title: [Effect of Biejiajian Pills on Wnt signal pathway molecules β-catenin and GSK-3β and the target genes CD44v6 and VEGF in hepatocellular carcinoma cells].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of Biejiajian Pills on the expressions of the signal molecules and target genes of Wnt signal pathway in HepG2 cells and explore the mechanisms by which Biejiajian pills suppress the invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  HepG2 cells were cultured for 48 h in the presence of serum collected from rats fed with Biejiajian Pills. The expressions of β-catenin, GSK-3β and P-GSK-3β in the cultured cells were assessed by Western blotting and the expressions of CD44v6 and VEGF were detected using immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HepG2 cells cultured with the serum of rats fed with Biejiajian Pills showed lowered expressions of β-catenin protein both in the cytoplasm and the nuclei with also inhibition of phosphorylation of GSK-3β and reduced expression of CD44v6 and VEGF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biejiajian Pills can significantly reduce the expression of β-catenin by decreasing the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and blocking the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to cause down-regulation of the target genes CD44v6 and VEGF, which may be one of the molecular mechanisms by which Biejiajian Pills suppress the proliferation and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.E-mail: haitao6230@163.com.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Songqi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Wenyan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Eryan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D056945:Hep G2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000187:drug effects*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C112697:CD44v6 antigen; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D051176:beta Catenin; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3