Puerarin Influences the Cytotoxic Activity of γδT Cells Against Liver Cancer Cell Line SMMC-7721

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and mechanism of puerarin on γδT cells and their cytotoxicity on human liver cancer cell line SMMC-7721. METHODS Amplification γδT cells of human peripheral blood in vitro by using isopentenylpyrophosphate(IPP). γδT cells were cultured with different concentrations of puerarin in vitro. CCK8 assay was used to measure the growth curve of γδT cells. The expression of perforin(PFP), Granzyme B(GraB) and CD107a on γδT cells were detected by FCM. The cytotoxic activity of γδT cells to SMMC-7721 cells was detected by lactate dehydrogenase release(LDH). The expression of phosphorylation of kinase1/2(P-ERK1/2) and Bcl-2 of γδT cells was measured by Western blot. RESULTS After cultured with puerarin for 48 h, the proliferation rate of human γδT cells increased signi?cantly with puerarin at concentrations from 1.6 μmol?L^-1 to 100 μmol?L^-1(P<0.05); the expression of GraB, PFP, CD107a and P-ERK1/2, p-AKT of human γδT cells were significantly higher than that of control group with puerarin at concentrations from 12.5 to 50 μmol?L^-1(P<0.05) and 3.125 to 50 μmol?L^-1(P<0.05), respectively; the cytotoxic activity of human γδT cells against SMMC-7721 was remarkably higher than that of the control group with puerarin at concentrations from 3.125 to 50 μmol?L^-1 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Puerarin at a certain range of concentration could promote the growth of γδT cells and enhance the cytotoxic activity of γδT cells to SMMC-7721 cells. The possible mechanism may be that puerarin could increase the expression of PFP, GraB, CD10707a, P-ERK1/2 and Bcl-2.KEY WORDS: puerarin; γδT cells; liver cancer cell line SMMC-7721; cytotoxic activity