Figure 2.

Induction of apoptosis and effects of PN on the cell cycle in Raji cells. Raji cells treated with 0, 4 or 6 μmol of PN for 48 h. (A) Annexin V^FITC assay (^*P<0.05 vs. control group). (B) DAPI staining (x40), arrows point to PN-treated Raji cells with irregular and shrunken nuclei. (C) Caspase-3 activity was measured in the control and PN-treated Raji cells (^*P<0.05 vs. control group). (D) Cell extracts were subjected to immunoblotting for PARP, caspase-8 and caspase-9 cleavage. (E) Effects of PN on cell cycle profile. The percentages of cells in G0–G1, S and G2-M phases are shown (n=3). PN, parthenolide; PARP, Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase.