Fig. 4

Matrine activates mitochondrial fission, leading to mitochondrial apoptosis. a, b Mitochondrial fission was detected using an immunofluorescence assay. The average length of mitochondria was recorded to quantify mitochondrial fission. Mdivi-1, an inhibitor of mitochondrial fission, was used in matrine-treated cells. Additionally, FCCP, an activator of mitochondrial fission, was added to the control group, which was used as the positive control group. c–h Western blotting was conducted to determine the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis. The levels of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bad and caspase-9, were measured. The levels of anti-apoptotic factors, such as Bcl2 and c-IAP, were monitored. Experiments were repeated 3 times (n = 3), and data are shown as the mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05 vs the control group. Cont control, Mat matrine