Effects of serum containing Chinese medicine Sanpi Pingwei (散癖平胃) formula on proliferation and apoptosis of human SGC-7901 cells

Objective To investigate the effects of serum containing Chinese medicine (CM) Sanpi Pingwei (散癖平胃, SPPW) formula on the proliferation and apoptosis of human SGC-7901 cells and the possible mechanism. Methods Serum containing CM SPPW formula (SPPW serum) was prepared by a serum pharmacology method. Human SGC-7901 cells were incubated with SPPW serum at three different concentrations and with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry assay. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot assay were employed to confirm the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax and p53 in SGC-7901 cells at mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Results SPPW serum suppressed the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The colony forming rate of negative control was 48.2%, while those in the three SPPW serum groups and the 5-FU group decreased significantly ( P