Valrielyan Saio
Indian Council of Agricultural Research for North Eastern Hill Region, India
Title: Apoptotic induction and cell cycle arrest of Rhododendron arboreum extract in HeLa cervical cancer cells
Biography
Biography: Valrielyan Saio
Abstract
Rhododendron arboreum, traditionally used as a folk remedy by the people of North-East India was investigated for its effects on apoptotic induction and cell cycle arrest in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle analysis was performed using flow cytometry. Study of the gene expression of proteins involved in apoptosis and cell cycle regulation was carried out using real time PCR technique. MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability and cytotoxic effect of aqueous-methanol extract of R. arboreum was determined. Treatment with the plant extract showed distribution of cells between late apoptotic and necrotic phases and caused cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. R. arboreum extract up-regulated the gene expression of caspase 8, caspase 9, caspase 3, p53 and p21, thus indicating a switching on of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways resulting in DNA damage which in-turn up-regulated p53. There was significant down-regulation in the gene expression of G0/G1 phase-related proteins CDK 1, cyclin B1, CDK 4 and cyclin D1 in comparison to untreated HeLa cells, inferring an inhibitory action of the plant extract on the cyclin dependent kinases and activation of cell cycle check-points. Results demonstrated that R. arboreum could be a potential anti-cancer agent by its mechanism of inducing apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest in HeLa cells.