RESUMEN
This paper investigated the effect of total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris on the proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy of human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. The saponin content was detected by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. Cell coun-ting kit-8(CCK-8) assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole(DAPI) staining, and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of total saponins of Panacis Majoris Rhizoma on cell viability, morphology, cell cycle and apoptosis of HeLa cells. Western blot was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins B cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved caspase-3, autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1 and SQSTM1(p62), and the proteins related to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin(PI3K/Akt/mTOR) and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathways. It was found that the yield and saponin content of total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris were 6.3% and 78.3%, respectively. Total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris could significantly inhibit the proliferation(P<0.001), effect the nuclear morphology, block the G_0/G_1 cycle, and induce cell apoptosis in HeLa cells with a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved caspase-3, and autophagy-related protein p62(P<0.05), while down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and autophagy-related protein Beclin-1(P<0.01). Total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris could promote the expression of p-p38/p38, p-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK)/JNK, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, p-mTOR/mTOR proteins in PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways(P<0.05). In contrast, the effect on p-ERK/ERK expression was not obvious. Therefore, total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris may inhibit autophagy and promote apoptosis of HeLa cells through the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR, c-JNK, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways, which indicates that total saponins from Rhizoma Panacis Majoris may have a potential role in cervical cancer treatment.