title: Effects of Panax notoginseng saponins on proliferation and differentiation in NIH3T3 cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on the proliferation and differentiation in NIH3T3 cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  NIH3T3 cells were treated by various concentrations of PNS 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.40 g/L. The vitality and proliferation potential of cells were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured by p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) assay, and the mineralization formation ability was tested for the cellular differentiation toward osteoblast, as well as the expression level of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2(P-ERK1/2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) protein kinase was analyzed by Western blot with total cell lysate of NIH3T3 cells treated by PNS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both MTT and pNPP assay showed that optical density (OD) values were increased in response to PNS treatment at a dose-dependent pattern. The mineralization formation ability was enhanced in PNS-treated NIH3T3 cells compared with untreated cells. Meanwhile, the expression level of P-ERK1/2 protein kinase was up-regulated in PNS-treated NIH3T3 cells, while, the expression level of ERK1/2 protein kinase revealed no obvious difference with or without PNS treated cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PNS could pay a role to promote the proliferation and differentiation in NIH3T3 cells by means of up-regulation of P-ERK1/2 protein kinase.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology, the First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xu-Dai
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Xiao-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Rui-Lan
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000378:metabolism; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000737:chemistry*; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D012503:Saponins; D015675:Osteocalcin; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium