Inhibition of Cell Proliferation by Houttuynia cordata Extract on Gastric Cancer Cells via Induction of Apoptosis

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. is an edible and medicinal plant that belongs to the family of Saururaceae and widely distributes in Eastern Asia countries. H. cordata have been reported as a promising anticancer agent against various cancer cells. This study was to determine anti-proliferative effect of H. cordata extract on gastric cancer cells using an in vitro experimental model. The cytotoxicity was examined via the 2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while cell migration was conducted by wound healing assay. The gene expression level was measured by real time PCR. The result showed that butanol extract exhibited highest anti-proliferative activity against BGC-823 cells with IC50 value of 193 µg/ml. Moreover, the wound healing assay determined the suppressive capacity of butanol extract on cell migration at concentration of 50 µg/ml. Notably, butanol extract treatment (50 µg/ml) was able to up-regulate the mRNA expression of apoptosis-mediated signaling molecules, including caspase-8, Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 in gastric cancer cells. These results indicate that butanol extract of H. cordata possesses inhibitory activity on tumor development and metastasis via induction of the process of programmed cell death.