ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effects of matrine on inducing autophagy and autophagic death in BEL-7402 cells. Methods BEL-7402 cells were cultured in RPMI1640 alone or exposed to different concentration of matrine. Cell growth inhibition was assessed by MTT assay. Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Autophagosome marker LC3 was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy. The ultrastructure change of cells was analyzed by transmission electron microscope. Results The cell proliferation was inhibited by matrine in a dose dependent manner. Its IC50 value was 1.1 mg/mL at 48 h. Treatment with 0.6-1.6 mg/mL matrine for 12 h induced apoptosis of BEL-7402 cells and the apoptosis rate reached (44.88?0.78)% at concentration of 1.2 mg/mL. The autophagy positive cells were greatly increased after 1.2 mg/mL matrine treated in BEL-7402 cells and the number of cells reached (63.16?0.29)%. Morphological features of typical autophagic death were apparent in the cytoplasm at the ultrastructural level. Conclusion Matrine could induce autophagy and autophagic death of BEL-7402 cells in vitro.