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Sophoraflavanone G found to induce cell death of human leukemia cells

07/13/2019 // Ralph Flores // Views

Tags: alternative medicine, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, apoptosis, cancer cell death, goodcancer, goodhealth, goodmedicine, leukemia, natural cures, natural medicine, sophora, sophoraflavanone G, TCM, traditional Chinese medicine

Researchers from the Chang Gung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan found that sophoraflavanone G (SG), which was derived from Sophora flavescens, can induce apoptosis in human leukemia cells in vitro. The results of the study were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

• The team had previously noted that SG possessed anti-inflammatory activity, based on its suppression of lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.
• In this study, they looked at the effects of SG on apoptosis – in particular, when it is tested on human leukemia HL-60 cells.
• Researchers treated HL-60 cells with SG concentrations between 3–30 micromolar.
• To determine the viability of HL-60 cells, the researchers used the MTT method.
• They also used DAPI fluorescence staining to study the nuclear condensation indicative of apoptosis. They used Western blotting to study apoptotic signal proteins.
• Based on the results, SG-treated HL-60 cells exhibited increased levels of apoptosis, including DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation.
• In addition, SG activated caspase-3 and -9; it also downregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL.
• SG upregulated Bax, as well as released cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. This enabled apoptosis using a mitochondrially mediated “intrinsic” pathway.
• Researchers also noted that SG cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 and activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways.

In sum, SG was found to increase the effect of apoptosis through activating caspase-3 and mitochondrial-mediated and MAPK pathways.

Learn the anti-cancer properties of plant compounds at Phytonutrients.news.

Journal Reference:

Li ZY, Huang WC, Tu RS, Gu PY, Lin CF, Liou CJ. SOPHORAFLAVANONE G INDUCES APOPTOSIS IN HUMAN LEUKEMIA CELLS AND BLOCKS MAPK ACTIVATION. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2 February 2016;44(01):165–176. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X16500117

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