Study on the radiosensitizing effect of artemisinin on human cervical cancer and corresponding mechanisms.

Objective:To investigate the effect of artemisinin in enhancing the radiosensitivity of human cervical cancer HeLa cells and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.Methods:The fibroblasts GM0639 ,cercival squamous carcinoma SiHa cells and cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells were cultured in vitro with artemisinin. The proliferation of cells was measured by MTT assay. Microco-lony formation test was used to determine the effects of artemisinin in enhancing radiosensitivity of GM0639,SiHa,and HeLa cells. Influence of artemisinin on related protein CyclinB1 and Wee1's expression levels was investigated by Western blotting in HeLa cells.Results:The inhibition rate of GM0639,SiHa,and HeLa cells were 0.93±0.25,0.84±0.10,and 0.77±0.03,respectively,after they were treated with artemisinin 110.69 nmol/mL for 6 h. The difference was not significant compared with control group 0.92±0.13 for GM0639 cells,0.83±0.09 for SiHa cells,and 0.75±0.21 for HeLa cells,P0.05). Artemisinin did not enhance the radio-sensitivity of GM0639 and SiHa cells but enhanced the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells. The SER was 1.12. The CyclinB1 level was increased but the Wee1 expression was decreased in artemisinin-treated HeLa cells compared with control cells.Conclusion:Artemisinin can enhance the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells. The mechanisms may be related with upregulation of CyclinB1 expression and downregulation of Wee1 expression.