Synergistic antitumor effect of puerarin combined with 5-fluorouracil on gastric carcinoma

Combination chemotherapy is a crucial method in the treatment of gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of puerarin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on BGC-823 gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro growth inhibition of puerarin or 5-FU alone or combined on BGC-823 cells was determined using a cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) on living cells. Apoptotic morphological features and proteins expression levels were detected by Hoechst 33258 staining, an Annexin V/propidium iodide apoptosis kit and western blot analysis, respectively. Tumor xenografts were established in nude mice and the inhibitory effects and side effects were detected. Results of the CCK-8, Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry revealed that the combined treatment was more effective than the separate treatments. The tumor volume was 90.65% of that of the controls and the mean tumor weight was only 0.125 g at the end of the experiment in the combination group compared with the control group (0.822 g). In addition, it was determined that liver and renal toxicity did not increase in combined treatment. These findings showed that puerarin and 5-FU produced a significant synergic effect on gastric cancer cells, while there was no increase in side effects.