Abstract
Purpose and background: Paeoniflorin (PF) isolated from peony root (Paeoniae radix) has been used as a herbal medicine in East Asia for its anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory effects. PF is known to cause apoptosis and to be a chemical heat shock protein (HSP) inducer. With this information, the effects on the gene expression in human leukemia U937 cells treated with PF were investigated. Methods: U937 cells, a human myelomonocytic cell line, were treated with PF at different concentrations (0-640 μg/ml). Expression level of Hsp70 was monitored by Western blotting. Gene expression was evaluated using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays and computational gene expression analysis tools and the results were verified by real-time quantitative PCR. Results: Although cell viability was not affected after PF treatment at a high concentration of 640 μg/ml, PF treatment (80-640 μg/ml) significantly elevated Hsp70 expression in a concentration-dependent manner. When the cells were treated with PF (160 μg/ml; 30 min), 35 up-regulated and 29 down-regulated genes were identified. Among the differentially expressed genes, a significant genetic network containing CDC2, FOSL1 and EGR1 was associated with biological functions such as cell death, gene expression or cellular growth and proliferation. Conclusion: The present results indicate that PF affects the expression of many genes including Hsp70 and will provide a better understanding on the molecular mechanism of action of this compound in inducing HSPs in cells.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 529-537 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | International Journal of Hyperthermia |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2007/09 |
Keywords
- Gene expression
- Genetic network
- Heat shock protein
- Hsp70
- Paeoniflorin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Physiology (medical)
- Cancer Research