title: Cantharidin induces G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in human gastric cancer SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cells.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cantharidin (CTD) on human gastric cancer cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms of these effects. The human gastric cancer SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cell lines were treated with CTD. MTS assays were then employed to examine cellular proliferation, flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle and apoptosis, and western blot analysis was used to determine protein expression levels. It was found that CTD inhibited the proliferation of the human gastric cancer SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cells in a dose- and time-dependent mannerin vitro. CTD also induced G2/M phase arrest and cellular apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, CTD increased the levels of p21, caspase-7, -8 and -9, activated caspase-3, poly ADP ribose polymerase and Bad, but decreased the levels of cyclin-dependent kinase 1, cyclin A and B, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bid. The present results suggested that CTD may inhibit the proliferation of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cellsin vitroby inducing G2/M phase arrest and cell apoptosis. CTD may induce cellular G2/M phase arrest by regulating cycle-associated proteins and induce apoptosis by activating a caspase cascade or regulating the Bcl-2 family proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chenjing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhongting
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xinglu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Laisheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiangfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yimiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Binjiang Campus of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China ; Department of Gastroenterology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wensheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pan
keywords: Bcl-2 family; G2/M phase arrest; apoptosis; cantharidin; caspase; gastric cancer