Plumbagin treatment leads to apoptosis in human K562 leukemia cells through increased ROS and elevated TRAIL receptor expression

This study examined the ability of plumbagin to induce apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Plumbagin exposure led to a significant reduction in cell viability and the induction of apoptosis. Mechanistically, plumbagin treatment led to elevated levels of ROS. Plumbagin-induced apoptosis was inhibited by N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC) and PEG-catalase. Furthermore, plumbagin exposure led to elevated expression of DR4 and DR5 and increased killing through soluble TRAIL. The plumbagin-induced increase in DR4 and DR5 was inhibited by treatment with NAC. Together, this study suggests that plumbagin may be an effective treatment of CML through increased sensitivity to TRAIL-mediated killing.