ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects and the possible mechanisms of berberine in human cervical cancer Hela cell line in vitro. Methods Cell growth rate was determined with MTT assay. TUNEL was used to examine cell apoptos rate. The expression of COX-2 and Bcl-2 proteins were detected by immunocytochemistry method. Results Berberine induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma Hela cells in time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. Berberine could down-regulated the Bcl-2 protein expression of Hela cells,but had no significant influence in the expression of COX-2 protein. Conclusion Berberine can inhibit Hela cell growth of cervical carcinoma and induce apoptosis in vitro. Down-regulation of the Bcl-2 protein expression may be involved in berberine-induced apoptosis of HeLa cells.