Effects of matrine on the proliferation and apoptosis of human medulloblastoma cell line D341.

Matrine, one of the Chinese herbal medicine, has anti-tumor activity in a variety of tumor cells. However, its anti-tumor activity in human medulloblastoma remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and mechanism of matrine-induced proliferation and apoptosis in human medulloblastoma D341 cells. D341 cells were divided into experimental groups in which matrine were added at different concentrations and a control group under the same conditions without matrine applied. D341 cell proliferation was analyzed using a cell counting kit-8 assay, apoptosis was detected by annexin-V FITC/PI double-staining, and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and caspase-9 was detected by Western blotting. Results showed that matrine significantly inhibited the proliferation of D341 cells. The cells displayed more and larger cytoplasmic vacuoles, and formed apoptotic bodies after matrine treatment. Western blotting analysis showed that expressions of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 increased, while that of Bcl-2 decreased as the drug concentration gradually increased. The study suggests that matrine could induce human medulloblastoma D341 cells apoptosis and inhibit the cells proliferation in vitro by activating Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 and reducing Bcl-2 expression.