It is reported that Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HCT), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has many biological properties such as antiviral, antibacterial and antileukemic activities. However, the molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity and apoptosis in human primary colorectal cancer cells are not clear. In this study, whether HCT induced cytotoxicity in primary colorectal cancer cells obtained from three patients was investigated. The results indicated that HCT inhibited growth of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. After treatment with HCT (250 μg/ml) for 24 h, cells exhibited chromatin condensation (an apoptotic characteristic). HCT increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(m)) in examined cells. Mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway was shown to be involved as determined by increase in the levels of cytochrome c, Apaf-1, and caspase-3 and -9. The decrease in the level of ΔΨ(m) was associated with an increase in the BAX/BCL-2 ratio which led to activation of caspase-9 and -3. Based on our results, HCT induced apoptotic cell death in human primary colorectal cancer cells through a mitochondria-dependent signaling pathway.
