title: Paris saponin VII suppressed the growth of human cervical cancer Hela cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Saponins of several herbs are known to induce apoptosis in many cancer cells. The present study aimed to investigate the growth inhibitory effect of Paris saponin VII (PS VII), a kind of steroidal saponins from Chonglou (Rhizoma Paridis Chonglou), on the human cervical cancer cell line Hela and the relative molecular mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hela cells were exposed to different concentrations of PS VII (1 to 100 μM). Inhibition of cell proliferation was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. The amount of apoptotic cells was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis. And the protein level of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, Bax, and Bcl-2 was evaluated by Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of PS VII for the growth inhibition of Hela cells was 2.62 ± 0.11 μM. PS VII increased the expression of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax while decreased that of Bcl-2, suggesting that PS VII may induce apoptosis through intrinsic apoptotic ways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that PS VII has the potential for the treatment of cervical cancer.
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710021, People's Republic of China. 1411833615@qq.com.
authors.forename: Dian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zhaoyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dongna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012503:Saponins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D053148:Caspase 3