Solasonine promotes apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer cells by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway
Objective To investigate the effect of solasonine,an active component of Solanum nigrum,on proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer PC9 cells.Methods PC9 cells were treated with 2,5,10,15,20,or 25 μmol/L solasonine,and the changes in cell proliferation were examined using CCK-8 assay.Tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester(TMRE)was used to detect the changes in mitochondrial membrane potential,and caspase-3/7 detection kit and GreenNuc™ caspase-3/Annexin V-mCherry kit for live cell were used to analyze the changes in caspase-3 of the cells.Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining was employed to analyze the apoptosis rate of the cells.The effect of PTEN inhibitors on solasonine-induced cell apoptosis was examined by detecting apoptosis-related protein expressions using Western blotting.Results Solasonine treatment for 24,48,and 72 h significantly lowered the viability of PC9 cells.The cells treated with solasonine for 24 h showed significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased cell apoptosis with enhanced caspase-3/7 and caspase-3 activities and expression of cleaved caspase-3.Solasonine treatment significantly decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt,increased the protein expressions of PTEN and Bax,and lowered the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the cells.Conclusion Solasonine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of PC9 cells by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway and its upstream proteins.