Abstract

Acute promyelocytic leukemia is the most prevalent AML malignancy. The side effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs have primarily led to the increased use of natural products for cancer treatment. Gaillardin, a medicinal herb, has been reported to have anti-proliferative effects on various cancer cells. In this study, cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Gaillardin were investigated on acute promyelocytic leukemia cell lines, NB4. Different concentrations of Gaillardin were used to treat NB4 cells for 48 and 72 hours. Then cell viability was assessed using MTT assay. Flow cytometry was applied to the assessment of apoptosis by using Annexin V and Propidium iodide staining method. In order to determine the expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2, RT-PCR was carried out. Statistical data analysis was done by ANOVA (one-way). MTT assay results showed that Gaillardin concentrations of 7, 8, and 9 mu M would significantly reduce the percentage of live cells (P < 0.001)c. Flow cytometry results showed that Gaillardin significantly increased apoptotic cell percentage in comparison with the control groups (p < 0.05). Gaillardin can be considered as a candidate for further studies on the methods for treating various cancer types.