[Effect of methanol-ethyl acetate partitioned fractions from Descurainia sophia on proliferation and apoptosis of human non-small cell lung cancer H1975 cells].

Objective: To investigate the effects of methanol-ethyl acetate partitioned fractions from Descurainia sophia (MEDS) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human non-small cell lung cancer H1975 cells.
Methods: The systemic solvent extraction method was used to preliminary separation of the effective fractions in the methanol extract of Descurainia sophia . The cytotoxicity of each extract (5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 μg/mL) was tested using MTT assay. Colony cloning method was used to assess the effect of different concentrations of methanol-ethyl acetate partitioned fractions from MEDS (5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 μg/ mL) on the proliferation of H1975 cells. Flow cytometric analysis with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining was performed to detect the apoptosis of the cells after treatment with different concentrations of MEDS fractions (10, 20, and 40 μg/mL). Western blotting was used to evaluate the effects of MEDS fractions on the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Akt, Bax, and Bcl-2. The anti-tumor activity of 100 mg/kg MEDS fractions was tested in a nude mouse model bearing H1975 cell xenografts.
Results: MTT assay and colony forming experiment showed that MEDS fractions significantly inhibited the proliferation of H1975 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner ( P < 0.05). The results of flow cytometry showed that MEDS fractions induced obvious apoptosis of H1975 cells in a concentration-dependent manner ( P < 0.05). MEDS fractions also significantly decreased the expressions of Bcl-2 and Akt protein and increased the protein expression of Bax ( P < 0.05). In the tumor-bearing nude mouse model, MEDS fractions showed potent anti-tumor effects with a low toxicity to affect the body weight and organs of the mice.
Conclusions: The methanol-ethyl acetate partitioned fractions from MEDS show potent anti-tumor activity both in vivo and in vitro , suggesting their value as promising therapeutic agents against lung cancer.