Radix Tetrastigma flavonoids inhibit the migration and promote the apoptosis of A549 cells both in vitro and in vivo

The main flavonoid components of Radix Tetrastigma (RTF) were extracted and characterized by high performance liquid chromatography. In vitro, RTF suppressed the viability of A549 cells, and inhibited the invasion and migration of A549 by damaging the lamellipodium and the structure of F-actin. In vivo, compared to the model group, RTF inhibited the growth of tumor volumes in nude mice, and decreased the weight of tumor. To uncover the inner mechanism, the proliferation-related proteins: PCNA, Ki67 and the apoptosis-related proteins: caspase-3, caspase-9, Bax and Bcl-2 were examined by immunohistochemical and western blot analysis. Compared to the model group, the production levels of PCNA, Ki67 and Bcl-2 were significantly down-regulated by RTF, and the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax were markedly up-regulated. Comprehensively, RTF could suppress the proliferation of A549 and promote the apoptosis of A549, suggesting RTF as a potential resource to fight against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).