Oxymatrine inhibited cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis in human lung cancer A549 cells.

To investigate the inhibition effect of oxymatrine induces human lung cancer A549 cells apoptosis. The A549 cells were cultured for 24 h, than the various concentration of oxymatrine (2 mmol/L, 4 mmol/L, 8 mmol/L, 15 mmol/L) were added into different experimental group cells, and 5-fluorouracil were added into the positive control group cells for 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, 48 h respectively. The A549 cells inhibition rate, apoptosis, and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were examined by MTT method, Annexin V/PI double staining method, real-time quantitative PCR and western blot, respectively. At same time, the morphological changes of A549 cells were observed with an inverted microscope. In the range of 2 mmol/L~15 mmol/L, oxymatrine had obvious inhibition effects on the proliferation of A549 cells. Compared with the negative control group, it has significantly different (P<0.01). There was remarkably the time- and dose-dependent correlation. After A549 cells were treated with 8 mmol/L oxymatrine for 24 h, the morphological change of cell apoptosis was observed and the extent of apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the expression of Bcl-2 was reduced and the expression of Bax was increased remarkably (P<0.05). Oxymatrine has significant inhibition effects on the cells proliferation and the effects showed time-dependent and dose-dependent. Oxymatrine can induce apoptosis of the A549 cells by regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax.