[Chinese herbal medicine PC-SPES II induces the apoptosis of androgen-independent prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3].
OBJECTIVE
To study the action mechanism of a Chinese herbal mixture PC-SPES II inducing the apoptosis of androgen independent prostate adenocarcinoma cell line (PC-3).


METHODS
The growth of PC-3 was shown by MTT. Immunofluorescence staining of acridine orange (AO) and flow cytometry were used to detect the apoptosis. The expressions of the apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed with their monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies after Western blotting.


RESULTS
PC-SPES II not only inhibited the growth of PC-3 cells but also induced their death. The apoptosis of PC-3 cells treated with PC-SPES II was detected by immunofluorescence staining of AO and flow cytometry, which showed the apoptotic cells to be (29.8 +/- 5.6)%, but the untreated control cells (0.06 +/- 0.014)%, (P < 0.01). The expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, two antiapoptosis proteins, was decreased while Bax, a pro apoptosis protein, was elevated in the cells treated with PC-SPES II as compared with the untreated control (P < 0.01). Accordingly, the expression of the activated fragments of caspase-3 was also increased (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The Chinese herbal mixture PCSPES II can induce the apoptosis of PC-3. Its mechanism may lie in the up-regulation of Bax expression and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expressions, which induce the activated fragments of caspase-3 by mitochondria.
Du
Guang
G
Department of Urology, ST. Luke's Hospital, Shanghai 200050, China.
Zhang
Zheng-wang
ZW
Zhang
Yong-kang
YK
Guo
Jian-ming
JM
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C114209:herbal preparation PC-SPES