Yonsei Med J.  2012 Mar;53(2):346-351. 10.3349/ymj.2012.53.2.346.

Berberine Inhibited the Growth of Thyroid Cancer Cell Lines 8505C and TPC1

• Park KS
• Kim JB
• Bae J
• Park SY
• Jee HG
• Lee KE
• Youn YK

• KMID: 1120201
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2012.53.2.346

Abstract

PURPOSE
Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy in Korean females and can be treated with good prognosis. However, drugs to treat aggressive types of thyroid cancer such as poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer have not yet been established. To that end, we analyzed the effects of berberine on human thyroid cancer cell lines to determine whether this compound is useful in the treatment of aggressive thyroid cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The two thyroid cancer cell lines 8505C and TPC1, under adherent culture conditions, were treated with berberine and analyzed for changes in cell growth, cell cycle duration, and degree of apoptosis.
RESULTS
Following berberine treatment, both cell lines showed a dose-dependent reduction in growth rate. 8505C cells showed significantly increased levels of apoptosis following berberine treatment, whereas TPC1 cells showed cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Immunobloting of p-27 expression following berberine treatment showed that berberine induced a little up-regulation of p-27 in 8505c cells but relatively high up-regulation of p-27 in TPC1 cells.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that berberine treatment of thyroid cancer can inhibit proliferation through apoptosis and/or cell cycle arrest. Thus, berberine may be a novel anticancer drug for the treatment of poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Keyword

Berberine; anticancer-drug; thyroid cancer; growth

MeSH Terms

Antineoplastic Agents/*pharmacology
Apoptosis/drug effects
Berberine/*pharmacology
Cell Cycle/drug effects
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Proliferation/drug effects
Humans
Thyroid Neoplasms/*metabolism

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Berberine inhibited growth of 8505C and TPC1 cell lines. 8505C (A) and TPC1 (B) cells were treated with distilled water (CTL) or berberine at 1 µM, 10 µM, or 100 µM. Cells were stained with trypan blue to determine cell viability, and counted using a hematocytometer. Relative cell growth rates are shown as percent survival versus control cells after berberine treatment. The rectangles indicate IC 50 of berberine in both cell lines. The data represent the means of at least three independent experiments and the corresponding standard errors. *p-value of less than 0.05. **p-value of less than 0.01.

• 

  Fig. 2 Cell cycle analysis of berberine-treated 8505C and TPC1 cells. 8505C (A) and TPC1 (B) cells were treated with berberine at 10 µM doses for 72 hours. The percentage of cells at each stage of the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry after DNA staining with propidium iodide. Data from a representative experiment (from a total of three) are shown.

• 

  Fig. 3 Berberine induced apoptosis in both 8505C cells and TPC1 cells. 8505C (A) and TPC1 (B) cells were treated with berberine at 10 µM doses for 72 hours. All cells were stained with FITC-conjugated Annexin V in a buffer containing propidium iodide and analyzed by flow cytometry. For each treatment, the percentage of viable cells is shown in the lower left quadrant, for which both Annexin V and propidium iodide levels are low. Data from a representative experiment (from a total of three) are shown.

• 

  Fig. 4 Expression of p-27 after berberine treatment for 72 h. 8505C (A) and TPC1 (B) cells were treated with berberine at 10 µM doses for 72 hours. Expression of p-27 and β-actin was detected by immunoblotting. Lane 1: cells treated with distilled water (CTL); lane 2: cells treated with berberine at 10 µM doses.

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