title: [Effect of ginsenoside on apoptosis of human leukemia-60 cells].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of ginsenoside on apoptosis of human leukemia-60 (HL-60) cells and its mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  MTT cytotoxicity assay was used to determine the growth inhibition activity of ginsenoside (100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.125 and 1.5625 μmol/L) on HL-60 cells. The apoptosis of HL-60 cells after treatment with ginsenoside (0,5,10 and 20 μmol/L) was determined by Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry. The cleavage of total proteins by caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3 was evaluated by Western blot. The cleavage of caspase-3 protein was detected by Western blot after treatment with 10 μmol/L ginsenoside and caspase-8 and 9 inhibitors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ginsenoside had potent cytotoxicity on HL-60 cells, with an IC50 value of 7.3±1.2 μmol/L. After treatment with ginsenoside (0, 5, 10 and 20 μmol/L) for 48 hours, the apoptotic rate displayed a dose dependency, as shown by flow cytometry, with significant differences between the groups (F=12.67, P<0.01). Western blot showed that there were caspase-9 and caspase-3 cleavage bands, but without caspase-8 cleavage band. The specific inhibitor of caspase-9 Z-LEHD-FMK could block the caspase-3 cleavage induced by 10 μmol/L ginsenoside, but the specific inhibitor of caspase-8 Z-IETD-FMK did not have this effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ginsenoside can induce apoptosis of HL-60 cells, which may be related to a mitochondria-dependent pathway.
authors.affiliation: Luoyang Vocational and Technical College, Luoyang, Henan 471000, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Meng
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiao-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Yu-Zhu
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zang
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000502:physiology; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D036145:Ginsenosides; D053453:Caspase 9