Effects of cinnamic acid on telomerase activity and cell differentiation in A549 cells

Aim:To study the differentiation effect of cinnamic acid (CINN) on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and the possible mechanism. Methods: A549 cells were treated by CINN (1mmol/L, 3mmol/L), the cell growth rate was determined by cell counting, and its viability was determined by trypan-blue exclusion assay. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to analyze the cell cycle. The telomerase activity was detected by the non-radioactive method (silver staining method) during the course of differentiation of A549 cell line.Results:After A549 cells were incubated with CINN, the cell proliferation was markedly inhibited; the cell division index of the CINN groups was lower than that of the control group; cell cycle showed G1/G0 phase stasis; the telomerase activity in different CINN groups changed markedly. Conclusion:CINN could inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells and the telomerase activity.