Study on the inhibitory effect of total alkaliods of Sophora alopecuroides on osteosarcoma cell growth.

BACKGROUND Ku Dou Zi is the dried whole plant, roots and seeds of Sophora alopecuroides L. in the genus Sophora of family Leguminosae. The entire plant is bitter in taste, cold in nature, and has the heat clearing, detoxifying, pathogenic wind dispelling dampness, analgesic, and insecticidal effects. Modern pharmacological studies have proved that TASA has pharmacological activities of anti-cancer. The objective of this paper was to investigate the inhibitory effect of total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA), on osteosarcoma cell growth and its mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to study the inhibitory effect of TASA on human osteosarcoma cell line OS732. RESULTS The results showed that the inhibition rates of different concentrations of TASA (1.5, 3, and 4.5g/kg), against human osteosarcoma cell line OS732, were: 18.4%, 27.4% and 52.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION TASA has an inhibitory effect on osteosarcoma cell growth.