Figure 5

Inhibition of autophagy enhanced the anti-tumor effect of β-elemene on MGC803 cells. (A) MGC803 cells were exposed to either 50 μg/mL β-elemene or 20 μmol/L CQ, or a combined treatment of β-elemene and CQ for 24 h, and cell viability was measured by MTT assay. (B) Cells were treated with 50 μg/mL β-elemene or 20 μmol/L CQ, or a combined treatment of β-elemene and CQ for 6 h, and the clone formation ability was analyzed. Columns: mean of three independent experiments; bars: SD. * P<0.05 vs. cells treated with β-elemene alone. (C) Cells were treated as described in A and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry following Annexin V staning. (D) Cells were transfected with either Beclin1 siRNA or a non-target control siRNA for 48 h, and the expression of Beclin 1 was verified by western blotting. (E) and (F) Forty-eight hours after transfection, the cells were treated with 50 μg/mL β-elemene for another 24 h, and cell viability (E) and apoptosis (F) were analyzed. * P<0.05 vs. cells transfected with control siRNA.