Figure 2.

Induction of apoptotic and necrotic cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells by As^III combined with Tetra. (A) After treatment with indicated concentrations of As^III and Tetra, alone or in combination, for 48 h, cells were stained with annexin V-FITC and PI, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Annexin V(−)PI(−) cells, annexin V(+)PI(−) cells, annexin V(+)PI(+) cells, and annexin V(−)PI(+) cell represent viable cells, early apoptotic cells, late apoptotic/necrotic cells, and necrotic cells, respectively. (A) Representative dot plots from three independent experiments are shown. Quantifications in the percentages of apoptotic cells (B) and necrotic cells (C) are shown, respectively. *p<0.05 vs. control; ^#p<0.05 vs. each alone; ^$p<0.01 vs. TAM. TAM (20 µM) used as an inducer (positive control) for the induction of apoptosis and necrosis. As, As^III; Tetra, tetrandrine; TAM, tamoxifen.