Effects of Huangqi (Hex) on inducing cell differentiation and cell death in K562 and HEL cells
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Xiao-Dong Cheng1, Chun-Hui Hou, Xue-Jun Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
Abstract:
Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to ameliorate side effects of cancer chemotherapy in China. However, little is known about its molecular mechanisms. Here we show that induction of K562 or HEL cells with 1.5 mg/ml of Huangqi (Hex) (Components extracted from Huangqi) for 3-5 d results in the expression of beta-globin gene in both cell lines and leads to terminal differentiation. Moreover, the apoptosis in HEL cells can be induced by increasing concentration of Huangqi (Hex) to 4.5 mg/ml for 3-5 d. Upregulation of Apaf-1, caspase-3 and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in HEL cells may play a crucial role in the process of apoptosis. The prospect of inducing expression of adult (beta) globin gene and apoptosis selectively in cancer cells is obviously attractive from a therapeutic point of view.
