Wolfberry Water Soluble Phytochemicals Down-Regulate ER Stress Biomarkers and Modulate Multiple Signaling Pathways Leading To Inhibition of Proliferation and Induction of Apoptosis in Jurkat Cells.

Phytochemicals have received much recent attention in cancer prevention through simultaneous targeting multiple pathways in the disease progression. Here we determined that wolfberry phytochemicals was chemopreventive on the leukemic Jurkat cell. The water soluble wolfberry fractions (i.e., wolfberry phytochemicals) were enriched in carbohydrates (73.4 ± 4.5 % (w/w)), polyphenolics (1555 ± 112 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g freeze dry powder, including 213 mg rutin/100 g freeze dry powder), and had enhanced antioxidant activity (7771 ± 207 μM Trolox equivalent/100 g freeze dry powder). Wolfberry phytochemicals, but not purified wolfberry polysaccharide fractions, inhibited Jurkat cell proliferation, induced cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in a dose dependent manner starting at 1 mg/ml for 48 h. Wolfberry phytochemicals eliminated cellular reactive oxygen species, declined expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress biomarkers, including glucose regulated protein 78, inositol-requiring protein 1(IRE1), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), and c/EBP-homologous protein, and induced activation of AMP activated protein kinase, stabilization of β-catenin, and inhibition of NFκB, and AKT activity. Simultaneous siRNA knockdown of ATF6, IRE1 and PERK caused inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Data suggested that ER stress and multiple survival/apoptosis signaling pathways were modulated by wolfberry phytochemicals during the apoptotic progression. Consumption of wolfberry could be an efficacious dietary strategy for preventing leukemia.