Diallyl Trisulfide Inhibits Angiogenic Features of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells by Causing Akt Inactivation and Down-Regulation of VEGF and VEGF-R2

Abstract: We have shown recently that diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a cancer-chemopreventive constituent of garlic, inactivates Akt to trigger mitochondrial translocation of proapoptotic protein BAD in human prostate cancer cells. Because Akt activation is implicated in the promotion of endothelial cell survival and angiogenesis, we hypothesized that DATS may inhibit angiogenesis. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model. Survival of HUVECs was reduced significantly in the presence of DATS in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of approximately 4 μM. The DATS-mediated suppression of HUVEC survival was associated with apoptosis induction characterized by accumulation of subdiploid cells, cytoplasmic histone–associated DNA fragmentation, and cleavage of caspase-3 and poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. The DATS-induced DNA fragmentation was significantly attenuated in the presence of pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk and specific inhibit...