Scutellaria baicalensis, a herbal medicine: anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity against acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cell lines.

Abstract

Scutellaria baicalensis (S.B.) is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine. We initially investigated its in vitro anti-tumor activities. S.B inhibited the growth of ALL, lymphoma and myeloma cell lines by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at clinically achievable concentrations. The anti-proliferative effect was associated with mitochondrial damage, modulation of the Bcl family of genes, increased level of the CDK inhibitor p27(KIP1) and decreased level of c-myc oncogene. HPLC analysis of S.B. showed it contains 21% baicalin and further studies confirmed it was the major anti-cancer component of S.B. Thus, Scutellaria baicalensis should be tested in clinical trials for these hematopoietic malignancies.

• Authors: Takashi Kumagai, Claudia I Müller, Julian C Desmond, Yasufumi Imai, David Heber, H Phillip Koeffler
• Journal: Leukemia research (Leuk Res) Vol. 31 Issue 4 Pg. 523-30 (Apr 2007) ISSN: 0145-2126 [Print] England
• PMID: 17007926 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Flavonoids
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27
• baicalin

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic (therapeutic use)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Blotting, Western
• Cell Cycle (drug effects)
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Colony-Forming Units Assay
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 (metabolism)
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (therapeutic use)
• Flavonoids (therapeutic use)
• Flow Cytometry
• Humans
• Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial (drug effects)
• Multiple Myeloma (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Scutellaria baicalensis (chemistry)
• Tumor Cells, Cultured (drug effects)