Berberine promotes antiproliferative effects of epirubicin in T24 bladder cancer cells by enhancing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest
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OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed to observe the effect of berberine (Ber) on epirubicin (EPI)-induced growth inhibition, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in T24 bladder cancer cells.

METHODS: The cancer cells were exposed to EPI, with or without different concentrations of Ber. The viability of the cancer cells was measured by cell counting Kit-8, the apoptosis was determined by Hoechst 33258 staining and the expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, and P53 proteins were detected by Western blot assay. In addition, cell cycle arrest and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also measured.

RESULTS: We found that Ber enhanced the inhibitory effect of EPI on the viability of T24 cells and promoted EPI-induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 and apoptosis in T24 cells. EPI increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, Bax, P53, and P21 proteins, all of which were enhanced by treatment with Ber. In contrast, Ber exposure further decreased the expression of Bcl-2 in EPI-treated T24 cells. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that Ber significantly increased ROS production in EPI-treated T24 cells.

CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that Ber enhances the antiproliferative effects of EPI in bladder cancer cells by promoting apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.
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