Differential contribution of ROS to resveratrol-induced cell death and loss of self-renewal capacity of ovarian cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to contribute to the poor prognosis of ovarian cancer as a major cause of fatal recurrence. Identification of effective measures to eliminate ovarian CSCs through induction of cell death and/or loss of self-renewal capacity would, therefore, be key to successful management of ovarian cancer. The effects of resveratrol on the viability and self-renewal capacity of CSCs derived from A2780 human ovarian cancer cells were examined. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also investigated. At a non-toxic to normal human fibroblasts concentration, resveratrol effectively killed ovarian CSCs independently of ROS, while ROS-dependently impaired the self-renewal capacity of ovarian CSCs that survived resveratrol treatment. Our findings not only shed light on a novel mechanism of action for resveratrol but also suggest that resveratrol, or its analogs, may be useful for CSC-directed therapy against ovarian cancer.