Effects of dietary agents on the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis in prostate cancer. The extrinsic pathway is triggered by death receptors and involves activation of the initiator caspase-8, which directly activates caspase-3 causing apoptosis. The intrinsic pathway is activated by different apoptotic stimuli that lead to release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and activation of caspase-9. This step can be inhibited by the anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulators. Cytochrome c interacts with APAF-1 and caspase-9 to promote the activation of caspase-3. Most dietary agents interfere with the key regulators of the apoptotic pathway.
