The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways activated during cytostasis induced by Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) inhibition in prostate cancer cells were investigated. iPLA2 inhibition using siRNA, or the selective inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL) and it's enantiomers, decreased growth in LNCaP (p53 positive) and PC-3 (p53 negative) human prostate cancer cells. Decreased cell growth correlated to time- and concentration-dependent activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 in both cell lines. Inhibition of cytosolic iPLA(2)beta using S-BEL, induced significantly higher levels of P-p53, p53, p21 and P-p38 expression than inhibition of microsomal iPLA2 gamma using R-BEL. Inhibition of p38 using SB202190 or SB203580 inhibited BEL-induced increases in P-p53 (ser15), p53 and p21, and altered the number of cells in G1 in LNCaP cells, and S-phase in PC-3 cells. BEL treatment also induced reactive species in PC-3 and LNCaP cells, which was partially reversed by pretreatment with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). NAC subsequently inhibited BEL-induced activation of p38 and p53 in LNCaP cells. In addition, treatment of cells with NAC partially reversed the effect of BEL on cell growth and preserved cell morphology. Collectively, these data demonstrate the novel findings that iPLA2 inhibition activates p38 by inducing reactive species, and further suggest that this signaling kinase is involved in p53 activation, cell cycle arrest and cytostasis.
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