Concentrations Of Matrine Research Articles

Matrine inhibits the growth of retinoblastoma cells (SO-Rb50) by decreasing proliferation and inducing apoptosis in a mitochondrial pathway

Matrine, one of the main active components of extracts from the dry roots of Sophora flavescens, has potent anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated the apoptosis in matrine-treated retinoblastoma cells. The results showed that matrine could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation revealed that a disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and an up-regulation of reactive oxygen species in matrine-treated cells. By western blot analysis, we found that the up-regulation of cleaved Apaf-1, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, cleaved caspase-7, Bax/Bcl-2, varying with different concentration of matrine. These protein interactions may play a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis. Taken together, these results overall indicate that matrine could be used as an effective anti-tumor agent in therapy of retinoblastoma targets the caspase-dependent signaling pathway.

Effect of matrine on primary human hepatocytes in vitro

Matrine is a bioactive component of the traditional Chinese medical herb Sophora flavescens that has been used in China to treat various kinds of diseases including virus hepatitis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its hepatoprotective effects remains elusive. In the present study, primary human hepatocytes were employed to elucidate the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of matrine. We observed that low concentrations of matrine had no significant impact on albumin secretion, but high concentrations (>140mg/L) of matrine decreased the albumin secretion in hepatocytes. Western blot data indicated that matrine at 140mg/L at 72h induced protein expression of CYP2A6, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4. Furthermore, high concentrations of matrine reduced LDH and AST levels and were cytotoxic to hepatocytes, leading to a decreased cell viability and total protein amount. Moreover, low concentrations of matrine, enhanced the ECOD activity and decreased the level of NO2 (-) induced by cytokines in human hepatocytes. Taken together, the present study sheds novel light on the molecular mechanisms of matrine and potential application of matrine in hepatic diseases.

홍고추 중 matrine의 가공계수

홍고추와 고춧가루 중 친환경 유기농자재 matrine의 잔류특성을 구명하고 가공계수를 산출하기 위하여 시험포장에 matrine의 시판제품(유효성분 2%)을 1,000배 희석하여 조제한 살포액을 7일 간격으로 2회 살포 한 후 최종 약제 살포 당일부터 7일차까지 경시적으로 홍고추를 채취하였다. 채취한 홍고추는 <TEX>$60^{\circ}C$</TEX>의 열풍건조기를 이용하여 수분함량이 14% 이하가 되도록 건조한 후 마쇄하여 고춧가루를 조제하였다. 시험작물 중 matrine의 회수율은 106.6-119.1%이었으며, 저장 안정성 시험의 회수율은 106.6-113.1%이었다. 1회 처리구 홍고추와 고춧가루 중 matrine의 잔류량은 각각 < 0.01-0.11과 0.03-0.25 mg/kg이었으며, 2회 처리구의 경우 0.02-0.12와 0.04-0.40 mg/kg이었다. 또한 고춧가루 중 matrine의 가공계수는 1.50-3.33으로 건조 후 잔류량은 증가하였다. This study was carried out to investigate the residual characteristics and calculate processing factor of the environment friendly material matrine in fresh chilli pepper by drying. Spray solution of matrine was prepared by dilution of the commercial product (2% active ingredient) with water at 1 : 1000 (v/v) ratio and sprayed onto chilli pepper plants at seven day intervals. Samples were collected at 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after last application and then dried using a hot air dry oven at <TEX>$60^{\circ}C$</TEX> for 36 hours until the water content was reduced to 14%. Recoveries and storage period stabilities of matrine in the samples ranged from 106.6 to 119.1% and 106.6 to 113.1%, respectively. The residual concentrations of matrine in fresh chilli pepper and dried chilli peppers treated only once were found to be from less than 0.01 to 0.11 and from 0.03 to 0.25 mg/kg, respectively. In case of plants sprayed twice with matrine, the residual concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 0.12 and from 0.04 to 0.4 mg/kg, respectively. Processing factor of matrine in the fresh chilli pepper by drying was found to be from 1.5 to 3.3, indicating that the residual concentration of matrine in dried chilli pepper increased about two or three times by drying.

Determination of matrine in medicine and bio-fluids based on inhibition of luminol-myoglobin chemiluminescence

A green, rapid and sensitive flow injection procedure based on the inhibition of the chemiluminescence (CL) intensity from the luminol-myoglobin (Mb) system is proposed for the determination of matrine. The decrement of CL signal was linear with the logarithm of the matrine concentration over the range from 10 to 1000 ng/mL (R2 = 0.9978) offering a detection limit of 3.5 ng/mL. At a flow rate of 2.0 mL/min, one analysis cycle, including sampling and washing, could be accomplished in 0.5 min with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 5.0%. The sensitive flow injection method was successfully applied to the determination of matrine in pharmaceutical injection and human serum, with recoveries from 94.1 to 113.4% and RSDs of less than 5.0%.

Inhibition of human organic cation transporters by the alkaloids matrine and oxymatrine

Human organic cation transporters (hOCTs; SLC22) are expressed in many organs, including intestine, liver, kidney, heart and brain, where they contribute to the absorption, distribution, and elimination of endogenous and exogenous substances. The alkaloids matrine and oxymatrine are widely used in herbal medicine for the treatment of cancer, as well as viral, and cardiac diseases. Their physicochemical properties indicated that they are potential inhibitors for hOCTs, leading to drug–drug interactions in vivo. Therefore, we assessed the inhibitory effects of matrine and oxymatrine on the function of hOCT1 (SLC22A1), hOCT2 (SLC22A2) and hOCT3 (SLC22A3) using stably transfected transporter-expressing cells. At 100-fold excess, oxymatrine exhibited marked inhibition of hOCT1-mediated substrate uptake (p<0.05), while matrine failed to produce significant inhibition on hOCT1. The IC50 value for oxymatrine on hOCT1 was estimated as 513±132μM. While there was no significant inhibition of hOCT2 or hOCT3 at 100-fold excess, oxymatrine and matrine showed 42% and 88% inhibition of hOCT3-mediated substrate uptake at 3 and 6mM, respectively. Considering the potential intestinal lumen and reported plasma concentrations of matrine and oxymatrine, these data suggest that drug–drug interactions may occur during hOCT1-mediated hepatic and renal uptake and during hOCT3-mediated intestinal absorption.

Study on isolation of chemical constituents from &lt;i&gt;Sophora Flavescens&lt;/i&gt; ait. And their anti-glioma effects

Sophora flavescens Ait. is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history in China. It is mainly used in the treatment of heat dysentery and similar ailments in the clinical. The objective of this paper was to isolate, purify and identify alkaloids from Sophora flavescens Ait. and to explore their inhibitory effects on C6 glioma cells. Column chromatography, extraction and NMR spectroscopy were used to structurally identify the isolated compounds. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the inhibitory effect of matrine on C6 cells. Three compounds were isolated from Sophora flavescens Ait., namely matrine, oxymatrine and lupeol. Different concentrations of matrine solution all had inhibitory effects on growth of C6 cell lines, which showed apparent dose-effect relationship. Compared with the control group, proportion of G0/G1 phase cells increased in each matrine concentration group to a maximum of 79.8%; proportion of S phase cells reduced, and proportion of G2/M phase cells declined slightly to a minimum of 6.3%, suggesting that after the action of matrine proliferation of C6 cells was significantly inhibited and the cells were arrested in the G1 phase. We concluded that Sophora flavescens Ait. has an inhibitory effect on C6 cell proliferation.

Matrine inhibited the growth of rat osteosarcoma UMR-108 cells by inducing apoptosis in a mitochondrial–caspase-dependent pathway

Matrine, one of the main active components of the extracts from the dry roots of Sophora flavescens, has a potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism of cell apoptosis induced by matrine remains elusive. Here, we investigated the apoptosis in matrine-treated rat osteosarcoma UMR-108 cells. The results showed that matrine could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation revealed a disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and an upregulation of reactive oxygen species in matrine-treated cells. By western blot analysis, we found the upregulation of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-9 and the downregulation of Bax/Bcl-2 with different concentrations of matrine. These protein interactions may play a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis. Taken together, these results overall indicate that matrine could be used as an effective antitumor agent in therapy of osteosarcoma targets the caspase-dependent signaling pathway.

Inhibition of matrine against gastric cancer cell line MNK45 growth and its anti-tumor mechanism

Anti-tumor activity and mechanism of matrine is evaluated and investigated. MTT assay showed that the matrine was able to inhibit gastric cancer cell line MNK45 in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration required for 50% inhibition (IC50) was found to be 540μg/ml. This anti-tumor function was achieved through modulation of the NF-κB, XIAP, CIAP, and p-ERK proteins expression in cell line MNK45. By western blot analysis, we found that expression of NF-κB, XIAP, CIAP, and p-ERK proteins in cell line MNK45 would vary with varying concentration of matrine. These protein interactions possibly play a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis, for which further detailed analyzes are need. These results overall indicate that matrine can be used as an effective anti-tumor agent in therapy of gastric cancer.

Effects of matrine on proliferation and apoptosis of cultured retinoblastoma cells

Extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine of Kushen, matrine is an alkaloid with potential anti-neoplastic and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we examined the effect of matrine on proliferation and apoptosis of cultured retinoblastoma cells. The retinoblastoma cell lines Y79, WERI-RB1 and SO-RB50 were treated with matrine in increasing concentrations from 0.2-1.1 mg/ml for 24 hours, and the cell proliferation rate was measured. The cells were exposed to matrine at 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) for 12, 24 and 48 hours. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry, concentration of proteins regulating cell cycle and apoptosis was determined by Western blot, apoptosis rate was measured by TUNEL staining, and cell morphology was assessed by electron transmission microscopy. The retinoblastoma cell lines Y79, WERI-RB1 and SO-RB50 showed an increased inhibition of cell proliferation with increasing matrine concentrations. Applying the IC50 concentration of matrine, the alteration of the cell cycle, including a reduced percentage of the S phase, was significantly (P < 0.01) associated with a longer treatment time by matrine. Correspondingly, the cell-cycle-associated proteins P21 and P27 were up-regulated and the protein cyclinD1 was down-regulated. The apoptosis-associated protein Bcl-2 was down-regulated, and Bax was up-regulated. In a similar manner, the apoptosis rate was significantly increased with longer treatment time. Matrine added to cultures of immortalized retinoblastoma cells led to a reduced tumor cell proliferation, decreased rate of mitosis and an increased tumor cell apoptosis, paralleled by corresponding changes in the proteins regulating the cell cycle or apoptosis.

Effects of &lt;I&gt;Tongluo&lt;/I&gt; recipe on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-fibronectin pathway in the kidney of diabetic rats

Objective To observe the inhibitory effects of matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine on expression of CD91 and CD13 and secretion of TNF-α in macrophage RAW264.7.Methods Macrophages were cultured in 6-hole plate and coverslip was prepared.Then macropages were cultured one day with different concentrations(0,12.5,25,50,100,200 mg/L) of matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine;the expression of CD91 and CD13 by immunohistochemical dyeing was analyzed by Image-Pro plus system(Media Cybemetic,Inc.,6.0 edition).Meanwhile,the levels of TNF-α in the culture medium of macrophages were examined by ELISA.Results Matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine could all inhibit CD91 and CD13 expression in macrophage RAW264.7,and the inhibition varied with the concentrations of matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine;the inhibitory effect of matrine was the most prominent one.Moreover,matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine also inhibited the secretion of TNF-α.Conclusion Matrine,oxymatrine and sophordine can greatly inhibit expression of CD91 and CD13 and secretion of TNF-α in macrophage RAW264.7.

Effect of ceftiofur hydrochloride on pharmacokinetics of matrine in rats

To investigate the effect of ceftiofur hydrochloride on the pharmacokinetics of matrine in rats. The rats were divided into two groups: one group was administrated with matrine only (control group) and the other was administrated with matrine in combination with ceftiofur hydrochloride. HPLC-UV method was used for determining the plasma concentration of matrine in both groups. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from the plasma concentration-time data using the DAS 2. 1. 1 software program. The main pharmacokinetic parameters for the control group were C(max) = 21.113 9 mg x L(-1), T(max) = 0.75 h, t1/2alpha = 1.34 h, t1/2beta = 3.509 h, AUC(0-t) = 90.984 mg x h(-1) x L(-1) and AUC(0-inifinity) = 100.346 mg x h(-1) x L(-1), and the data for the combination group were C(max) = 11.707 mg x L(-1), T(max) = 0.917 h, t1/2alpha = 1.598 h, t1/2beta = 3.247 h, AUC(0-t) = 53.28 mg x h(-1) x L(-1) and AUC(0-inifinity) = 60.035 mg x h(-1) x L(-1). The plasma concentration of matrine and bioavailability in combination group were significantly lower than those of the control group. In combination group, matrine had a higher clearance and volume of distribution in the central compartments, as well as a lower volume of distribution in the peripheral compartments.

Study on pharmacokinetics of matrine by intramuscularadministration in rat

To study the pharmacokinetics of matrine (MT) intramuscular administration in rat. Plasma concentration of matrine was determined by HPLC under the following conditions: column (Shim-pack VP-ODS, 4. 6 mm x 150 mm, 5 m); eluent (acetonitrile-0.02 mol ammonium acetate buffer-triethylamine 30: 70: 0.04); flow rate was 1 mL x min(-1) and ultraviolet detection wavelength was set at 220 nm; column temperature 40 degrees C; aliquot injected 20 microL. All data of concentration-time of matrine were treated with pharmacokinetics program DAS 2. 1. 1. A simple, sensitive and reliable method for determining matrine in rat plasma by HPLC was established. The plasma concentration time profiles of MT fitted in with two-compartment models well, and the main pharmacokinetic parameters found for MT after i. m. infusion were as follows: C(max) = 21.113 9 mg x L(-1), t(max) = 0.75 h, t1/2alpha 1.34 h, t1/2beta = 3.509 h, AUC(0-t) = 90.984 mg x h(-1) x L(-1), AUC(0-infinity) = 100.346 mg x h(-1) x L(-1). Compare with oral administration, the matrine is absorbed well and distributes fast with intramuscular administration; the absolute bioavailability of matrine is higher. According to this, the pharmacological action is also stronger and duration is longer.

In Situ Gelling Gelrite/Alginate Formulations as Vehicles for Ophthalmic Drug Delivery

The objective of this study was to develop an ion-activated in situ gelling vehicle for ophthalmic delivery of matrine. The rheological properties of polymer solutions, including Gelrite, alginate, and Gelrite/alginate solution, were evaluated. In addition, the effect of formulation characteristics on in vitro release and in vivo precorneal drug kinetic of matrine was investigated. It was found that the optimum concentration of Gelrite solution for the in situ gel-forming delivery systems was 0.3% (w/w) and that for alginate solution was 1.4% (w/w). The mixture of 0.2% Gelrite and 0.6% alginate solutions showed a significant enhancement in gel strength at physiological condition. On the basis of the in vitro results, the Gelrite formulations of matrine-containing alginate released the drug most slowly. For each tested polymer solution, the concentration of matrine in the precorneal area was higher than that of matrine-containing simulated tear fluid (STF) almost at each time point (p < 0.05). The area under the curve of formulation 16 (0.2%Gelrite/0.6%alginate) was 4.65 times greater than that of containing matrine STF. Both the in vitro release and in vivo pharmacological studies indicated that the Gelrite/alginate solution had the better ability to retain drug than the Gelrite or alginate solutions alone. The tested formulation was found to be almost non-irritant in the ocular irritancy test. The overall results of this study revealed that the Gelrite/alginate mixture can be used as an in situ gelling vehicle to enhance ocular retention.

Matrine: A novel inhibitor of growth and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells

To investigate the inhibitory effects of matrine on lung cancer and explore the potential mechanism, we studied the in vitro anti-proliferation activity of matrine in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The effects of matrine on the growth and proliferation were evaluated, and the cell cycles and early cell apoptosis were examined after treatment with various concentrations of matrine for 48 and 72 h, respectively. Our data indicated that matrine significantly inhibited the growth of A549 cells through inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell apoptosis and blockage of cell cycle in vitro. The inhibitory effects of matrine on growth of A549 cells were in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The fifty percent inhibiting concentration (IC50) of matrine was 0.8 and 0.5 mg/ml at 48 and 72 h, respectively. These results illustrated the anticancer effects of matrine and the potential mechanisms. This study encouraged us to further evaluate the anticancer activity in vivo and clarify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the anticancer effects of matrine.a€€ Key words: Matrine, anticancer, non-small cell lung cancer, cell cycle, apoptosis.

Antitumor effect of matrine in human hepatoma G2 cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy

To study the antitumor effect of matrine in human hepatoma G2 (HepG2) cells and its molecular mechanism involved in antineoplastic activities. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect viability of HepG2 cells. The effect of matrine on cell cycle was detected by fl ow cytometry. Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining assay was used to detect cellular apoptosis. Cellular morphological changes were observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to further examine ultrastructural structure of the cells treated with matrine. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining was used to detect autophagy. Whether autophagy is blocked by 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor, was evaluated. Expression levels of Bax and Beclin 1 in HepG2 cells were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Matrine significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and induced G1-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The total apoptosis rate was 0.14% for HepG2 cells not treated with matrine. In contrast, the apoptosis rate was 28.91%, 34.36% and 38.80%, respectively, for HepG2 cells treated with matrine at the concentration of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/mL. The remarkable morphological changes were observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope. Abundant cytoplasmic vacuoles with varying sizes were observed in HepG2 cells treated with matrine. Furthermore, vacuolization in cytoplasm progressively became larger and denser when the concentration of matrine was increased. Electron microscopy demonstrated formation of abundant autophagic vacuoles in HepG2 cells after matrine treatment. When the specific autophagic inhibitor, 3-MA, was applied, the number of autophagic vacuoles greatly decreased. MDC staining showed that the fluorescent density was higher and the number of MDC-labeled particles in HepG2 cells was greater in matrine treatment group than in control group. Fewer autophagic vacuoles were observed in the combined 3-MA and matrine treatment group when 3-MA was added before matrine treatment, indicating that both autophagy and apoptosis are activated when matrine-induced death of hepatoma G2 cells occurs. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the expression levels of Bax gene, an apoptosis-related molecule, and Beclin 1 gene which plays a key role in autophagy were higher in matrine treatment group than in control group, indicating that Beclin 1 is involved in matrine-induced autophagy and the pro-apoptotic mechanism of matrine may be related to its upregulation of Bax expression. Matrine has potent antitumor activities in HepG2 cells and may be used as a novel effective reagent in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes and Ru(bpy) 32+/nano-Au nano-sphere as efficient matrixes for a novel solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor

An effective method for immobilization of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ on glassy carbon electrode surface (GCE) is developed for the preparation of a novel electrochemiluminescence sensor. First of all, the positively charged Ru(bpy) 3 2+ is modified on the surface of negatively charged gold nanoparticles (nano-Au) via the electrostatic interactions to obtain the Ru(bpy) 3 2+/nano-Au nano-sphere (abbreviate as Ru-AuNPs). Subsequently, the large amount of Ru-AuNPs are immobilized on the multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-Nafion homogeneous composite coated GCE by dual interaction: firstly, the Nafion, a kind of typical cation-exchange membrane, can absorb the Ru-AuNPs as the enrichment of cation Ru(bpy) 3 2+ on the Ru-AuNPs surface; secondly, the employment of carboxylic MWCNTs in the Nafion film can also chemosorb the Ru(bpy) 3 2+ cation on the Ru-AuNPs surface to increase the carrier content. At the same time, the experiment confirms that the enhancement of the ECL intensity on the sensor is attributed to following reasons. One hand, the employment of MWCNTs in the Nafion film enlarged the electro-active surface areas to benefit the contact between the signal probe on the composite film and coreactant used as reinforcing agent. On the other hand, the nano-materials of MWCNTs and nano-Au also improve the conductivity of the assembled film to increase the quantity of excited state of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ in the unit time under the electrochemical condition and finally cause better properties in luminescence. In the experiment, the influence of the coreactant tripropylamine (TPA) on proposed ECL sensor is investigated. The logarithm of ECL intensity is proportional to the logarithm of TPA concentration on the range of 4 × 10 −10 M to 2.8 × 10 −6 M and 2.8 × 10 −6 M to 0.71 × 10 −3 M. After optimizing these conditions, the ECL sensor with TPA as coreactant is employed to detect a kind of alkaloid medicine, Matrine, for evaluating the practical application in the medicine analysis. The present sensor with TPA as coreactant shows the good response to the medicine concentration of the Matrine from 2.0 × 10 −6 M to 6.0 × 10 −3 M, which is used to detect the Matrine concentration in the Matrine injection.

Impact of matrine on inflammation related factors in rat intestinal microvascular endothelial cells

Ethnopharmacological relevance Matrine (MT) is a main active ingredient of Sophora flavescens roots, which is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of inflammations like enteritis, hepatitis and atopic dermatitis. Aims of the study Aim of the study is to gain insight into the effects of MT on nitric oxide (NO) release, intracellular NO production, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) level in second generation rat intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (RIMECs). Moreover, the effects of MT on soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in these cells were evaluated. Material and Methods Isolated and identified RIMECs cultures were exposed to different concentrations of matrine, and changes in extra- and intracellular NO concentrations were measured in dependance of time by Griess reaction or DAF-FM diacetate. Obtained cell cultures were solitude treated with lypopolysaccharide (LPS) or combined with MT to observe impacts on sICAM-1, IL-6 and IL-8 concentration in culture supernatants by ELISA. Results Matrine dose-dependently increased the concentration of NO in culture supernatant of RIMECs. Exposure of MT resulted in a steady intracellular NO increase pattern under different concentrations with different values and has an increasing effect on eNOS concentration at a long time exposure. Additionally, matrine reduced the increasing effect of LPS on the production of IL-6, IL-8, and sICAM-1 in RIMECs. Conclusion These results show that matrine may serve as a protective agent against tissue damage in inflammation by improving NO-dependent vasomotion and inhibiting inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS.

Matrine inhibits invasiveness and metastasis of human malignant melanoma cell line A375 in vitro

Matrine is a traditional Chinese medicine with significant inhibitory activity against malignant tumors. Its effects on the invasiveness and metastasis of malignant tumors have rarely been reported. To investigate whether matrine can inhibit the metastasis-related activities of the human malignant melanoma cell line A375 in vitro. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (Annexin-V-FITC/PI) affinity assay were used to examine the effects of matrine on the proliferation and apoptosis induction of A375 cells. The morphologic changes of A375 cells were observed by light and electron microscopy. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the expression of heparanase mRNA and protein. The effect of matrine on the adhesion ability and invasiveness of treated A375 cells was tested by cell-Matrigel adhesion assay and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. Matrine showed significant inhibition of the proliferation of A375 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. It also induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the control group, the levels of heparanase mRNA and protein expression of A375 cells treated with different concentrations of matrine were decreased significantly, as were their adhesion ability and invasiveness. These findings indicate that matrine inhibits the invasiveness and metastasis of A375 cells in vitro. The mechanisms may be linked to the inhibition of cellular proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and downregulation of heparanase mRNA and protein expression.

Matrine and anti-tumor drugs in inhibiting the growth of human lung cancer cell line

To study the activities of matrine and anti-tumor drugs on SPCA/I human lung adenocarcinoma cell line. Suppression effects of different concentrations of matrine and matrine combined with anti-tumor drugs on lung cancer cells were measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay. Different concentrations of matrine could inhibit the growth of SPCA/I human lung adenocarcinoma cells and there was a positive correlation between the inhibition rate and the drug concentration. Different concentrations of matrine combined with anti-tumor drugs had higher growth inhibition rate than anti-tumor drugs alone. Matrine has direct growth suppression effect on SPCA/I human lung adenocarcinoma cells and matrine combined with anti-tumor drugs shows a significant synergistic effect on tumor cells.

The effects of matrine On proliferation of lens epithelial cells in vitro

Objective To study the effects of matrine on the proliferation of rabbit lens epithelial cells （RLECs） in vitro. Methods RLECs were primary culture. After the second generation of RLECs were incubated for 24 hours, we added different concentrations of matrine for 24 hours. The cell proliferation of RLECs was determined by MTT assay. Results The inhibitory rates of RLECs proliferation were increased in dose-dependent ways by matrine in vitro, Conclusions Matrine could effectively inhibit the proliferation of RLECs, and it might have broad prospects in the prevention of posterior capsular opacification. Key words: matrine ; rabbit lens epithelial cells ; posterior capsular opacification, MTT assay