Artemisinin as a Chinese medicine, selectively induces apoptosis in pancreatic tumor cell line / 中国结合医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the possible mechanism through which Artemisinin induced apoptosis in pancreatic cell line.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Column chromatography, thin layer chromatography (TLC) and proton NMR spectroscopy were used to purify Artemisinin. The flowcytometry was employed to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The results indicated that 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50 value) for pancreatic cell line (RIN) was 45 μmol/L of Artemisinin. Artemisinin had no cytotoxic effect on the growth of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mechanism of apoptosis was evaluated by measuring intracellular ROS. It was shown that Artemisinin-induced apoptosis occurred independently of the binding of CD95L to CD95 receptor in the RIN cells. Moreover, Artemisinin, in a dose-dependent manner, could significantly increase the level of ROS.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Artemisinin can induce apoptosis in the RIN cells via the generation of ROS and triggering the intrinsic pathway of cell death.</p>