Objective: To investigate the role of β-catenin and caspase-3 in amentoflavone-induced apoptosis of human colorectal cancer SW480 cells.
Methods: MTT assay was used to detect the viability of SW480 cells exposed to amentoflavone, and flow cytometry was employed to assess the cell apoptosis. Western blotting was performed to determine the protein expressions of β-catenin and caspase-3 in the exposed cells.
Results: Amentoflavone dose-dependently inhibited the viability of SW480 cells, and a high concentration of amentoflavone (150 µmol/L) obviously induced apoptosis of the cells. Amentoflavone exposure caused significantly increased expression of caspase-3 and suppressed β-catenin expression in the cells.
Conclusion: Amentoflavone-induced apoptosis in SW480 human colorectal cancer cells is associated with altered expressions of β-catenin and caspase-3.