Effects of Tribulus terrestris saponins on proliferation and invasion of A549 cells

Objective:Tribulus terrestris saponin is a traditional Chinese medicine in China.This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of tribulus terrestris saponin on the proliferation and invasion ability of non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells.Methods:A549 cells were divided into normal control and experimental groups(Tribulus terrestris saponin 250μg/mL group,Tribulus terrestris saponin 200μg/mL group,Tribulus terrestris saponin 150μg/mL group,Tribulus terrestris saponin 100μg/mL group,Tribulus terrestris saponin 50μg/mL group).The proliferation viability of the cells in each group was detected by CCK8,the invasion of tumor cells was detected by Transwell model.The mRNA expression of MMP9 and caspase-3 in each group of cells was detected by RT-PCR.Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the fluorescence intensity of caspase-3 in each group of cells.Results:Compared with the normal control group,tribulus terrestris saponin significantly inhibited the proliferation activity and invasion ability of A549 cells,which was statistically significant(P<0.01).In the invasion assay,compared with the control group,MMP9 expression was significantly reduced and caspase-3 expression was significantly increased in the tribulus terrestris saponin group,and both were concentration-dependent,with statistically significant differences(P<0.01).By cellular immunofluorescence staining experiments,it was found that the fluorescence expression of caspase-3 was enhanced in the experimental group compared with the normal control group,in which the high concentration saponin group was significantly higher than the low concentration group.Conclusion:Tribulus terrestris saponin can inhibit the invasive ability of A549 cells by down-regulating the expression of MMP9,and induce irreversible apoptosis by up-regulating the activation of caspase-3 expression to form caspase-3.

Protection by the gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris against cerebral ischemic injury in rats involves the NF-κB pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris(GSTT),a traditional Chinese herbal medicine,have neuroprotective effects on rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),through nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)pathway and inflammatory mediators.Cerebral ischemia was produced by MCAO in either untreated(control)or GSTT-pretreated rats,and the animals were examined for infarct volume,cerebral edema,neuro-behavioral abnormality and pathological changes.Meanwhile,the expression of NF-kB protein in brain tissue was analyzed on Western blots and the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1 were determined by ELISA.The experimental results demonstrated that,compared with the control MCAO group,GSTT-pretreated MCAO group had significantly reduced infarct volume,brain edema and neuro-behavioral abnormality,and lesser degree of pathologic changes in the brain,as well as had lower levels of serum TNF-α and IL-1β,and higher levels of brain NF-κB(Po0.05).Furthermore,treatment with an NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC)abolished the protective effects of GSTT against MCAO-induced cerebral ischemic injury.These results indicated that GSTT’s ability to protect against cerebral ischemic injury was mediated through the NF-κB signaling pathway,and that GSTT may act through inhibition of the production of inflammatory mediators.