title: Dryocrassin ABBA Induces Apoptosis in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells Through a Caspase-Dependent Mitochondrial Pathway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biological and pharmacological activities of dryocrassin ABBA, a phloroglucinol derivative extracted from Dryopteris crassirhizoma, have attracted attention. In this study, the apoptotic effect of dryocrassin ABBA on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested the effects of dryocrassin ABBA on HepG2 in vitro by MTT, flow cytometry, real-time PCR, and Western blotting. KM male mice were used to detect the effect of dryocrassin ABBA on H22 cells in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dryocrassin ABBA inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. After treatment with 25, 50, and 75 μg/mL dryocrassin ABBA, the cell viability was 68%, 60% and 49%, respectively. Dryocrassin ABBA was able to induce apoptosis, measured by propidium iodide (PI)/annexin V-FITC double staining. The results of real-time PCR and Western ting showed that dryocrassin ABBA up-regulated p53 and Bax expression and inhibited Bcl-2 expression which led to an activation of caspase-3 and caspase-7 in the cytosol, and then induction of cell apoptosis. In vivo experiments also showed that dryocrassin ABBA treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth, without major side effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, these findings provide evidence that dryocrassin ABBA may induce apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through a caspase-mediated mitochondrial pathway.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China E-mail : changying@neau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Wen-Fei
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: He-Meng
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Han-Xun
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003512:Cyclohexanones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D001597:Benzylidene Compounds; D003512:Cyclohexanones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C107335:dryocrassin; D020169:Caspases