Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human HCC MHCC97H cells with Chrysanthemum indicum extract

AIM： To investigate the effects of Chrysanthemum indicum extract （CIE） on inhibition of proliferation and on apoptosis, and the underlying mechanisms, in a human hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） MHCC97H cell line. METHODS： Viable rat hepatocytes and human endothelial ECV304 cells were examined by trypan blue exclusion and MTT assay, respectively, as normal controls. The proliferation of MHCC97H cells was determined by MTT assay. The cellular morphology of MHCC97H cells was observed by phase contrast microscopy. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze cell apoptosis with annexin V/propidium iodide （PI）, mitochondrial membrane potential with rhodamine 123 and cell cycle with PI in MHCC97H cells. Apoptotic proteins such as cytochrome C, caspase-9, caspase-3 and cell cycle proteins, including P21 and CDK4, were measured by Western blotting. RESULTS： CIE inhibited proliferation of MHCC97H cells in a timeand dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes and human endothelial ceils. CIE induced apoptosis of MHCC97H cells in a concentration-dependent manner, as determined by flow cytometry. The apoptosis was accompanied by a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome C and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. CIE arrested the cell cycle in the S phase by increasing P21 and decreasing CDK4 protein expression. CONCLUSION： CIE exerted a significant apoptotic effect through a mitochondrial pathway and arrested the cell cycle by regulation of cell cycle-related proteins in MHCC97H cells without an effect on normal cells. The cancer-specific selectivity shown in this study suggests that the plant extract could be a promising novel treatment for human cancer.

The Chemistry and Biological Activities of Natural Products from Northern African Plant Families:From Taccaceae to Zygophyllaceae

Traditional medicinal practices have a profound influence on the daily lives of people living in developing countries,particularly in Africa,since the populations cannot generally afford the cost of Western medicines.We have undertaken to investigate the correlation between the uses of plants in Traditional African medicine and the biological activities of the derived natural products,with the aim to validate the use of traditional medicine in Northern African communities.The literature is covered for the period 1959-2015 and part III of this review series focuses on plant families with names beginning with letters T to Z.The authors have focused on curating data from journals in natural products and phytomedicine.Within each journal home page,a query search based on country name was conducted.All articles‘‘hits’’were then verified,one at a time,that the species was harvested within the Northern African geographical regions.The current data partly constitutes the bases for the development of the Northern African natural compounds database.The review discusses 284 plant-based natural compounds from 34 species and 11 families.It was observed that the ethnobotanical uses of less than 40%of the plant species surveyed correlated with the bioactivities of compounds identified.

Multicenter randomly controlled trial on acupoint injection therapy with Chinese herbal medicines for oculomotor paralysis

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of acupoint injection therapy for paralysis of oculomotor nerve with Chinese herbal medicines. Methods A total number of 456 patients from 3 centers with paralysis of oculomotor nerve were randomly divided into an acupoint injection group and a control group with 228 cases each. Patients in the acupoint injection group were treated with injection of Chinese herbal medicines to Jingming （晴明 BL 1）, Yangbai （阳白GB 14}, Sibai （四白 ST 24 Tongziliao （瞳子髎 GB I） on the affected side, and Ganshu （肝俞 BL 18） on both sides, Compound Angelica Injection was the main drug, and the corresponding acupoints and other injection drugs were also used according to differentiation of syndrome. Patients in the control group were treated with common western medicine. The treatment was given once a day, 10 times constituted one course with 3 days of interval. After 3 courses, the effect was assessed. TCM syndrome score, eyeball movement degree, the sizes of oculi rimae and pupil of the two groups were recorded before and after treatment. Results The effective rate of acupoint injection group was 91.7% （209/228）, and that of the control group was 73.6% （168/228）. There was statistical significance in comparing the difference between the two groups （P〈0.05）. TCM syndrome scores of the two groups after the treatment became less obviously than those before the treatment （P〈0.01, P〈0.05）, the score of acupoint injection group was more reduced than that of the control group （P〈0.05）. Eyeball movement degree and oculi rimae were enlarged and the pupil reduced in the affected eye in both groups after the treatment Call P〈0.05）. The musculus rectus medialis for the eyeball movement in the acupoint injection group was more improved than that of the control group, and the oculi rimae was bigger in the acupoint injection group than that in the control group （both P〈0.05）. Conclusion Acupoint injection therapy with Chinese herbal medicines has assured effect on the treatment of oculomotor paralysis.