Study on HepG-2 apoptosis induced by saponins isolated from asparagus and the effects on the activities of Caspase-3,8,9

To study the effect of saponins of asparagus on apoptosis and the variations of Caspase-8, 9, 3 activity in the process of asparagus induced apoptosis in HepG-2. Cell was administrated with different concentrations of asparagus at different time, the apoptosis rate was determined by FCM with AV-PI staining, the morphology was observed by electron microscopy, caspase-8,9,3 activities was measured by kit. Experiments showed that saponins of asparagus inhibited cell growth. At 72 h, the apoptosis rate increased with concentrations markedly. Apoptotic morphology was observed. After Asparagus officinalis saponin of different concentrations have been acting on HepG-2 cells for 24 h and 48 h, the activity of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3 was significantly increased compared with that in the negative control, which suggesting that the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells by Asparagus officinalis saponin may be related to its activating caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. From the experimental results, it can also be seen that the activity of Caspase-8 is high at 24 h, and the activities of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 is high at 48 h, which suggesting that, in inducing apoptosis in HepG-2 cells, Asparagus officinalis saponin first activates the starter caspases, or caspase-8 and caspase-9, and the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9 in turn leads to the caspase cascade, resulting in the activation of caspase-3. As an executor caspase, caspase-3 eventually leads to cell apoptosis.