Effects of calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside on cell apoptosis in cervical cancer HeLa cells and expression of Bcl-2/Bax / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the effect of calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (CG) on apoptosis in cervical cancer HeLa cells and expression of Bcl-2/Bax. Methods: HeLa cells were cultured and divided into two groups, including control group and experimental group. Cell viabilities were determined by the MTT method; Apoptosis and cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry; The changes of protein expression of cleaved Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax were detected by Western blotting. Results: From the data of MTT, the cell proliferation of human cervical cancer HeLa cells was inhibited by CG (2.5-100 μg/mL) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry assays showed that EGCG significantly induced the apoptosis in HeLa cells. The apoptosis rate of the experimental group were increased gradually in 48 h after treated with CG (20, 40, and 80 μg/mL), they were 10.40%, 25.50%, and 39.40%, respectively, significantly higher than those in the control group. The data of Western blotting showed that CG down-regulated Bcl-2 and up-regulated cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: CG could inhibit the the proliferation of HeLa cells and promote apoptosis, and the anticancer effect of CG may be associated with the down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and up-regulation of Bax expression, as well as the increase of relative activity of Caspase-3. CG may be a promising antitumor agent for cancer treatment.