Induction Of Apoptosis And Regulation Of Gene Expression In Nci-H82 Cell Line Of Small Cell Lung Cancer By Yxlst-External-Qi-Engineered Culture Medium

4949 Various exceptional therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine in ancient and modern history are thought to be the results of enhanced Qi function and the beneficial effects of external Qi emitted by trained Qi-emitting doctor(s). A body of substantial contemporary scientific studies has recorded the extraordinary effects of external Qi of Yan Xin Life Science Technology (YXLST) on living and non-living systems. We have recently reported an anticancer property of external Qi of YXLST on NCI-H82 cell line of small cell lung cancer and that external Qi of YXLST induced down-regulation of oncogene expression and up-regulation of death-promoting genes (Yan et al., 2005 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics: Discovery, Biology, and Clinical Applications). To further this study, external Qi of YXLST was incorporated into culture medium and the effect of this engineered culture medium on NCI-H82 cell line of small cell lung cancer was examined. Flowcytometric detection of cell apoptosis was performed to study the effect of YXLST-external-Qi-engineered culture medium on human lung cancer cells. The data showed that compared to the non-treated medium, YXLST-external-Qi-engineered culture medium induced dramatic apoptosis in cultured lung cancer cells. The effect of the YXLST external-Qi-engineered culture medium on lung cancer cell gene expression was further investigated using cDNA microarray technology. Of the 21,329 human genes examined, 657 genes are found significantly altered in response to the treatment of YXLST-external-Qi-incorporated culture medium in lung cancer cells. Eight of the altered genes have been further validated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and by relative quantitative RT-PCR for their associations with the unique functions of the lung cancer cells. Among the down-regulated genes are: DEK oncogene (NM_003472); Fus-1 protein, a candidate lung cancer protein (NM_007275); Small cell lung carcinoma cluster 4 antigen (NM_013230); A homolog of the lung carcinoma myc-related oncogene 1 (BC011864); Integrin, alpha 9, which is related to the development of lung cancer (NM_002207); Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A; Lung cancer antigen NY-LU-1 (NM_000034). Genes that are up-regulated by the YXLST-external-Qi-incorporated culture medium include: Cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector b (NM_014430) and; Programmed cell death 7 (BC016992). These data show that YXLST-external-Qi-engineered culture medium can induce apoptosis and alter multiple gene expression in lung cancer cells. Although the exact mechanism underlying the anticancer effect of the external Qi remain unclear, the external Qi of YXLST may induce apoptosis in cancer cells, in part, by regulating the expression of genes involved in apoptosis and cancer development.