Alpha-eleostearic acid induces autophagy-dependent cell death through targeting AKT/mTOR and ERK1/2 signal together with the generation of reactive oxygen species

Alpha-eleostearic acid (α-ESA, 9Z11E13E-18:3), a linolenic acid isomer with a conjugated triene system, is a natural and biologically-active compound that has been shown to possess potent anti-tumor properties. Herein, we demonstrate α-ESA induced apoptosis and autophagy with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in HeLa cells. Treatment with α-ESA caused inhibition of phosphorylated (p)AKT and elongated the sub G1 phase in the cell cycle,...