Allicin induces caspase-mediated apoptosis in cervical cancer cells.

Objective Our research compares between before and after allicin treatments on human cervical cancer cell lines Hela and Caski in vitro and expressions of Caspase-3,8,9,activity of Caspase-3,8,9 enzyme,and then discusses the effect of allicin on human cervical cancer cell lines and its mechanism,which can provides a pre-clinical evidence of adjuvant therapy to maglignant tumors of allicin in clinic.Methods Between January 2008 and January 2009 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University human cervical cancer cell lines Hela and Caski in vitro were treated with allicin.Growth inhibition rates of cells were determined with MTT assay.Caspase-3,8,9 activity changes before and after allicin treatment were determined by spectrophotometer.Expressions of Caspase-3,8,9 before and after allicin treatment by 0semi-quantity RT-PCR.Results Inhibitory rates of Hela and Caski cells after 24,48,72h allicin(6.25,12.5,25,50,75,100mg/L) treatments had a time-and-dose-dependent effect(P0.05).Caspase-3,8,9 activities were upregulated obviously after 48h allicin treatment.The ODallicin/ODcontrol of Caspase-3,8,9 of Hela was 2.32,2.26,1.53times than control respectively.The ODallicin/ODcontrol of Caspase-3,8,9 of Caski was 2.28,1.69,2.08 times than control respectively(P0.05).Absorbance ratios of electrophoresis belts of gene amplification products of Caspase-3,8,9 and β-actin were ascended markedly from RT-PCR.Comparing with control group,they were 1.43,1.47 times for Hela and 1.39,1.55 times for Caski(P0.05).Conclusion Allicin could inhibit cell proliferation and enhance apoptosis in cervical cancers cell lines Hela and Caski in vitro.Inhibitory rates were in a dose-and-time-dependent manner.