The present studies were undertaken to analyze the factors regulating 3-hydroxycinnamic acid-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Treatment of human cervix HeLa cells with 3-hydroxycinnamic acid induced apoptosis and G0/G1-phase arrest. The percentage of apoptosis induced by 3-hydroxycinnamic acid in HeLa cells was increased with incubation time. The results also demonstrated that 3-hydroxycinnamic acid increased the expression of p53, caspase-3, Bax and cyclin B. These results demonstrated that 3-hydroxycinnamic acid induced apoptosis through p53- and caspase-3-dependent pathways.
