Apoptosis of human gastric adenocarcinoma cells induced by β-ionone

AIM: To investigate the effect of β-ionone on the growth and apoptosis of gastric adenocarcinoma cell line SGC-7901. METHODS: Using MTT, fluorescence dye (Hoechst-33258), transmission electron microscopy and the TUNEL assay, we examined growth and apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells treated with β-ionone at various concentrations (i.e. 25, 50, 100 and 200 μmol/L) for 24 h, 48 h. RESULTS: The growth of SGC-7901 cells was inhibited by β-ionone. Seven days after treatment with β-ionone at four concentrations, the inhibition rates were 12.04%, 30.59%, 78.25% and 94.15%, respectively. The IC50 value of β-ionone for SGC-7901 cells was estimated to be 89 μmol/L. The apoptotic morphology was demonstrated in SGC-7901 cells treated with β-ionone by Hoechst-33258 staining and electron microscopy. Apoptosis was also shown in β-ionone-treated SGC-7901 cells by the TUNEL assay. CONCLUSION: β-ionone can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells. However, the mechanism needs to be further investigated.