Altered gene and protein expressions in COLO 320 cell lines by Bauhinia variegataLinn.

Introduction and aim:Bauhinia variegatais a medium-sized deciduous tree belonging to the family Caeselpinaceae. Various parts of this medicinal plant have been used in different systems of medicine for the treatment of many ailments. The present study aims to unravel the role of active fractions on various pro and anti-apoptotic gene expression in COLO 320 cell lines by RT-PCR andto study the effect of active fractions on the expression of various pro and anti-apoptotic proteins in COLO 320 cell line by Western blotting. Materials and Methods:The active fractions of ethanol extract of Bauhinia variegata(EBV) was obtained by silica gel chromatography followed by MTT assay. The gene expression of TGF-?, COX –2, iNOS, c-Myc, k-Ras, ?-Catenin, Bax, and Caspase 9 were studied by using reverse transcriptase PCR. The expression of the above gene products was also studied using Western blotting. Results:Upon treatment with active fractions, the expression of anti-apoptotic genes and proteins like TGF-?, COX –2, iNOS, c-Myc, k-Ras, and ?-Catenin were decreased whereas the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and proteins like Bax and Caspase 9 were increased.Conclusion:From the above results, a tentative mechanism of the EBV's active fraction can be elucidated. Thus,the present study may throw light on the mechanism of action of EBV's active fractions. Further identification of the exact lead of EBV might help in the discovery of new anti-colon cancer drugs. Keywords:Bioactivity; anticancer; flow cytometry; apoptosis; medicinal plants; colon cancer.