[Investigation on inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of saponins from Tribulus terrestris on hepatoma cell line BEL-7402].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of saponins from Tribulus terrestris (STT) on liver cancer cell line BEL-7402. METHOD: MTT, SRB, Wright staining, acridine orange staining, flow cytometry, and Immunofluorescence microscopy were used to evaluate the effects of STT on BEL-7402 cell line. RESULT: SMT had potent inhibitory effect on BEL-7402 cell line in a concentration-dependent manner. BEL-7402 cells exibited typical morphological alteration of apoptosis when sub-G1 peak could be seen. The expression of Bcl-2 was decreased in STT treated cells as compared with untreated control cells. CONCLUSION: STT exerts its cytotoxic effect on BEL-7402 cells by inducing apoptosis.