title: [Experimental study of vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis induced by Huotong Capsule].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the anti-atherogenic mechanism of Huotong Capsule (HTC) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  VSMC proliferation model of cultured human embryonal thoracic aorta was established by stimulating VSMC with interleukin-1 (IL-1) and HTC was applied to observe the apoptosis inducing effect by transmission electron microscopy, DNA gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Typical apoptotic cellular changes were found after HTC treatment, the VSMC shrinked, the nuclei disappeared after chromatin agglutination, cellular membrane projected and wrapped the organelle to form apoptotic body. DNA gel electrophoresis showed "ladder" strand of DNA, a special phenomenon of cellular apoptosis. And an Ap peak of degraded DNA could be seen by flow cytometry, which widened and heightened when the concentration of HTC increased. The above-mentioned changes were not found in the blank control and untreated model group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HTC could induce apoptosis of human proliferated VSMC.
authors.affiliation: Chen Keji Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of TCM, Beijing.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000166:cytology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002214:Capsules; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D006801:Humans; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal