Polydatin promotes apoptosis through upregulation the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and inhibits proliferation by attenuating the β-catenin signaling in human osteosarcoma cells.

Osteosarcoma is the most prevalent primary malignant bone tumor mainly endangering young adults. In this study, we explore whether polydatin (PD), a glycoside form of resveratrol, is effective for osteosarcoma. Our results showed that PD dose-dependently inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in 143B and MG63 osteosarcoma cells, examined by MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection. Further, we found PD increased expression of Bax and attenuated expression of Bcl-2, and consequently augmented caspase-3 activity. Moreover, PD also dose-dependently inhibited β-catenin signaling pathway as indicated by decreased β-catenin expression and activity, while overexpression of β-catenin by adenoviruses system could abrogate the anti-tumor effect of PD. Our finding indicated that PD could inhibit the proliferation by inhibiting the β-catenin signaling and induce apoptosis via upregulation the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in human osteosarcoma cells.