Baicalin induces apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cell through ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway

Baicalin is extracted from a traditional Chinese herb, Scutellaria baicalensis. In this study, the anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms of baicalin towards human osteosarcoma cell (HOS) were investigated. Baicalin could inhibit HOS cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Mitochondrial membrane potential decreased obviously after treated with different concentration of baicalin by flow cytometry assay and revealed that baicalin triggered a significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blotting assay further revealed that baicalin-induced cell apoptosis by suppressing Bcl-2 level, then activating caspase-9 and caspase-3. In vivo experiment, baicalin significantly suppressed tumour growth in female BALB/C nude mice bearing HOS tumours. In addition, baicalin did show toxicity to treated animal by comparing the body weight increase and mortality. In general, the present results demonstrated that baicalin-induced apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cell via a ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway. The paper indicated that baicalin is a promising candidate for the treatment of HOS.