RESUMO
AIM To explore the effect of berberine in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis of gastric cancer cell MGC 803.METHODS The MGC 803 cell morphology and cell counting were studied by Trypan blue, MTT, Methyl green pyronin stain assay, the MGC 803 cell DNA changes were investigated by flow cytometry and agarose gel electrophoresis.RESULTS Berberine could significantly inhibit the growth of MGC 803. After 48 hours of treatment with different concentration berberine (8, 4, 2, 1 mg?L -1 ), the inhibitive rate of MGC 803 were 86 7%, 65 9%, 20 0%, 0%, respectively. Meanwhile, MGC 803 showed typical apoptosis features: cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation and formation of apoptotic bodies. A typical subdiploid peak before G 0/G 1 phase was observed by flow cytometry. The Trypan blue stain achromatophilia rates of death cells, which with well membranes, were between 60%～82%. Agarose gel electrophoresis analysis, which showed that the chromosomes of MGC 803 were broken by berberine before the structures of membrane were damaged, while DNA broke into long fragments rather than small fragments, supported that the activation effect of berberine on nuclease was mild.CONCLUSION Berberine could significantly inhibit proliferation of gastric cancer cell MGC 803 and induced apoptosis, and the cytotoxicity of berberine on MGC 803 was weak.