The influence of Astragalus on apoptosis and Bcl-2/Bax expression of lung adenocarcinoma cells

Objective:To investigate the effects of Astragalus with active component of Chinese traditional medicine on the apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line.Methods: Different concentrations of Astragalus were used in the culture of SPC-A-1 cells.Proliferation and apoptosis of SPC-A-1 cells were observed by MTT,immunocytochemistry,indirect immunofluorescene and flow cytometry quantitative analysis.The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein was determined by qualitative analysis.Results: Proliferation of SPC-A-1 cells was inhibited effectively after being treated by different concentrations of Astragalus.The rate of apoptosis was increasing with increased concentration of Astragalus.The expression of Bcl-2 decreased in the experimental groups.Otherwise,the expression of Bax protein was significantly higher than the control group.Conclusion: Astragalus can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of SPC-A-1 cells effectively,the mechanism may be correlated to the up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2.