1 Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210002, China ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China ; 3 Mingde Hospital affiliated with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, China ; 4 Changzhou TCM Hospital, Changzhou 213000, China ; 5 Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China ; 6 Weinberg college of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60204, USA ; 7 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA ; 8 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing 210002, China.
Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2015 Dec;4(6):775-83. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2218-6751.2015.11.03.
Crocin is the major constituent of saffron, a naturally derived Chinese medicine obtained from the dried stigma of the Crocus sativus flower. It has a variety of pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidative, immunity enhancement, and anti-tumorigenic properties; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown.
To investigate the effects of crocin on proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cells, lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549 and SPC-A1, were treated with crocin at different dosages. Cell morphological changes were observed by light microscopy. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was performed to detect the inhibitory effect of crocin on cell proliferation and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Flow cytometry was used to characterize cell apoptosis and cell cycle profiles. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect mRNA levels of apoptosis-related genes.
Crocin inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in A549 and SPC-A1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, accompanied with an increase of G0/G1 arrest. Crocin significantly increased the mRNA levels of both p53 and B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax), while decreasing B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) mRNA expressions. In addition, crocin combined with either cisplatin or pemetrexed showed additive effects on cell proliferation in two lung cancer cell lines.
Crocin significantly suppressed the proliferation of human lung adenocarcinoma cells and enhanced the chemo sensitivity of these cells to both cisplatin and pemetrexed. The actions of molecular mechanism could be through the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by p53 and Bax up-regulation but Bcl-2 down-regulation.
西红花苷是西红花的主要成分，西红花是一种天然的中药，来源于藏红花的干燥柱头。它具有多种药理作用，包括抗氧化、增强免疫力和抗肿瘤作用；然而，这些作用的分子机制尚不清楚。
为了研究西红花苷对肺腺癌细胞增殖和凋亡的影响，用不同剂量的西红花苷处理肺腺癌细胞系 A549 和 SPC-A1。通过光镜观察细胞形态变化。采用 3-(4,5-二甲基噻唑-2-基)-2,5-二苯基四氮唑溴盐法检测西红花苷对细胞增殖的抑制作用和对化疗药物的敏感性。流式细胞术用于鉴定细胞凋亡和细胞周期谱。逆转录-聚合酶链反应用于检测凋亡相关基因的 mRNA 水平。
西红花苷呈浓度依赖性抑制 A549 和 SPC-A1 细胞的增殖并诱导其凋亡，同时伴有 G0/G1 期阻滞增加。西红花苷显著增加了 p53 和 B 细胞淋巴瘤 2 相关 X 蛋白（Bax）的 mRNA 水平，同时降低了 B 细胞淋巴瘤 2（Bcl-2）的 mRNA 表达。此外，西红花苷与顺铂或培美曲塞联合使用在两种肺癌细胞系中对细胞增殖均具有相加作用。
西红花苷显著抑制人肺腺癌细胞的增殖，并增强这些细胞对顺铂和培美曲塞的化疗敏感性。其作用的分子机制可能是通过上调 p53 和 Bax 并下调 Bcl-2 来诱导细胞周期停滞和凋亡。
