Aspirin commits yeast cells to apoptosis depending on carbon source.

The effect of aspirin on the growth of a wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain (EG103), containing both copper,zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a strain deficient in MnSOD (EG110) and a strain deficient in CuZnSOD (EG118) was measured in media containing different carbon sources. Aspirin inhibited the fermentative growth of all three strains in glucose medium. It inhibited the non-fermentative growth of the MnSOD-deficient strain very drastically in ethanol medium and had no effect on this strain in glycerol or acetate medium. The non-fermentative growth of the other two strains was not affected by aspirin. The growth inhibition of strain EG110 was associated with early necrosis in glucose medium and late apoptosis in ethanol medium. The apoptosis was preceded by a pronounced loss of cell viability. The growth inhibitory effect of aspirin was not reversed by the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E. Furthermore, aspirin itself appeared to act as an antioxidant until the onset of overt apoptosis, when a moderate increase in the intracellular oxidation level occurred. This suggested that reactive oxygen species probably do not play a primary role in the apoptosis of cells exposed to aspirin.