Gambogic acid-induced apoptosis and cell arrest in human bladder cancer cell

Aim. The aim of this paper was to study the mechanisms of gambogic acid on bladder cancer cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Methods. Human bladder cancer BIU-87 cell lines were cultured in vitro. Different concentrations of gambogic acids were added to the logarithmic growth phase in the human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells for further cultivation. Caspase-3 protein expression in tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemical S-P method. The gambogic acid-induced apoptosis in human bladder cancer cells and cell cycle changes were detected and analyzed using flow cytometry. Results. The expression of Caspase-3 was detected by inununohistochemistry. The results were as follows: control group, gambogic acid 1.0 mu mol/L group, 2.0 mu mol/L group, and 3.0 mu mol/L group. Histoirnmunochemical scoring (HIS) of the results were: 2.13 +/- 1.27, 4.28 +/- 1.86, 5.03 +/- 0.78, 6.47 +/- 1.31. The differences between each group and the control group were all statistically significant (P<0.05). Flow cytometry results showed that: the cells decreased gradually in G0/G1 phase of cell cycle and increased gradually in G2/M phase. No obvious change was observed in S phase cells. Conclusion. Gambogic acid can promote bladder cancer cell apoptosis by increasing the expression of Caspase-3 protein and can arrest the cell cycle' of bladder cancer cells, and inhibit the proliferation of bladder cancer cells.