Effect of cyclosporin A particles of varying diameters on gastric cancer cell apoptosis

Human health is significantly threatened by gastric cancer, which is the most common malignant tumor; although drastic, surgery is currently the only way to cure it. However, high recurrence rates and low survival rates are associated with the disease. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of gastric cancer treatment and to increase the clinical cure rate, we investigated the effect of cyclosporin A particles of varying diameter on gastric cancer cell apoptosis. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis induced by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide-double labeling. We also determined the content of reactive oxygen species and the expression level of P-glycoprotein in cells after treatment with cyclosporin A. The results indicated that increases in the concentration and action time of cyclosporin A were associated with statistically significant increases in the apoptosis rate of gastric cancer cells when the experimental and control groups were compared (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, during a certain action time and concentration range, cyclosporin A inhibits the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells and can induce their apoptosis.