ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the inhibitory effect of artesunate on human endometrial carcinoma RL95-2 cell line proliferation in vitro and the possible mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The inhibitory effect of artesunate on the cell proliferation was assessed with MTT assay. Transmission electron miscrosopy was used to observe the morphological change of the cells after the treatment. Flow cytometry was performed to examine the changes in the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels (with DCFH-DA labeling) and mitochondrial membrane potential (rhodamine123 staining), and caspase-3 activity was detected by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Artesunate inhibited the proliferation of RL95-2 cells with an IC(50) of 26.29 microg/ml. Transmission electron microscopy revealed early apoptotic changes of the cells with obvious chromatin fragmentation. The cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1) phase was observed by flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated caspase-3 positivity in cytoplasm. ROS generation in the cells increased obviously after treatment with artesunate for 72 h, which also resulted in lowered mitochondrial membrane potential.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Artesunate suppressed the proliferation of RL95-2 cells in vitro possibly by inducing cell apoptosis.</p>
