Abstract: AIM: To study the effects of baicalin on the growth and TIMP2 expression of bcap-37 cells. METHODS: The effects of baicalin at different concentration on the growth curve of bcap-37 cells were tested by MTT method and TIMP2 expression were analyzed by RTPCR and western blot. RESULTS: Baicalin inhibited the growth of the bcap-37 cells in a concentration relying way. Baicalin up-regulated TIMP2 expression in the bcap37 cells at both Mrna and protein levels at low dose, but down-regulated it at high dose. CONCLUSION: Baicalin can inhibit the growth of human mammary cancer cell line bcap37, and this effect maybe related to downregulate TIMP2 expression in the cancer cells.

Key words: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, baicalin, bcap-37 cells, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases