[Anti-tumor target identification and molecular mechanism study of total saponins from Albizia julibrissin].

Dried stem bark from Albizia julibrissin(AJ) is a common traditional Chinese herb with several therapy effects including insomnia, anxiety and anti-tumor. Recently, the anti-tumor effect and mechanism studies of AJ have drawn much attention; however, there are still some troubles in chemical composition separation, which leads to the difficulties in pharmacological research of AJ. In this study, we firstly confirmed the proliferation inhibitory effect of total saponins from AJ(TSAJ)on human hepatocarcinoma(HepG2) cells, and also tested the apoptosis induction effect of TSAJ. Then, we successfully captured the potential target proteins from HepG2 lysates by using TSAJ-modified solid beads, and identified the target proteins by LC-MS/MS. Finally, we confirmed 5 target proteins including Exportin-2, Beta-actin-like protein 2, Myosin-9, Protein transport protein Sec61 subunit beta,and Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone, which are responsible forcell apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation andmigration. In summary, our findings elucidate the potential anti-tumor mechanism of TSAJ from the direct target proteins, and provide a new insight for exploring the pharmacological mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.