Agrimonia pilosa ethanol extract induces apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells

Ethnopharmacological relevanceAgrimonia pilosa (AP) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine for treating various cancers and diseases in Asian countries.Materials and methodsCell viability along with caspase-3/-7, caspase-8 and caspase-9 activity were measured to detect apoptosis. The activity of the apoptotic factors bcl-2, bcl-xl, mcl-1, XIAP, BID, BIK, caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP were measured by Western blotting. FACS analysis was used to analyze the cell cycle.ResultsAPE inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Growth inhibition was associated with increased caspase activity and sub-G1 apoptotic fractions. When we measured the affect of APE on intracellular signaling, APE stimulated the apoptotic factors bcl-2, bcl-xl, mcl-1, XIAP, BID, BIK, caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP in HepG2 cells.ConclusionsThe results indicate that APE induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) in HepG2 cells and demonstrates one of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of the extract reported in previous studies.

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