Scutellaria baicalensis, a herbal medicine: Anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity against acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cell lines

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Leukemia Research

Volume 31, Issue 4, April 2007, Pages 523-530

doi:10.1016/j.leukres.2006.08.019

Scutellaria baicalensis, a herbal medicine: Anti-proliferative and apoptotic

activity against acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cell lines

Takashi Kumagaia, c, , , I. Müllera, n C. Desmonda, Yasufumi Imaic,

Heberb and H. Koefflera

aDivision of Hematology/Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA School of

Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

bUniversity of California Center for Human Nutrition, Los Angeles, CA, USA

cDepartment of Hematology, Ohme Municipal General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Received 29 March 2006; revised 23 August 2006; accepted 25 August 2006.

Available online 26 September 2006.

Abstract

Scutellaria baicalensis (S.B.) is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine. We

initially investigated its in vitro anti-tumor activities. S.B inhibited the

growth of ALL, lymphoma and myeloma cell lines by inducing apoptosis and cell

cycle arrest at clinically achievable concentrations. The anti-proliferative

effect was associated with mitochondrial damage, modulation of the Bcl family of

genes, increased level of the CDK inhibitor p27KIP1 and decreased level of c-myc

oncogene. HPLC analysis of S.B. showed it contains 21% baicalin and further

studies confirmed it was the major anti-cancer component of S.B. Thus,

Scutellaria baicalensis should be tested in clinical trials for these

hematopoietic malignancies.