Apoptosis induced by weisiensin B isolated from Rabdosia weisiensis C.Y. Wu in K562.

The ent-kaurane diterpenoid weisinensis B shows significant cytotoxicity to human chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells. It inhibits cell growth at low concentration and kills cells at high concentration. The compound induced cell apoptosis and necrosis mainly associated with G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and the ROS generation is the early event in weisiensin B induced cell apoptosis.