Distinct effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné extracts on isoproterenol-induced growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Chrysanthemum indicum Linné (Asteraceae) is a common Chinese herbal medicine that has been traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation, hypertension and neoplastic diseases in China. However, the mechanism that account for the inhibitory activity of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné against cancer cells is poorly understood. We investigated the effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné extracts (CILE) on isoproterenol (ISO) induced growth of human hepatocellar carcinoma (HCC) cells in correlation with the intracellular activity of MAPK/ERK1/2. We found that CILE was effective in attenuating the mitogenic effect of ISO on both HepG2 and MHCC97H cells. The inhibitory effect of CILE was mediated by inhibiting the ISO-induced activation of MAPK/ERK1/2 via β2-AR in tumor cells. Our findings will be helpful in understanding the anticancer mechanism of CILE.