title: Berberine complexes with DNA in the berberine-induced apoptosis in human leukemic HL-60 cells.
abstract: Berberine, an alkaloid initially isolated from Chinese herbal medicine exhibited the ability to induce morphological changes and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, characteristic of apoptosis in promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. Cell cycle studies showed that only about 20% of the cells underwent apoptosis at the early time (6 h) of berberine (25 micrograms/ml) treatment; these appeared to be cells in S phase at the time of berberine treatment. At extended time (6-48 h), cells were cell cycle arrested, the number of cells of each phase, particularly the cells of S phase decreased and much more (> 50%) of the cells appeared with DNA content less than G1. Attempts were also made to isolate possible berberine-DNA complexes from cell cultures treated with berberine (25 micrograms/ml; 2-24 h). Shifts of absorption maxima of berberine in the direction of longer wavelengths were observed in the isolated berberine-DNA complexes. Palmatine, an analog of berberine, which was not able to induce apoptosis, also complexed with DNA in cells treated with palmatine (25 micrograms/ml; 2-24 h). Our results suggest that some important cellular processes other than the intracellular DNA-interacting action of berberine may be involved in the berberine-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, Yang Ming Medical College, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Yung
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D001599:Berberine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001600:Berberine Alkaloids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016193:G1 Phase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016196:S Phase; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D001600:Berberine Alkaloids; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D001599:Berberine; C005413:palmatine