Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of baohuoside-I in combination with 5-FU on the proliferation and apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma cell Eca-109. METHODS：The cells were divided into 4 groups： combination group (12.5 mg/L baohuoside-I and 12.5 mg/L 5-FU)，negative control group (0.1% DMSO)，25 mg/L baohuoside-I group and 12.5 mg/L 5-FU group，with 3 holes in each group and 100 μl each hole (1×104 cells ). After treatment for 24，48，72 h，the inhibitory effect on proliferation of Eca-109 cells was analyzed by MTT. After treatment for 48 h，apoptosis of Eca-109 cells was measured with flow cytometry；the expression of Bcl-2 protein and Bax protein of Eca-109 cells was measured with Western blot. RESULTS：Baohuoside-I，5-FU alone and baohuoside-I in combination with 5-FU inhibited proliferation of Eca-109 cells (P all <0.05)，the inhibitory effect of the combination group was superior to either alone (P <0.05). After treatment for 48 h，apoptosis of Eca-109 cells was induced significantly，the expression of Bcl-2 protein was decreased and Bax protein was increased significantly than control group (P all <0.05). T he combination group showed more significant effect than either alone (P <0.05). CONCLUSION： Baohuoside-I in combination with 5-FU exerted a synergistic effect on inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis. This effect associated with decreased expression of Bcl-2 and increased expression of Bax.

Key words: baohuoside-I, 5-FU, proliferation, apoptosis, Bcl-2, Bax, human esophageal carcinoma