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Baicalein suppresses the proliferation of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling

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Abstract

Although the response rates of chemotherapy in patients with acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) have improved significantly, the outcome of these patients is still poor. Previous studies suggested that baicalein could inhibit the growth of several cancers, while its effect on T-ALL cells remains unclear. We used Jurkat cells as an in vitro model of T-ALL. Cell counting kit-8 assay and cytometric analysis with Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining were used to investigate the proliferation and apoptosis of Jurkat cells treated with increasing concentration of baicalein for indicated time. RT-PCR and western blotting was used to test the expression of Wnt/β-catenin associated genes and proteins. In cell viability assay, baicalein could inhibit the proliferation of Jurkat cells both in dose- and time-dependent manners. In cell apoptosis assay, baicalein could stimulate apoptosis of Jurkat cells both in dose- and time-dependent manners. Moreover, we demonstrated that baicalein could down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of β-catenin and its widely accepted downstream targets (c-Myc, cyclin D1, and Axin2) in dose-dependent manners. These results proved that baicalein might be a potential choice for the treatment of T-ALL.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Research Fund from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81470007).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Center for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, 169 Donghu Road, Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People’s Republic of China

      Xiaoping Liu & Xiangyu Meng

    2. Department of Hematology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, 169 Donghu Road, Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, People’s Republic of China

      Shengcai Liu, Li He & Shangqin Liu

    3. School of Basic Medical Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

      Jiarui Chen

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    1. Xiaoping Liu
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    Correspondence to Xiangyu Meng or Shangqin Liu.

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    Xiaoping Liu and Shengcai Liu contributed equally to this work.

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    Liu, X., Liu, S., Chen, J. et al. Baicalein suppresses the proliferation of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Ann Hematol 95, 1787–1793 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-016-2766-z

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-016-2766-z

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