Objective: To investigate the effects of extract from Prunella vulgaris on proliferation of human B lymphoma cell line Raji cells anf T lymphoma cell line Jurkat cells and discuss the mechanism.
Methods: Used different concentrations of extract from Prunella vulgaris to treat Raji and Jurkat cells and collected cells after 48 h respectively, the proliferation inhibition rate, the DNA Ladder and the apoptosis rate of Raji and Jurkat cells were examined by MTT assay, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry respectively; Western blot was used to detect the change of BCL-2, BAX protein.
Results: Different concentrations of the extract from Prunella vulgaris could inhibit the proliferation of both Raji and Jurkat cells remarkably (P < 0.01), the IC50 of Raji cells, 18.01 +/- 0.92 microg/mL, was lower than that of Jurkat, the difference was significant statistically (P < 0.05); Apoptosis related DNA Ladder appeared after treated Raji and Jurkat cells with the extract from Prunella vulgaris; Compared with the control group, with the increase of the concentration of the extract from Prunella vulgaris, the early cell apoptosis rate of Raji and Jurkat were all increased,the early cell apoptosis rate of the extract from Prunella vulgaris of 15, 20 and 25 microg/mL treated Raji and Jurkat cells were (9.46 +/- 0.25)%, (21.68 +/- 0.46)%, (35.03 +/- 0.35)% and (4.06 +/- 0.14)%, (13.59 +/- 0.23)%, (22.92 +/- 0.20)% respectively. With the same concentration, the early apoptosis rate of Raji cells was higher than that of Jurkat cells significantly (P < 0.01); Compared with the control group, with the in- crease of the concentration of the extract from Prunella vulgaris, the expression of BCL-2 protein was down-regulated and BAX up-regulated, With the same concentration, the decline degree of BCL-2 protein expression and the increase degree of BAX protein expression in Raji cells was more remarkable than that in Jurkat cells, the difference was significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The extract from Prunella vulgaris can inhibit the proliferation of lymphoma cells and the inhibition is realized by inducing apoptosis, the mechanism of inducing cell apoptosis with extract from Prunella vulgaris is probably related with the BAX and BCL-2 protein expression, the inhibition effect on Raji cells is greater than that of Jurkat cells.