Objective: To explore the effect of supplement energy and nourish lung (SENL) herbs on the growth of drug-resistance lung cancer cells, expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) and mechanisms of mitochondrial and Caspase signal.
Methods: Drug-resistance lung cancer cell line SW1573/2R120 was treated with SENL herbs and Adriamycin. Cellular toxicity with MTT colorimetric assay, expression of MRP protein with flow microscopy, the fluorescence intensity of mitochondria membrane potetional and Ca2+ with laser confocal microscopy, the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 with colorimetric assay were detected.
Results: Compared with control group, cellular inhibitory rate was increased obviously, expression of MRP protein was decreased, mitochondria membrane potetional and intracellular Ca2+ were decreased, the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were increased in the group of SENL herbs.
Conclusion: SENL herbs can interfere and reverse drug resistance in lung cancer by the mechanism of decreasing mitochondria membrane potetional and increasing the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8.