Different Concentrations of Sijunzi Decoction Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis of Human Gastric Cancer SGC-7901 Side Population

BACKGROUND: Sijunzi Decoction (SD) is a traditional Chinese medicine which is composed of Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria and Licorice. It is one of the commonly used Chinese traditional medicines that showed anti-gastric cancer activity in clinical studies. Previous evidence demonstrated SD parties (Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria, Licorice) can inhibit proliferation and induced apoptosis for gastric cancer cell. In order to further investigate the anticancer effect of SD in gastric cancer, we observed the effects of different concentrations of SD on proliferation and apoptosis of Side Population Cells (SP) of human gastric cancer SGC-7901. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SGC-7901 SP and Non- Side Population Cells (NSP) were sorted through flow cytometry; to detect the changes of proliferation of SP and NSP before and after the intervention of serum containing different concentrations of SD using cck-8 method; to detect the changes of cell cycle and apoptosis of SP and NSP before and after the intervention of serum containing different concentrations of SD through flow cytometry; to detect the effects of serum containing different concentrations of SD on apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 of SP and NSP before and after the intervention by western-blot. The expression of Bax protein of SP and NSP was higher than the control group in a time-dependent and concentration dependent manner. The expression of Bcl-2 protein of SP and NSP was lower than the control group in a time-dependent and concentration- dependent manner. CONCLUSION: (SD) Sijunzi Decoction, (SP) side population, (NSP) non-side population, (Control) normal saline serum group, (L) low concentration SD serum group, (N) normal concentration SD serum group, (H) high concentration SD serum group, (ABCG-2) Adenosine triphosphate Binding Cassette super family G member-2 of transport protein, (Bcl-2) B-cell lymphoma 2, (BAX) Bcl-2 Associated X Protein, (FBS) Fetal bovine serum, (PBS) Phosphate buffer solution, (CCK-8) Cell Counting Kit-8 reagent, (AV) Annexin V-FITC, (PI) Propidium iodide, (EDTA) Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid, (PMSF) Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, (RIPA) Radio Immunoprecipitation Assay, (PVDF) Poly (vinylidene fluoride), (TBST) Tris-buffered saline containing Tween-20.