Abstract: Objective To investigate the induction of dihydroartemisinin(DHA) on prostate cancer PC-3 apoptosis and it possible mechanisms. Methods PC-3 were treated with different concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100 μmol/L) of DHA for 48 h. The apoptosis was deteleted by flow cytometry. HSP70 mRNA expression levels were determined by RT-qPCR.HSP70,Apaf-1 and Caspase-3 protein expressions were determined by western blot. Two more groups were added in RT-qPCR and western blot, the 100 μmol/L HSP70 inhibitor group and the DMSO group. Results DHA can significantly induced the apoptosis of PC-3 cells (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the expressions of HSP70 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the expressions of Apaf-1 and Caspase-3 proteins were increased (P<0.05). Conclusion DHA significantly inhibit the apoptosis of PC-3 cells in vitro. These mechanisms may be due to the reduced expression HSP70 and the induced expression of Apaf-1 and Caspase-3 by DHA.

Key words: 【Key words】 dihydroartemisinin (DHA), prostate cancer, HSP70, Apaf-1, Caspase-3