BAX and familial pancreatic carcinoma: In this study, a dose- and time-dependent oxymatrine-induced pancreatic cancer cell death via increasing pro-apoptotic Bax expression and decreasing anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xS expression result in the release of cytochrome to cytosol, followed by activation of caspapse-3 and finally lead to cell apoptosis.