Aqueous extract of Huang-lian induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells via P53- mediated mitochondrial apoptosis

ABSTRACT

The current study was designed to evaluate the activity of the aqueous extract of Huang-lian, and the main apoptosis pathway induced by the extracts of Huang-lian was detected on lung cancer. Antiproliferactive activity was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and TUNEL methods against human lung cancer cells (A549). Huang-lian regulated the Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondrial pathway via p53 and was detected by western blot. It increased the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-3 cleavage increased as the time increased. These results suggested that Huang-lian regulated the Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondrial via p53 pathway, suggesting that Huang-lian should be further investigation as a natural agent for treating and preventing cancer.