Background
Forsythiae Fructus (FF) is a well-known medicinal herb derived from the dried fruits of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (Oleaceae). Recently, bioactive compounds isolated from hydrophobic solvent fractions of FF have been reported to have anti-oxidant, antibacterial, and anti-cancer effects.
Conclusion
FFH can act as a pro-oxidative agent and induce the apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Summary: Hexane fraction of the methanol extract of Forsythiae Fructus (FFH) at a concentration more than 50 µg/mL significantly reduced PC-3 cell viabilityFFH time and dose dependently elevated intracellular ROS levels and increased the proportion of cells arrested in the G0/G1 phaseFFH significantly accelerated apoptotic cell death and diminished the protein expression levels of Bcl-2, procaspase-9, and procaspase-3The protein expression levels of Bax, cytochrome c, and cleaved PARP were increased by FFH, and so was the caspase-3 activity. Abbreviations used: FF: Forsythiae Fructus; FFM: Methanol extract of Forsythiae Fructus; FFH: Hexane fraction of the methanol extract; DCFH-DA: 2',7'-dichlorodihydro-fluorescein diacetate.
Methods
FFH was investigated by measuring its effects on the viability and apoptotic death of PC-3 cells (a prostate cancer cell line), on the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, cytochrome c, procaspase-9, procaspase-3 and PARP, and caspase-3 activity.
Objective
Almost all herbal medicines are derived from water extracts, which suggests different extraction
Results
FFH significantly accelerated apoptotic cell death and decreased the protein levels of Bcl-2, procaspase-9, and procaspase-3.