ABSTRACT
Objective To study the apoptosis of human colorectal cancer HT-29 cells induced by Aralia elata Seem leaf total saponin (ETS) and its effects on the expression of relevant proteins. Methods MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of human colorectal cancer HT-29 cells cultivated with different concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg) of ETS. Hoechst33258 staining and laser confocal imaging were used to detect the apoptotic cells. Morphological changes were observed. The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by immuno-histochemistry. Results ETS could induce apoptosis of HT-29 cells and apoptosis was in a dose-dependent manner in a certain range. ETS could decrease the expression of Bcl-2 and increase the expression of Bax in HT-29 cells (P<0.05, P<0.01), showing a significant dose-effect relationship. Conclusion ETS can induce the apoptosis of HT-29 cells, and the mechanism may be related to reducing the expression of Bcl-2 and increasing the expression of Bax.