title: Dihydromyricetin induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a life-threatening disease that is known to exhibit a poor prognosis. Therefore, it is important to identify an effective drug therapy for the treatment of HCC. Dihydromyricetin (DHM) is a flavonoid compound, isolated from the classical Chinese herbAmpelopsis grossedentata, which exhibits multiple pharmacological activities, including anticancer effects. In this study, the anticancer effect of DHM was investigated in nine different types of HCC cell lines via cell proliferation and immunoassays, as well as apoptosis detection. Two immortalized normal human liver cell lines were utilized to determine hepatotoxicity. The results revealed that DHM significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in the HCC cell lines. However, DHM exhibited no cytotoxicity to normal human hepatic cell lines. Furthermore, it was found that DHM induced cell apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner. DHM upregulated p53 expression, and the upregulation of p53 increased the levels of the cleaved caspase-3 protein, directly inducing cell apoptosis. These results indicate that DHM is a promising candidate for the treatment of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qingyu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mingning
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Huilai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mingyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Zhanjiang Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Gunagdong 524001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Runzhi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: apoptosis; caspase-3; dihydromyricetin; hepatocellular carcinoma; p53