Effects of β-elemene on radiosensitivity of Colo320 cells in vitro

Objective To investigate the effects of β-elemene of low-cytotoxic concentration(20 μg/mL) on radiosensitivity of Colo320 cells in vitro and its mechanisms.Methods Radiosensitivity of Colo320 cells was detected by MTT assay and clone forming assay;the apoptosis rate of Colo320 cells was measured by TUNEL.Results Compared with those in the simple radiation group,the OD value and the number of cell clones significantly decreased(P0.05) while the apoptosis rate significantly increased(P0.05) in β-elemene(20 μg/mL) combined with irradiation groups at the same radiation dose.Conclusion β-elemene of low-cytotoxic concentration may enhance the radiosensitivity of Colo320 cells by inducing cell apoptosis.