[Differentiation-inducing effect of stepholidine and retinoic acid on human head and neck carcinoma].

To observe the differentiation-inducing effect of Stepholidine (ST) and Retinoic Acid (RA) on laryngeal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the expression of oncogene (C-myc, bcl-2) protein and tumor suppressor gene (p53) was done by using flow cytometry and ABC immunohistochemical methods combined with image analysis technique. The results indicated that after treated with ST and RA, the cells became well-differentiated, the cell growth was suppressed, contact suppress was partially recovered, colony forming was decreased, protooncogenes (C-myc bcl-2) protein was decreased, tumor suppressor gene (p53) protein was increased. No significant difference was observed between the cells treated with ST and TA. We believed that the Chinese medicine-Stephania might be expected to become a new prospective differentiation inducer in carcinoma of head and neck.