Determination of Eupatilin in Folium artemisiae Argyi and Its Inhibitory Effect on Hepatoma Cells

Aim: The aim of this study is to establish a method for determination of eupatilin in Folium artemisiae Argyi and observe the inhibitory effect of Folium artemisiae Argyi extract on human hepatoma SMMC‑7721 cells. Methods: High‑performance liquid chromatograph system with 2910 pump, 2930 UV detector, and N2000 workstation was used for determination of eupatilin in Folium artemisiae Argyi. Human hepatoma SMMC‑7721 cells were cultured and cell proliferation was measured using the MTT assay. The expression protein levels of p53, Topo II, and bcl‑2 were detected using Western blotting. Results: Eupatilin exhibited a linearity range of 0.5–3.0 μg/mL and a recovery of 100.72%, relevant standard derivation = 2.28%. Folium artemisiae Argyi extract had marked cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on SMMC‑7721 cells, inhibited the SMMC‑7721 colony formation in a dose‑dependent manner. Folium artemisiae Argyi extract already possessed delayed effect after treating SMMC‑7721 cells for 8 h, which became obvious at 12 h from treatment. After drug withdrawal, cells still tended to apoptosis. Folium artemisiae Argyi extract could inhibit p53, Topo II, and bcl‑2 expressions in tumor cells. The present method for determination of eupatilin is simple, fast, accurate, sensitive, and reproducible. Conclusion: Hepatoma SMMC‑7721 cells are quite sensitive to Folium artemisiae Argyi extract, which may be associated with its suppression of p53, Topo II, and bcl‑2 expressions.