title: Hedyotis Diffusa Willd extract induces apoptosis via activation of the mitochondrion-dependent pathway in human colon carcinoma cells.
abstract: Hedyotis Diffusa Willd has been used as a major component in several Chinese medicine formulations for the clinical treatment of colorectal cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of Hedyotis Diffusa Willd remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the cellular effects of the ethanol extract of Hedyotis Diffusa Willd (EEHDW) in the HT-29 human colon carcinoma cell line. We found that EEHDW inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells demonstrating EEHDW-induced cell morphological changes and reduced cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, we observed that EEHDW treatment resulted in DNA fragmentation, loss of plasma membrane asymmetry, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and increase of the ratio of pro-apoptotic Bax to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, suggesting that the HT-29 cell growth inhibitory activity of EEHDW was due to mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis, which may partly explain the anti-cancer activity of Hedyotis Diffusa Willd.
authors.affiliation: Fujian Academy of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Minhou Shangjie, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiumao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Youqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lihui
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Xuzhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhenfeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Sferra
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019073:HT29 Cells; D032064:Hedyotis; D006801:Humans; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D020169:Caspases