Antitumor activity of physcion 8-o-β-glucopyranoside against cervical cancer by induction of apoptosis

Purpose: To investigate the antitumor activity of physcion8-O-β-glucopyranoside (PSG) against cervical cancer, as well as its mechanisms. Methods: The anti-proliferative effects of PSG on HeLa cells were determined by CCK-8 assay and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were calculated. Subsequently, a mouse xenograft model of HeLa cell line was established to investigate the antitumor effect of PSG in vivo. Furthermore, cell apoptosis was investigated by fluorescence microscopy via DAPI staining, and other mechanisms were determined by Western blot assay. Results: In vitro, PSG exhibited significant anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cells (p <0.05) in concentration-and time-dependent manners, with an IC50 value of 41.34 μg/mL. In vivo, PSG also had significant anti-tumor activity in nude mouse xenograft model (p < 0.05), inhibiting tumor growth. Furthermore, the results showed that treatment with PSG (20, 40 and 60 μg/mL) for 24 h resulted in significantly increased apoptosis in HeLa cells (p < 0.05). Additionally, Western blot analysis revealed that after exposure to 20, 40 and 60 μg/mL of PSG for 24 h, protein expressions of C-caspase-3, Ccaspase-9 and Bax were markedly up-regulated (p < 0.05) while Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated (p < 0.05). These results confirmed that PSG inhibited HeLa cell growth by inducing mitochondriamediated apoptosis via up-regulation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl2. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that PSG possesses notable anti-tumor activity against cervical cancer and that the mechanisms involve induction of apoptosis by mitochondria-mediated signaling pathway.

Effect of Allium sativum (garlic) methanol extract on viability and apoptosis of human leukemic cell lines

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Allium sativum (garlic) methanol extract on viability and apoptosis of human leukemic cells. Methods: Cell viability was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at concentrations of 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 ug/mL of Allium sativum extract following 48-h treatment on U-937, Jurkat Clone E6-1 and K-562 cell lines. The mode of cell death was determined by Annexin V-FITC staining and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: The results show that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of A. sativum on U-937, Jurkat Clone E6-1, K-562 cell lines was 105 ± 2.21, 489 ± 4.51 and 455 ± 3.13 μg/mL, respectively, compared with negative control, while apoptosis was 17.93 ± 0.95 % for U-937 cells (p ≤ 0.05), 38.37 ± 1.88 % for Jurkat Clone E6-1 cells (p ≤ 0.001) and 16.37 ± 1.10 % for K-562 cells. A majority of the cells were inhibited by the extract via apoptosis. Only U-937 cells (6.87 ± 0.65 %) showed significant necrosis compared to negative control (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: K-562 cells are the most resistant against garlic extract, in contrast to Jurkat Clone E6-1 cells. Garlic extract does not induce necrosis in Jurkat Clone E6-1 and K-562 cells.