POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
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FRIDAY, 10:15-11:00 AM

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Li X, Li PCH*, Sung MW, Chew D, Xue XY.

Blood-type cancer cells treated by licorice-derived compounds using the single-cell microfluidic chip platform.

Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University paulli@sfu.ca *Presenting author

This paper reports the study of the drug action of 4 licorice components (isoliquiritigenin (IQ), glycyrrhizin (GL), 18-α glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), 18-β glycyrrhetinic acid (GB) on blood-type cancer cells in the single-cell format using the microfluidic chip. Licorice is a commonly used herb in both Eastern and Western cultures, but the drug efficacy of licorice compounds has not been fully investigated in the cell-based format. Of the many bioactive components in licorice, IQ, GL, GA and GB has gained great interest in their drug actions. The drug effect of IQ was studied by real-time monitoring of the intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) change of a single RAW 264.7 cell using fluorescence measurement. The single cell was first selected and retained in the microfluidic chip, and the cell was on-chip loaded with the calcium probe (i.e. Fluo-4 AM ester). It was found that IQ first induced a gradual [Ca2+]i increase in the cancer cell. Then, a dramatic [Ca2+]i increase before the cell died. A higher IQ concentration induced a greater increase in [Ca2+]i. The study of drug action on a single cell reveal many details not observable using a batch mode, as the cell heterogeneity has obscured the interpretation of the data using batch cell experiments. The drug responses of RAW 264.7 and two other kinds of blood-type cancer cells, HL-60, Jurkat T, were confirmed by a cell inhibition assay. It was found that GA, GB and IQ showed a dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth in all 3 cell lines. GA and GB were two diastereoisomers of glycyrrhetinic acid, but they showed different effects on cancer cells. However, GL negated the cytotoxicity of GA or GB on cancer cells. Of these 4 compounds, IQ showed the strongest ability to inhibit cell proliferation in all three cell lines. It could remarkably inhibit cancer cell proliferation when its concentration was above 25 µM.

 

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