[Investigation on inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of saponins from Tribulus terrestris on hepatoma cell line BEL-7402].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of saponins from Tribulus terrestris (STT) on liver cancer cell line BEL-7402.


METHODS
MTT, SRB, Wright staining, acridine orange staining, flow cytometry, and Immunofluorescence microscopy were used to evaluate the effects of STT on BEL-7402 cell line.


RESULTS
SMT had potent inhibitory effect on BEL-7402 cell line in a concentration-dependent manner. BEL-7402 cells exibited typical morphological alteration of apoptosis when sub-G1 peak could be seen. The expression of Bcl-2 was decreased in STT treated cells as compared with untreated control cells.


CONCLUSIONS
STT exerts its cytotoxic effect on BEL-7402 cells by inducing apoptosis.
Sun
Bin
B
Life Science School, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
Qu
Wei-jing
WJ
Zhang
Xiao-ling
XL
Yang
Huang-jian
HJ
Zhuang
Xiu-yuan
XY
Zhang
Ping
P
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032444:Tribulus / Q000737:chemistry
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012503:Saponins