The Effects of Artesunate on Gastric Cancer SGC-7901 Cells

Objective:To study the apoptotic induction of artesunate in human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 cells and its possible mechanism.Methods:SGC-7901 cells were treated by different density artesunate in vitro.Then the cells were assessed by flow cytometry(FCM)and observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Bcl-2 and Bax protein of these cells were analysed by Western Blot method.Results:Artesunate effectively induced the apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells,and a time-dose-dependent relation was observed between the effect and the dosage of artesunate(P0.05).SGC-7901 cell proliferation was inhibited and many SGC-7901 cells were blocked at G0/G1 stage by artesunate.The scattered apoptotic cells and apoptotic bodies were observed by TEM.Western Blot method detected that the protein expression of Bcl-2 decreased and the protein expression of Bax increased after treatment of artesunate(P0.05).Conclusion:These results demonstrate that artesunate has strong inhibiting effect on proliferation and can induce apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells in vitro.The mechanism might be related with down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax.