Background: Desmodium gangeticum of Leguminosae has been widely used in the indigenous system of medicine as a tradition herb in Taiwan and other countries. In past decades, it has been reported to have anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced inflamed rats, improved the severity of myocardial infarction and anti-ulcer potential in pyloric ligation and histamine induced gastric ulcer rats and pigs. In this study, we try to explore its anti-nociceptive, anti-tumor activities and action mechanism on the lung cancer cells.
Methods: In vivo test, the formalin-induced nociceptive behavior was employed. In vitro test, various kinds of bacteria growth were evaluated. In lung cancer cells were measured by MTT viability assay. Flow cytometric analysis and western blot were used to detect the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of Desmodium gangeticum treated lung cancer cells.
Results: From the preliminary study, Desmodium gangeticum inhibited the biting and licking behavior induced by formalin in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, it showed that Desmodium gangeticum could completely inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas and partly inhibited E. coli. in higher concentration. However, it had no effective on the Klebsiella species. The lung cancer cells were used for the cell viability assay and cell cycle arrest induced by Desmodium gangeticum. It showed that Desmodium gangeticum dose-dependently inhibited the cell viability and induced G1 phase arrest with down-regulation of cyclin A and B1, and up-regulation of P21, P27.
Conclusion: Desmodium gangeticum had anti-nociceptive and an-ti-bacterial effects. It also inhibited the cell viabilities and induced cell cycle via arrest in G1 phase of lung cancer cell line.
