[Apoptosis inducing effect of Hechanpian on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To study the apoptosis inducing effects of Hechanpian (HCP) on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. METHODS: HCP containing rat serum was prepared and applied on A549 cells. The cell growth inhibition rate was tested by MTT assay; the effect of HCP on cell apoptosis was observed with Propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry analysis; the mRNA expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was detected through RT-PCR. RESULTS: The growth of A549 cells was obviously inhibited after being treated by HCP containing serum, and the cells presented an apoptotic change. The cell apoptosis rate after treated by serum containing 10% and 20% HCP was 20.5% and 33.2%, respectively, significantly higher than that in the control (6.1% in cells didn't treated with HCP, P < 0.05). Compared with control, EGFR mRNA expression in HCP treated cells was significantly lower (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HCP has apoptosis inducing effect on A549 cell, and its molecular mechanism is probably correlated with the inhibition of EGFR gene transcription.