Antioxidant activity of Vaccinium stamineum: exhibition of anticancer capability in human lung and leukemia cells.

Fruit of deerberry [Vaccinium stamineum L.] were evaluated for their antioxidant capacity and anticancer properties in JB6 P (+) mouse epidermal cells, human lung and leukemia cells. Deerberries contain potent free radical scavenging activities. Pretreatment of JB6 P (+) mouse epidermal cells with deerberry fruit extracts produced an inhibition on the activation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) induced by either 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) or ultraviolet-B (UVB). Deerberry fruit extracts also blocked TPA- or UVB-induced phosphorylation of ERKs and MEK 1/2, two upstream regulators of AP-1 and inhibited proliferation of human leukemia HL-60 cancer cells and human lung epithelial cancer A549 cells and induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells. These results suggest that the inhibition of TPA- or UVB-induced AP-1 and NF-kappaB activity, inhibition of HL-60 cells and cancer A549 cells proliferation and induction of apoptotic in human leukemia HL-60 cancer cells may be mediated through the ERKs and MEK 1/2 signal pathway.