Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To explore the synergistic effect and possible molecular mechanism of TCM active compound Galangin and targeting drug Gefitinib on lung cancer.
METHODS The growth inhibition and apoptosis-promoting effect of Gefitinib and Galangin on A549 cells were detected by CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and signal proteins in each groups.
RESULTS The combination for appropriate concentration of Galangin and Gefitinib more effectively inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of A549 cells, showing a good synergistic effect. The combination index (
CI) measured by CompuSyn software less than 1. The results of Western blot showed that compared with Gefitinib alone, the combination of the two drugs further reduced the protein levels of p-EGFR, p-STAT3 and Bcl-2, and increased the protein levels of Cleaved Caspase-3, Cleaved PARP and Bax.
CONCLUSION In vitro, the combination of Galangin and Gefitinib have synergistic effects in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, and the inhibition of the proteins expression related to EGFR/STAT3 signal pathway may be one of the mechanisms, suggesting that the synergistic anticancer mode of the combination for the two drugs should be concerned.