Emodin induces apoptosis of human cervical cancer cells through poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and activation of caspase-9

Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone) is an active herbal component traditionally used in China for treating various ailments. Emodin exerts antiproliferative effects in many cancer cell lines and the actual molecular mechanism of which is still not clear. Since apoptosis could be a potential mechanism to explain these effects, we tested whether emodin induces cell death in human cervical cancer cells. Our results suggest that emodin...