Anti Cancer Effects of Cnidium officinale Makino Extract Mediated through Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in the HT-29 Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Line

Abstract

The anti cancer properties and underlying cell death mechanism induced by the extract of the roots of Cnidium officinale Makino(COM) were investigated. The ethanolic extract of COM inhibited the proliferation of human colon cancer cells (HT-29) in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. Analysis of the cell cycle after treatment of HT-29 cells with various concentrations of COM showed that COM extract inhibited the cellular proliferation of HT-29 cells via G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle. The apoptotic effect of COM on HT-29 cells was confirmed by Annexin V- propidium iodide apoptosis test. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis both revealed that COM extract dose-dependently increased the expressions of p53, p21, Bax and Caspase-3. Anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 expression was down regulated as well as cyclin D1 and CDK4. These data suggest that COM has anti cancer properties by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in HT-29 cells and could have possible therapeutic potential against human colon adenocarcinoma.