title: Quercetin induces apoptosis and enhances 5-FU therapeutic efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Quercetin (Q), a flavonoid compound, which is obtained in variety of fruits, seeds, and vegetables, has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties including cancer-preventive and anticancer effects. However, studies on the anticancer effects and underlying mechanisms of Q in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still limited. The present study is conducted to investigate the anticancer efficacy and adjuvant chemotherapy action of Q in HCC. HCC cell lines HepG2 and SMCC-7721 were treated with different concentrations of Q. The antiproliferative effects of Q were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), and the apoptosis and cell cycle dynamics were assessed by flow cytometry; the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins were evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining; the tumor growth in vivo was evaluated in a xenograft mouse model. Our results showed that Q effectively inhibited human HCC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis by upregulating the expression of Bad and Bax and downregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Survivin in vitro. Furthermore, Q obviously inhibited the tumor growth and enhanced the 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings highlight that Q effectively inhibited the growth of tumor and enhanced the sensitivity to thermotherapy, indicating Q is a potential treatment option for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China.
authors.forename: Quangen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China.
authors.forename: Jianmao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China.
authors.forename: Guoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Wujiang No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, 215200, China. daiw750120@126.com.
authors.forename: Genhai
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D011794:Quercetin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D011794:Quercetin; D005472:Fluorouracil
keywords: Apoptosis; Cell proliferation; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Quercetin