Study for anti-tumor and neuroprotection of extract from bamboo leaf / 中草药

ABSTRACT

In this study, we selected two types of tumor cell lines, HepG2 (VEGF-dependent) and SH-SY5Y (VEGF-independent) to investigate the anti-tumor activity of flavones extract from bamboo leaf (bamboo-leaf flavones) and their molecular mechanism. The bamboo-leaf flavones were used to treat HepG2 and SH-SY5Y cells. The activity of bamboo-leaf flavones in inhibition of the proliferation of HepG2 and SH-SY5Y cells was determined by MTT method. Gene expression of VEGF and VEGFR2 in HepG2 and SH-SY5Y cells was determined by RT-PCR method, so did gene expression of VEGF in HepG2 cells and NGF in SH-SY5Y cells after cells treated by bamboo-leaf flavones. Outgrowth of neurite in SH-SY5Y cells after treated by bamboo-leaf flavones was investigated by inverted fluorescence microscope. Data showed that bamboo-leaf flavones had a significantly higher inhibition to the proliferation of HepG2 cells than that of SH-SY5Y cells. We further observed that HepG2 cells expressed higher levels of VEGF and VEGFR2 cells than those of SH-SY5Y cells and bamboo-leaf flavones down-regulated VEGF expression in HepG2 cells. In addition, we also found bamboo-leaf flavones stimulate the neurite outgrowth in SH-SY5Ycells and up-regulated their NGF expression. Bamboo-leaf flavones could inhibit the proliferation of VEGF-dependent tumor cells by the probable down-regulation of VEGF expression. Meanwhile, bamboo-leaf flavones could stimulate the neurite outgrowth of neurons by the probable up-regulation of the NGF expression. Therefore, bamboo-leaf flavones probably have the dual functions in anti-tumor and neuroprotection.