We have investigated the effects of maackiain and trifolirhizin (maackiain glycoside) isolated from sanzukon (Sophora Subprostrate Chen et T. Chen) on DNA of human promyelotic HL-60 leukemia cells. It was found that extent of induction of apoptosis by maackiain was larger than that by trifolirhizin in human leukemia HL-60 cells. Morphological changes showing apoptotic bodies were observed in the HL-60 cells treated with maackiain and trifolirhizin. The fragmentations of DNA by maackiain and trifolirhizin to oligonucleosomal-sized fragments that is a characteristic of apoptosis was observed to be concentration- and time-dependent in the HL-60 cells. The data of the present study show that the suppressions by maackiain and trifolrhizin of growth of the HL-60 cells result from the induction of apoptosis by these compounds, and that the extent of growth suppression and induction of apoptosis by maackiain was greater than that by the glycoside (trifolirhizin).

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