It was reported recently that resveratrol could sensitize a number of cancer cells to the antitumoral effects of some conventional chemotherapy drugs. The current study was designed to investigate whether resveratrol could sensitize leukemic cells to proteasome inhibitors.

Leukemic cells were treated with MG132 alone or in combination with resveratrol. Cell viability was investigated using MTT assay, and induction of apoptosis and cell cycle distribution was measured using flow cytometry. Western blot and real-time RT-PCR were used to investigate the expression of FOXO1 and p27Kip1. CHIP was performed to investigate the binding of FOXO1 to the p27 Kip1 promoter.

Resveratrol strongly reduced cytotoxic activities of proteasome inhibitors against leukemic cells. MG132 in combination with resveratrol caused cell cycle blockade at G1/S transition via p27Kip1 accumulation. Knockdown of p27Kip1 using siRNA dramatically attenuated the protective effects of resveratrol on cytotoxic actions of proteasome inhibitors against leukemic cells. Resveratrol induced FOXO1 expression at the transcriptional level, while MG132 increased nuclear distribution of FOXO1. MG132 in combination with resveratrol caused synergistic induction of p27Kip1 through increased recruitment of FOXO1 on the p27Kip1 promoter.

Resveratrol may have the potential to negate the cytotoxic effects of proteasome inhibitors via regulation of FOXO1 transcriptional activity and accumulation of p27Kip1.

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