Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of Cordyceps militaris extract (CME) on human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line A549. Methods A549 cells were treated with CME of different mass concentrations for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, and the inhibition rates of A549 cell proliferation were measured by CCK8 assay. A549 cells were treated with 0.5 mg/mL of CME (treatment group) for 12 h, 24 h and 48 h, cell cycle and cell apoptosis rates were determined by flow cytometry, and the expression of proliferation-related proteins (p-ERK and p-Akt) and apoptosis related protein (caspase-3) of A549 cells was determined by Western blotting. A549 cells without treatment with CME were served as control group. Results The inhibition rates of A549 cell proliferation increased with the mass concentrations of CME and time of treatment with CME, exhibiting a significant dose- and time-dependent manner (P<0.01). The percent of cells in G2/M phase in treatment group was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.01). The cell apoptosis rates in treatment group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.01), and were significantly positively related to time of treatment with CME (r=0.995, P<0.01). The expression of p-ERK and p-Akt in treatment group was significantly lower than that in control group, and were significantly negatively related to time of treatment with CME (r=－0.881，P<0.01；r=－0.932，P<0.01). The expression of caspase-3 in treatment group was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05), and were significantly positively related to time of treatment with CME (r=0.681, P<0.01). Conclusion CEM can inhibit proliferation of A549 cells by inducing cell apoptosis and G2/M arrest, which may be used in the adjuvant therapy for pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Key words: Cordyceps militaris extract, pulmonary adenocarcinoma, cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest