-8 assay showed that beta-AIVA inhibited proliferation of cells. Results from flow cytometry, ROS assay and JC-1 assay showed that beta-AIVA increased late apoptosis rate, induced the production of ROS and promoted mitochondrial depolarization in cells. beta-AIVA regulated expressions of BAX and Bcl-2 proteins, and increased the expression of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3. These findings suggest that beta-AIVA may be a potential therapeutic drug for treating melanoma. [GRAPHICS] .