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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Cytotoxic Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy in Osteosarcoma Cells In Vitro
Published on: March 18, 2014
[Bufalin induces apoptosis in osteosarcoma U-2OS and U-2OS methotrexate 300-resistant cell lines in vitro]
Jin Wang1, Jun-qiang Yin, Qiang Jia
1Department of Orthopaedic Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Objective:
To study the growth inhibition and apoptosis induction effects of bufalin on human osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro.
Methods:
U-2OS and U-2OS/methotrexate (MTX) 300-resistant cell lines were treated with bufalin. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Cell-cycle status, apoptosis-inducing effects, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by flow cytometry, fluorescent staining, DNA fragmentation assay, and Western blotting.
Results:
Bufalin inhibited cell growth in both U-2OS and U-2OS/MTX300 cells. The IC(50) values of bufalin for U-2OS and U-2OS/MTX300 cells were (8.49 ± 2.1) ng/ml and (10.19 ± 1.7) ng/ml, respectively. The induction of G(2)/M cell-cycle arrest was also seen in the bufalin-treated cells. The bufalin-induced apoptosis was confirmed by increased expression of tumor suppressor protein p53, bax and decreased expression of bcl-2.
Conclusion:
Bufalin inhibits the growth of and induces apoptosis in both MTX-sensitive and MTX-resistant human osteosarcoma U-2OS cell lines. The apoptosis-inducing effect of bufalin is not influenced by the presence of high levels of DHFR.
