Abstract: Objective To study the effects and mechanisms of BuShenYangGuTang on proliferation and apoptosis of multiple myeloma cell line KM3. Methods The inhibitory effect of BuShenYangGuTang on cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8. BuShenYangGuTang induced KM3 cell cycle arrest was analyzed by flow cytometry after propidium iodide staining. Flow cytometry was also used to analyze the cell apoptosis after Annexin V-FITC staining. The expressions of Bcl- 2, Bax and NF- κB were determined by RT-qPCR and Western blot assay. Results BuShenYangGuTang inhibited the KM3 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The expression levels of Bcl-2 and NF - κB were decreased, the expression level of Bax was increased, and the cell cycle was arrested in G0 / G1 phase after treatment with BuShenYangGuTang. Conclusion BuShenYangGuTang could inhibit the proliferation, arrest cell cycle and induce the apoptosis in KM3 cells, which may be related to the abnormal expressions of Bcl-2, Bax and NF-κB.

Key words: multiple myeloma, apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell cycle, BuShenYangGuTang, KM3 cells