title: Gallic acid as a selective anticancer agent that induces apoptosis in SMMC-7721 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
abstract: Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid; GA) is a naturally occurring plant polyphenol, isolated from water caltrop, which has been reported to exert anticancer effects. The present study investigated the antiproliferative effects of GA on the HepG2 and SMMC-7721 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines using MTT and colony formation assays. In particular, the underlying mechanism of GA-induced apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells was studiedin vitroby flow cytometry and western blotting. The results of the present study indicated that GA was capable of inhibiting the proliferation of HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, as well as inducing the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells. GA induced caspase-3, caspase-9 and reactive oxygen species activity, elevated the expression of apoptosis regulator Bcl-2-like protein 4 and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential in SMMC-7721 cells. When compared with HL-7702 normal human hepatocytes, GA demonstrated selective toxicity for HCC cells. In conclusion, GA is able to induce apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cellsin vitrovia mitochondrial-mediated pathways, and may possess the potential to be a novel therapeutic compound for use in the treatment of HCC.
authors: Central Laboratory, Hepatobiliary Disease Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130062, P.R. China.
authors: Guojun
authors: G
authors: Sun
authors: Central Laboratory, Hepatobiliary Disease Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130062, P.R. China.
authors: Shuqin
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, Lishui Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China.
authors: Yanru
authors: Y
authors: Xie
authors: Central Laboratory, Hepatobiliary Disease Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130062, P.R. China.
authors: Ziyu
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Central Laboratory, Hepatobiliary Disease Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130062, P.R. China.
authors: Wenjing
authors: W
authors: Zhao
keywords: apoptosis; gallic acid; hepatocellular carcinoma; mitochondrial pathway; plant polyphenol