Abstract:

Objective To investigate the influence of Tripterygium wilfordii lactone alcohol regulating Notch4 protein expression on the activity of tongue squamous cell carcinoma(tongue cancer)CAL27 cells. Methods CAL27 cells were intervened by different levels of Tripterygium wilfordii lactone alcohol(0，20，40 and 80 ng·mL^-1)，which were classified into T0 group(control group)，T20 group，T40 group and T80 group. Flow cytometry was used to determine apoptosis rate，methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay was used to determine cell proliferation rate，Transwell chamber was used to determine cell invasion ability，scratch assay was used to determine cell mobility，and Notch4 protein expression was determined by western blot. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was used to determine the relative expression of Notch4 mRNA. Results Compared to group，T20，T40 and T80 groups showed a decrease in cell proliferation rates at 24，48 and 72 h(P<0.05)，and there was statistical significance in cell proliferation rates in T20，T40 and T80 groups(P<0.05). The early apoptosis rate and total apoptosis rate were increased in T0，T20，T40 and T80 groups in turn(P<0.05)，with the late apoptosis rate being higher in T80 group compared to T0，T20 and T40 groups(P<0.05)，while there was no statistical significance in late apoptosis rates between T0，T20 and T40 groups(P>0.05). Cell invasion and migration rates were decreased in T0，T20，T40 and T80 groups(P<0.001). Compared to T0 group，Notch4 expression was decreased in T20，T40 and T80 groups(P<0.05)，and there was statistical significance in Notch4 expression between T20，T40 and T80 groups(P<0.05).Conclusions Tripterygium wilfordii lactone alcohol regulating Notch4 protein reduces CAL27 biological activity and promotes its apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with inhibiting Notch4 protein expression.

Key words: Tongue squamous cell carcinoma, Tripterygium wilfordii lactone alcohol, Proliferation, Apoptosis, Notch4