title: [Studies on red orpiment induction of NB4 and HL-60 cell apoptosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the possible mechanism of red orpiment, which is main component of composite indigo naturalis tablets, in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL).
  
  
  METHODS
  The effect of red orpiment on induction of APL cell line NB4 and HL-60 apoptosis were studied by cell morphology, DNA gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Red orpiment induced NB4 and HL-60 cell apoptosis. When treated with different concentration of red orpiment(25-200 micrograms/ml) for 16 hours, both NB4 and HL-60 cells showed typical apoptosis features. If decreased the concentration of red orpiment to 12.5 micrograms/ml, the NB4 cell still showed apoptosis features while the HL-60 cell did not when cultured for 72 hours. Arsenic disulfide(As2S2) had the same effect as red orpiment did under the same experiment condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is the main component, As2S2 of the red orpiment that can induces NB4 and HL-60 cell apoptosis. and the red orpiment is responsible for the high CR rate of APL induced by the composite indigo naturalis tablets.
authors.affiliation: No. 210 Hospital of PLA, Dalian 116021.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000473:pathology; D008419:Materia Medica / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001152:Arsenicals; D008419:Materia Medica; D010087:Oxides; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide