Effects of berberine on proliferation and apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 in vitro

Objective To investigate the proliferation and apoptosis effect of berbernine on human ovary cancer cell line SKOV-3 in vitro.Methods Human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3,cultured in vitro,was treated with 5-80μmol/L berberine for 24-72h.The MTT method was used to measure growth inhibition rates of SKOV-3 cells.The cell cycle distributions were detected by flow cytometic analysis.The expression of survivin and caspase-3 in SKOV-3 cell was observed by SABC immunohistochemistry.Results Berberine could effectively inhibit the in vitro growth of human ovary cancer cell line SKOV-3 in time-and dose-dependent manners.When treated with berberine for 24 hours,the expression of survivin was decreased while the expression of caspase-3 was increased.The cell growth was arrested at S and G2/M stage was observed by FCM.Conclusion Berberine could significantly inhibit the growth of ovary cancer cell line SKOV-3 in vitro.The apoptosis is related to the down-regulation of survivin and up-regulation of caspase-3.