Résumé
Aim To investigate the mechanism of the melanoma B16 F10 cells proliferation induced by Lico-chalcone A in vitro. Methods The proliferation of B16 F10 cells induced by Licochalcone A was deter-mined by SRB method. The morphological changes were observed using Giemsa staining under the phase contrast microscope equipped with a digital camera. The melanin level was assessed by colorimetric meth-od. The apoptotic rate was determined by Annexin V-FITC/PI assay. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression levels of B cell lymphoma/lewkmia-2 ( Bcl-2 ) , Bcl-2 associated X protein ( Bax) , the cell cycle protein CyclinE2 and cyclin-dependent kinase-2 ( CDK2 ) CDK2 were detec-ted using Q-PCR analysis. Results The proliferation of B16 F10 cells treated with Licochalcone A was effec-tively inhibited in a concentration and time-dependent manner. A clear morphological change was observed with the increasing concentration of Licochalcone A in B16F10 cells, the dendrite-like projections changed to the narrowing ball shape, which was associated with the increasing melanin level. The low concentration of Licochalcone A could induce B16F10 differentiation, and the high concentration of Licochalcone A could in-duce B16F10 apoptosis, which was accompanied with the increasing G1 phase in cell cycle. The mRNA ex-pression levels of Bcl-2 /Bax, CyclinE2 and CDK2 were markedly reduced. Conclusion Licochalcone A can effectively inhibit the proliferation of B16 F10 cells, induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase, and fur-ther induced differentiation and apoptosis.