Neobaicalein, a flavonoid from the Scutellaria litwinowii Bornm. & Sint. ex Bornm exerts a apoptotic effect on human leukemic cell lines
Neobaicalein, a flavonoid from the Scutellaria litwinowii Bornm. & Sint. ex Bornm exerts a apoptotic effect on human leukemic cell lines
Elham Ramazani ,1,*Seyed Hadi Mousavi ,2Naser Vahdati-Mashhadian ,3Heydar Parsaee ,4Javad Asili ,5Seyed Ahmad Emami ,6
1. Medical Toxicology Research Centre, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 2. Medical Toxicology Research Centre, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 3. Medical Toxicology Research Centre, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 4. Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacological Research Centre of Medicinal Plants, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 5. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 6. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Introduction: Neobaicalein is one of the rich flavonoid plants isolated from the roots of Scutellaria spp. In the present work, the cytotoxic activity and the related apoptosis mechanisms of neobaicalein from S. litwinowii Bornm. & Sint. ex Bornm on apoptosis-proficient HL-60 cells and apoptosis-resistant K562 cells was assessed and compared.
Methods: Cell viability, cell apoptosis, and caspase activity were measured using resazurin, propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry and synthetic pNA-conjugated substrates.
Results: Neobaicalein significantly reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner using the MTS assay. The IC50 values (µM) against HL-60 and K562 cells after 48 h treatment were 40.5 and 84.8 respectively. Also neobaicalein at 25, 50 and 100 µM for 48 h significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells in HL-60 and K562 cells. In addition, when K562 cells were exposed to neobaicalein for 48 h, the activity of caspases-3, -8 and -9 were elevated significantly (P<0.05).
Conclusion: It seems, neobaicalein might cause cytotoxicity and cell apoptosis through interaction with the different apoptosis-related proteins of apoptotic pathways in HL-60 and K562 cells. Thus, Neobaicalein may exert beneficial protective effect in slowing the progression of hematological malignancies and warrants further investigation to find more therapeutic options.