FE induces loss of ΔΨm and regulation of Bcl-2 family proteins expression.

<p>(A and B) MCF-7 cells were treated with or without 820 µg/mL FE for the indicated time periods. Disruption of ΔΨm was observed by Rh123/PI double staining and analyzed by the IN Cell Analyzer 1000. The percentage of cells retaining Rh123 in each treatment group was compared with the untreated control. (C) MCF-7 cells were treated with or without 820 µg/mL FE for different time periods. Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bax, and Bad were determined by western blotting using specific antibodies. (D) A densitometric analysis was used to quantify the levels of Bax and Bcl-2 to evaluate the effect of FE on the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. (E) Bcl-2 levels in MCF-7/Vec and MCF-7/Bcl-2 cells were detected by Western blotting. MCF-7/Vec and MCF-7/Bcl-2 cells were treated with or without 820 µg/mL FE for 48 h and analyzed by Annexin V/PI assay. All of the experiments were performed at least in triplicate. All results were obtained from three independent experiments. A significant difference between treatment and control groups is indicated by p<0.05(*) or p<0.01(**).