Matrine inhibited the growth of rat osteosarcoma UMR-108 cells by inducing apoptosis in a mitochondrial–caspase-dependent pathway

Matrine, one of the main active components of the extracts from the dry roots of Sophora flavescens, has a potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism of cell apoptosis induced by matrine remains elusive. Here, we investigated the apoptosis in matrine-treated rat osteosarcoma UMR-108 cells. The results showed that matrine could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further investigation revealed a disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and an upregulation of reactive oxygen species in matrine-treated cells. By western blot analysis, we found the upregulation of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-9 and the downregulation of Bax/Bcl-2 with different concentrations of matrine. These protein interactions may play a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis. Taken together, these results overall indicate that matrine could be used as an effective antitumor agent in therapy of osteosarcoma targets the caspase-dependent signaling pathway.