title: Inhibitory effects of herbal drugs on the growth of human ovarian cancer cell lines through the induction of apoptosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order to develop and search for more effective and safe treatments for early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer, we examined the direct effects of four extracts of Chinese herbal drugs on ovarian cancer cells in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  The growth inhibition of four herbal drugs on a total of six cell lines of human ovarian cancer cells was determined by a Cell Counting Kit-8 by counting viable cells. Apoptotic cells induced by herbal drugs were detected by using MEBCYTO Apoptosis Kit. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The significance of the difference was analyzed with a two-sided Student's t test. A P value less than 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MN, A2780, and KF cell lines exhibited significant growth inhibition in the presence of Sho-saiko-to concentrations of 150 microg/ml, 300 microg/ml, and 500 microg/ml, respectively, and at the concentration of 1000 microg/ml, Sho-saiko-to demonstrated a significant apoptotic induction effect on all six kinds of ovarian cancer cell lines. This concentration is the same as the blood concentration attained when 7.5 g of Sho-saiko-to per day is orally administered and all absorbed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sho-saiko-to exhibited significant growth inhibition of ovarian cancer cell lines, and the mechanisms of the inhibitory effects can be attributed, in part, to apoptosis induced by Sho-saiko-to.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, 880 kita-Kobayashi, Mibu, Shimotsuga, 321-0293 Tochigi, Japan. k-zhu@dokkyomed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ichio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fukasawa
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuno
authors.forename: Fujiyuki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamemori
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kousaka
authors.forename: Yoriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maehama
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inaba
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C402943:bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang; C461320:shosaiko-to