Fig. 1. VJ inhibits cell growth, inactivates AKT kinase, and induces apoptosis in HCT 116 and SW-620 colon cancer cell lines.

a HCT 116 and SW-620 cells were treated with indicated concentration of VJ or vehicle (DMSO) for 24 h followed by MTT assay for cell viability. b Cell proliferation was assessed by BrdU incorporation in HCT 116 and SW-620 cells treated with the indicated concentrations of VJ. c Anchorage-independent growth was assessed by a soft agar colony formation assay in HCT 116 and SW-620 cells. d VJ-treated cells show down-regulation of the expression of pAKT (Ser473), p65, and Bcl-2 in a time-dependent manner. e VJ-treated cells show up-regulation in the expression of cleaved caspase 9, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved PARP in a time-dependent manner. f Apoptosis was quantified using flow cytometry of Annexin V–FITC and PI-stained, VJ-treated HCT 116 and SW-620 cells. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SEM/SD) of three independent experiments. Student’s t-test was used to calculate statistical significance between vehicle and treatment at each concentration; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001