Smilax Glabra Roxb. (SGR) is the root of a traditional Chinese herb named "Tu Fu Ling" in Chinese. It is a cheap and widely used traditional Chinese medicine for cancer therapy. A few studies have indicated that SGR could inhibit tumor cell growth, but the mechanism underlying these activities was unclear and needs to be elucidated. In this study, saponins, flavonoids and methanol extract of SGR were firstly extracted by Accelerate Solvent Extractor. Through the MTT assay, flavonoids of SGR had dramatically cytotoxicity effect towards two human hepatoma cell lines, HepG2 and Hep3B. By UV and LC-MS analysis of SGR, the main components contained in SGR extract are flavonoids (mainly dihydroflavonols), saponin and the flavonoids derived compound. Results showed that flavonoids of SGR could inhibit the growth of HepG2 and Hep3B cells in a dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was evidenced after treatment of above two hepatoma cells by the flavonoids of SGR, which includes induction of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation, termination of the cell cycle at S/Ga transition phase, alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome C. Flavonoids of SGR could induce poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, stimulate caspase-3 activity and increase the quantity of active caspase-3 proteins. Furthermore, apoptotic signaling was amplified by cross-talk between the ERK, INK and p38 apoptotic pathways. All of these results indicate that the cytotoxicity of SGR extract towards selected hepatoma cells is through apoptosis, which is mediated via caspase-3, PARP mitochondrial pathways as well as p38 and JNK apoptotic signaling pathway.

土茯茶為百合科植物光葉接葜Smilax glabra Roxb. 的乾燥根整，又稱赤土茯 苓。它作為清熱解毒類中藥而廣泛應用於中醫臨床治療癌症當中。近年來臨床和 櫫理治療實驗表明，土茯苓抗癌效果良好，而且它可以抑制癌細胞的生長，但具體的作用機理仍需進一步的研究。在此論文當中，利用加速溶劑萃取法(AccelerateSolvent Extraction)提取出土茯苓的粗皂苷(SGR1)）、粗黄酮(SGR2)和其甲醇萃取物 (SGR3) o 經MTT法檢測此三種粗提物對肝癌細胞株HepG2和Hep3B的細胞毒性顯示， 此三種粗提物均對肝癌細胞株有顯著的抑制作用,而且隨著劑量的增加,其抑制效果更強烈。由於時間關係，本論文集中對土茯苓粗黃酮提取物(SGR2)進行化學分析與藥理研究。經過UV和IC-MS分析，士茯苓粗黄酮提取物(SGR2)當申包括黄酮類(主要為二氫黄酮)和皂苷類等化合物。而誘發其細胞調亡的機理研究結果顯示，經過SGR2的誘發，肝癌細胞株會出現明顯的染色質凝聚和DN^的斷裂,令 細胞周期停止在 S/G，期，同時線粒體膜電位的改變利cytochrome C 的釋放都說 明了士茯苓粗黃酮提取物(SGR2)對肝癌細胞株的細胞毒性主要是通過誘發癌細胞 的細胞程序性死亡（Apoptosis)而進行的。SGR2 地會促進PARP 和 caspase-3 番白 的表達，更進一少誘發ERK, INK 和 p38的增加說明SGR2是通過 MAPK細胞程 序性信號傳遞通路進行細胞程序性死亡的。以上結果說明土茯苓粗黃酮提取物 （SGR2)對肝癌細胞株HepG2和IHep3B的細胞毒性，主要是通過諉發癌細胞的細胞 程序性死亡(Apoptosis)而進行的,而細胞程序性死亡的機理主要是通過caspase-3和 PARP 的線粒體通路、同時件隨著 ERK，JNK和p38等MAPK細胞程序性信號傳遞 通路。