Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine

, Volume 20, Issue 6, pp 430–437 | Cite as

The ethanol extract isolated from Weiqi Decoction (胃祺饮) induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis in AGS cells

  • Hai-lian Shi (石海莲)
  • Bao Tan (谭 宝)
  • Guang Ji (季 光)
  • Lan Lu (鲁 岚)
  • Jian-qun Xie (谢建群)
Original Article

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the effects of the ethanol extract isolated from Weiqi Decoction (胃祺饮, WQD-EE) on AGS cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Methods

By using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detectors (HPLC-UV) assay and MTT method, the main compounds in WQD-EE and cell viability were detected. And cell cycle distributions were determined by flow cytometry with propidium iodine (PI) staining while apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry with annexin V/PI double staining. Finally, caspase-3 activities were measured by colorimetric method and protein expression was determined by Western blotting.

Results

HPLC analysis showed that naringin (35.92 μg/mg), nobiletin (21.98 μg/mg), neohesperidin (17.98 μg/mg) and tangeretin (0.756 μg/mg) may be the main compounds in WQD-EE. WQD-EE not only inhibited AGS and MCF 7 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, but also blocked cell cycle progression at G2/M stage as well as inducing cell apoptosis at concentrations triggering significant inhibition of proliferation and cell cycle arrest in AGS cells. While at 0.5 mg/mL, WQD-EE significantly increased caspase-3 activity by 2.75 and 7.47 times at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Moreover, WQD-EE in one hand reduced protein expressions of p53 and cyclin B1, and in other hand enhanced protein expressions of cytochrome c and Bax. Protein levels of Bcl-2, Fas L and Fas were not significantly affected by WQD-EE.

Conclusions

WQD-EE inhibits AGS cell proliferation through G2/M arrest due to down-regulation of cyclin B1 protein expression, and promotes apoptosis by caspase-3 and mitochondria-dependent pathways, but not by p53-dependent pathway.

Keywords

Weiqi Decoction proliferation apoptosis AGS cells Chinese medicine 

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Copyright information

© Chinese Association of the Integration of Traditional and Western Medicine and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Hai-lian Shi (石海莲)
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
  • Bao Tan (谭 宝)
    • 4
  • Guang Ji (季 光)
    • 1
  • Lan Lu (鲁 岚)
    • 2
    • 3
  • Jian-qun Xie (谢建群)
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute of Digestive Disease, Longhua HospitalShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
  2. 2.Institute of Chinese Materia MedicaShanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
  3. 3.Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex PrescriptionShanghaiChina
  4. 4.Chinese Medicine Hospital of Shanxi ProvinceTaiyuanChina

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