ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the anti-proliferation effect of baicalein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE2 cells and to clarify its mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Methods The proliferative activity was detected by CCK-8 assay, and the changes of cell morphology was observed under fluorescence microscope. The rate of apoptosis and the cycle arrest were detected by flow cytometry, and caspase-3 activity was detected by caspase-3 activity kit. Expression of related genes (P53, P21, CDK2, and Caspase-3) at the RNA level were detected by using qRT-PCR. Results Baicalein had a significant inhibitory proliferation effect on CNE2 cells, which was the dose and time-dependent. After 48 h treatment with different concentrations of baicalein, the cells showed obvious apoptotic characteristics, with the increase of apoptotic cells, the activity of caspase-3 was increased, and S phase cells increase. Compared with the control group, the mRNA expression of P53, P21 and Caspase-3 increased, and mRNA expression of CDK2 decreased. Conclusion Baicalein could inhibit the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE2 cells, and may induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in S phase by up regulating the expression of P53.