Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate from Kaempferia galanga L. rhizome and its apoptotic induction in human HepG2 cells

In this study, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate from Kaempferia galanga L. rhizome and its apoptotic induction in human HepG2 cells are reported for the first time. By using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, the yield of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was as high as 2.5% with respect to the raw materials. In the anticancer assay, it was found that ethyl p-methoxycinnamate could inhibit the proliferation of the human hepatocellular liver carcinoma HepG2 cell line in a dose-dependent manner and induce the significant increase of the subG0 cell population. After treatment with ethyl p-methoxycinnamate, phosphatidylserine of HepG2 cells could significantly translocate to the surface of the membrane. The increase of an early apoptotic population was observed by both annexin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) staining. It was concluded that ethyl p-methoxycinnamate not only induced cells to enter into apoptosis, but also affected the progress of the cell cycle.     

Apoptosis of Human Gastric Carcinoma SGC-7901 Induced by Deoxycholic Acid via the Mitochondrial-Dependent Pathway

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of deoxycholic acid (DCA) on human gastric carcinoma cell lines and to explore its mechanisms. In the present study, effects of DCA on SGC-7901 cell growth, cell cycle, and apoptosis were investigated by MTT assay, inverted microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, PI single- and FITC/PI double-staining flow cytometry, and western blotting. The study have revealed that DCA significantly inhibited the growth of SGC-7901 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner and arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. SGC-7901 cells showed typical apoptotic morphological changes after treated with DCA for 48 h. The intensity of typical apoptosis pattern- “ladders” formed by DNA in fragments of multiples of 200 base pairs was also observed. Apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells induced by DCA were associated with collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. DCA treatment could also increase the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in SGC-7901 cells. Meanwhile, the expression of p53, cyclinD1, and c-Myc were changed after DCA treatment. These results suggest that DCA induces apoptosis of gastric carcinoma cells through an intrinsic mitochondrial-dependent pathway, and the increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential may play important roles in DCA-induced apoptosis of gastric carcinoma cells.     

Nomad Jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica Venom Induces Apoptotic Cell Death and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells

Jellyfish venom is a rich source of bioactive proteins and peptides with various biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor effects. However, the anti-proliferative activity of the crude extract of Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish venom has not been examined yet. The present study aimed at the investigation of the in vitro effect of R. nomadica venom on liver cancer cells (HepG2), breast cancer cells (MDA-MB231), human normal fibroblast (HFB4), and human normal lung cells (WI-38) proliferation by using MTT assay. The apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells was investigated using Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining-based flow cytometry analysis, western blot analysis, and DNA fragmentation assays. R. nomadica venom displayed significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells after 48 h of treatment with IC₅₀ value of 50 μg/mL and higher toxicity (3:5-fold change) against MDA-MB231, HFB4, and WI-38 cells. R. nomadica venom showed a prominent increase of apoptosis as revealed by cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, upregulation of p53, BAX, and caspase-3 proteins, and the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and DNA fragmentation. These findings suggest that R. nomadica venom induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scientific evidence demonstrating the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of R. nomadica jellyfish venom.     

Synergistic Growth-Suppressive Effects of Quercetin and Cisplatin on HepG2 Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, exhibits anticancer effects. The aim of this study is to determine whether the combination of quercetin with cisplatin, a conventional chemotherapeutic drug, would have synergistic suppressive effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. To this end, HepG2 cells were exposed to quercetin (50 μM) or cisplatin (10 μM) alone or combination of both and cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated. Our data revealed that the combination of quercetin and cisplatin was significantly (P?<?0.05) effective in inducing growth suppression and apoptosis in HepG2 cells, when compared with single agent treatment. Quercetin combined with cisplatin modulated the expression of numerous genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Treatment with quercetin rather than cisplatin resulted in a marked elevation of p16 expression in HepG2 cells. Targeted reduction of p16 using RNA interference technology partially reversed quercetin-induced cell cycle G1 arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, quercetin has suppressive activity against HCC cells through p16-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and its combination with cisplatin yielded synergistic inhibitory effects in suppressing cell growth and inducing apoptosis.     

Dioxyxanthones from Polygala hongkongensis and Their Cytotoxicity

Two new dioxyxanthones, polyhongkongenoxanthones A and B(1 and 2) were isolated from the herbs of Polygala hongkongensis, together with six known xanthones. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. The isolates were tested for their cytotoxicity against three tumor cell lines(HepG2, GLC-82 and MCF-7, HepG2=human hepatocellular carcinoma cells; GLC-82=human lung carcinoma cells; MCF-7= human breast carcinoma cells) by MTT assay, among which polyhongkongenoxanthone B(2), 1,7-dihydroxy-2,3- methylenedioxyxanthone(3) and 1,7-dihydroxy-3,4,8-trimethoxyxanthone(6) are potential antitumor candidate due to their significant cytotoxic effects on the three cell lines..     

Synthesis and Anti-tumor Activity of Novel Glycyrrhetinic Acid Derivatives

Twenty-five derivatives of glycyrrhetinic acid(GA)modified on the A-ring,at C30 and C11 positions were synthesized.Their in vitro cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines[henrietta lacks strain o...     

Aminodi(hetero)arylamines in the thieno[3,2-b]pyridine series: synthesis, effects in human tumor cells growth, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis and evaluation of toxicity using non-tumor cells

Three aminodi(hetero)arylamines were prepared via a palladium-catalyzed C-N Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of methyl 3-aminothieno[3,2-b]pyridine-2-carboxylate with different bromonitrobenzenes, followed by reduction of the nitro groups of the coupling products to the corresponding amino compounds. The aminodi(hetero)arylamines thus obtained were evaluated for their growth inhibitory effect on four human tumor cell lines MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), A375-C5 (melanoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer) and HepG(2) (hepatocellular carcinoma). The toxicity to non-tumor cells was also evaluated using a porcine liver primary cell culture (PLP1), established by us. The aminodi(hetero)arylamine with the NH(2) group in the ortho position and an OMe group in the para position to the NH of the di(hetero)arylamine, is the most promising compound giving the lowest GI(50) values (1.30-1.63 μM) in all the tested human tumor cell lines, presenting no toxicity to PLP1 at those concentrations. The effect of this compound on the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis was analyzed in the NCI-H460 cell line. It was observed that it altered the cell cycle profile causing a decrease in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and an increase of the apoptosis levels.     

Selective cytotoxicity of goniothalamin against hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells

Liver cancer has become one of the major types of cancer with high mortality and liver cancer is not responsive to the current cytotoxic agents used in chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to examine the in vitro cytotoxicity of goniothalamin on human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells and normal liver Chang cells. The cytotoxicity of goniothalamin against HepG2 and liver Chang cell was tested using MTT cell viability assay, LDH leakage assay, cell cycle flow cytometry PI analysis, BrdU proliferation ELISA assay and trypan blue dye exclusion assay. Goniothalamin selectively inhibited HepG2 cells [IC?? = 4.6 (±0.23) μM in the MTT assay; IC?? = 5.20 (±0.01) μM for LDH assay at 72 hours], with less sensitivity in Chang cells [IC?? = 35.0 (±0.09) μM for MTT assay; IC?? = 32.5 (±0.04) μM for LDH assay at 72 hours]. In the trypan blue dye exclusion assay, the Viability Indexes were 52 ± 1.73% for HepG2 cells and 62 ± 4.36% for Chang cells at IC?? after 72 hours. Cytotoxicity of goniothalamin was related to inhibition of DNA synthesis, as revealed by the reduction of BrdU incorporation. At 72 hours, the lowest concentration of goniothalamin (2.3 μL) retained 97.6% of normal liver Chang cells proliferation while it reduced HepG2 cell proliferation to 19.8% as compared to control. Besides, goniothalamin caused accumulation of hypodiploid apoptosis and different degree of G2/M arrested as shown in cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry. Goniothalamin selectively killed liver cancer cell through suppression of proliferation and induction of apoptosis. These results suggest that goniothalamin shows potential cytotoxicity against hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells.     

Supported liquid membrane-protected molecularly imprinted fibre for solid-phase microextraction of thiabendazole

The cell surface glycoprotein CD44 was implicated in the progression, metastasis and apoptosis of certain human tumors. In this study, we used atomic force microscope (AFM) to monitor the effect of curcumin on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell surface nanoscale structure. High-resolution imaging revealed that cell morphology and ultrastructure changed a lot after being treated with curcumin. The membrane average roughness increased (10.88 ± 4.62 nm to 129.70 ± 43.72 nm) and the expression of CD44 decreased (99.79 ± 0.16% to 75.14 ± 8.37%). Laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) imaging showed that CD44 molecules were located on the cell membrane. The florescence intensity in control group was weaker than that in curcumin treated cells. Most of the binding forces between CD44 antibodies and untreated HepG2 cell membrane were around 120-220 pN. After being incubated with curcumin, the major forces focused on 70-150 pN (10 μM curcumin-treated) and 50-120 pN (20 μM curcumin-treated). These results suggested that, as result of nanoscale molecular redistribution, changes of the cell surface were in response to external treatment of curcumin. The combination of AFM and LSCM could be a powerful method to detect the distribution of cell surface molecules and interactions between molecules and their ligands.     

Low energy proton beam induces tumor cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species and activation of caspases

Proton beam is useful to target tumor tissue sparing normal cells by allowing precise dose only into tumor cells. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which proton beam induces tumor cell death are still undefined. We irradiated three different tumor cells (LLC, HepG2, and Molt-4) with low energy proton beam (35 MeV) with spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) in vitro, and investigated cell death by MTT or CCK-8 assay at 24 h after irradiation. LLC and HepG2 cells were sensitive to proton beam at over 10 Gy to induce apoptosis whereas Molt-4 showed rather low sensitivity. Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values for the death rate relative to gamma-ray were ranged from 1.1 to 2.3 in LLC and HepG2 but from 0.3 to 0.7 in Molt-4 at 11 d after irradiation by colony formation assay. The typical apoptotic nuclear DNA morphological pattern was observed by staining with 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Tiny fragmented DNA was observed in HepG2 but not in Molt-4 by the treatment of proton in apoptotic DNA fragment assay. By FACS analysis after stained with FITC-Annexin-V, early as well as median apoptotic fractions were clearly increased by proton treatment. Proton beam-irradiated tumor cells induced a cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and procaspases-3 and -9. Activity of caspases was highly enhanced after proton beam irradiation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly increased and N-acetyl cysteine pretreatment restored the apoptotic cell death induced by proton beam. Furthermore, p38 and JNK but not ERK were activated by proton and dominant negative mutants of p38 and JNK revived proton-induced apoptosis, suggesting that p38 and JNK pathway may be activated through ROS to activate apoptosis. In conclusion, our data clearly showed that single treatment of low energy proton beam with SOBP increased ROS and induced cell death of solid tumor cells (LLC and HepG2) in an apoptotic cell death program by the induction of caspases activities.     

6-[3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-3-[(2-naphthyloxy)methyl][1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole as a potent antioxidant and an anticancer agent induces growth inhibition followed by apoptosis in HepG2 cells

In this paper we have investigated the in vitro antioxidant property of two triazolo-thiadiazoles, 6-[3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-3-[(2-naphthyloxy)methyl][1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole (FPNT) and 6-[3-(4-chlororophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-3-[(phenyloxy)methyl][1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole (CPPT) by spectrophotometric DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods as well as by lipid peroxide assay. The anticancer activity along with possible mechanism of action of triazolo-thiadiazoles in Hep G2 cells was explored using MTT assay, [³H] thymidine assay, flow cytometry and chromatin condensation studies. Both FPNT and CPPT exhibited a dose dependent cytotoxic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. The IC₅₀ value was very low for both the compounds when compared to standard drug, doxorubicin. Incorporation of [³H] thymidine in conjunction with cell cycle analysis suggested that FPNT inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells. Flow cytometric studies revealed more percentage of cells in sub-G1 phase, indicating apoptosis, which was further confirmed through chromatin condensation studies by Hoechst staining. FPNT was found to be a potent antioxidant when compared to the standard in DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging assays and lipid peroxidation studies.     

Cell-based high content screening using an integrated microfluidic device

High content screening (HCS) has quickly established itself as a core technique in the early stage of drug discovery for secondary compound screening. It allows several independent cellular parameters to be measured in a single cell or populations of cells in a single assay. In this work, we describe high content screening for the multiparametric measurement of cellular responses in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells using an integrated microfluidic device. This device consists of multiple drug gradient generators and parallel cell culture chambers, in which the processes of liquid dilution and diffusion, micro-scale cell culture, cell stimulation and cell labeling can be integrated into a single device. The simple assay provides multiparametric measurements of plasma membrane permeability, nuclear size, mitochondrial transmembrane potential and intracellular redox states in anti-cancer drug-induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells. The established platform is able to rapidly extract the maximum of information from tumor cells in response to several drugs varying in concentration, with minimal sample and less time, which is very useful for basic biomedical research and cancer treatment.     

Apoptosis Induced by Aqueous Extracts of Crocodile Bile in Human Heptacarcinoma SMMC-7721

In the present study, effects of aqueous extracts from Crocodylus siamensis bile (AE-CB) on SMMC-7721 cell growth, cell cycle, and apoptosis were investigated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, inverted microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, propidium iodide (PI) single- and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/PI double-staining flow cytometry, and western blotting. Our data have revealed that AE-CB significantly inhibited the growth of SMMC-7721 cell and arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. SMMC-7721 cells showed typical apoptotic morphological changes after treated with AE-CB for 48 h. Cell death assay indicated that SMMC-7721 cells underwent apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner induced by AE-CB. In addition, AE-CB treatment could downregulate the protein level of Bcl-2 and upregulate the Bax, leading to the increase in the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in SMMC-7721 cells. Meanwhile, it was observed that the expression of Survivin and c-Myc decreased, but the expression of P53 increased. All these events were associated with increase of reactive oxygen species. The data indicated that mitochondrial pathway might play an important role in bile extract-induced apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells. These results provide significant insight into the anticarcinogenic action of bile extract on SMMC-7721 cells.     

Synthesis and Antiproliferatory Activities Evaluation of Multi-Substituted Isatin Derivatives

A series of multi-substituted isatin derivatives were synthesized using the powerful Sandmeyer reaction. The structures of these derivatives were confirmed by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and HR-MS. Inhibition of proliferation activities of these derivatives against human leukemia cells (K562), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and human colon carcinoma cells (HT-29) were evaluated in vitro using the MTT assay. Among the series, compound 4l exhibited strong antiproliferatory activities against K562, HepG2 and HT-29 cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.75, 3.20, and 4.17 μM, respectively. The morphological, growth inhibitory and apoptosic effects of compound 4l in K562 cells, wound healing effect in HepG2 cells, and tube formating effect in matrix gel of HUVEC cells were evaluated consequently. All results indicated that compound 4l could be used as a potential antitumor agent in further investigations.     

Characterizing doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells using an integrated microfluidic device

Apoptosis has now established its importance in numerous areas of biology and is recently receiving great attention as an important topic related to the development of diseases. In this work, an integrated microfluidic device was developed to characterize doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. A continuous concentration gradient of stimulator (doxorubicin) was generated in the upstream network and used to perfuse downstream cultured HepG2 cells. The appropriate fluorescent dyes were introduced into cells from the inlets connected to the cell culture chambers, allowing one to distinguish apoptotic cells from nonapoptotic or necrotic cells. The resultant fluorescence of cellular population was monitored and quantified with single-cell resolution to infer the apoptosis process being studied. The feasibility of studying apoptosis was demonstrated by measuring several apoptotic events, including morphological alterations, plasma membrane phosphatidylserine externalization, and mitochondrial membrane potential collapse. This microfluidic device, integrating the cell culture, stimulation, staining, and washing steps into a single device, can simultaneously generate a number of experimental conditions and investigate multiple parameters relating stimulation to apoptosis. It offers a unique platform to characterize various cellular responses in a high-throughput fashion, which is otherwise impossible with conventional methods.     

Novel 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells through p53 mediated intrinsic pathway

A series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (OSD, OCOD, ONOD, OPD, COD, PMOD, and PCOD) were synthesized and characterized. Their structures were confirmed on the basis of IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy and molecular weights were found in the range 300–325 g/mol. Cancerous cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2) and non-cancerous cell lines (Chang liver cells) were treated with these compounds for 48 h, which caused dose dependent decrease in the cell viability. From the seven derivatives, OSD was found to be most potent with IC₅₀ value close to 50 μM on all tested cell lines. Hence, this compound was selected for mechanistic study on HepG2 cell lines. Fluorescent cell staining and DNA fragmentation study of 50 μM OSD on HepG2 cells, showed events marked by apoptosis such as nuclear fragmentation, cytoplasm shrinkage and DNA damage. Further, the cells with same treatment were quantified for apoptosis using annexin V-PI flow cytometric technique. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly higher (p < 0.05) after OSD treatment compared to control cells. OSD induced a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the expression of the tumor suppressor p53 in HepG2 cells. The constitutive expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after treatment, while the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax significantly increased (p < 0.05). The change in Bax to Bcl-2 ratio suggested involvement of Bcl-2 family in induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, the levels of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were significantly (p < 0.05) up regulated in HepG2 cells after OSD treatment. The data suggest that 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives induce apoptosis mediated by intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The findings strengthen the potential of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole scaffold OSD, as an agent with chemotherapeutic and cytostatic activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro.     

Water‐soluble Schiff base Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes: Synthesis,DNA targeting ability and chemotherapeutic potential of Cu(II) complex for hepatocellular carcinoma – in vitro and in vivo approach

Reliable compounds with low toxicity are tempting potential chemotherapeutics. With an aim of achieving less toxic but more potent metallodrugs, four new‐generation hydrophilic Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with DNA‐targeting properties were synthesized and characterized using various physicochemical data. The excellent DNA binding and cleavage results confirmed the mode of binding of DNA with the complexes and their ability to denature it. The profound in vitro cytotoxicity exhibited by complex 3 against a panel of cell lines (HeLa, MCF‐7 and HepG‐2) along with NHDF (normal human dermal fibroblasts) with distinct activity towards HepG‐2 and low toxicity to NHDF prompted in vivo studies of induced hepatocellular carcinoma‐affected Swiss albino rats. On evaluating various serum hepatic, biological and histopathological parameters, complex 3 showed excellent activity in restoring the damaged liver to normal. As a means of identifying the pathway of DNA damage, flow cytometric evaluation of cell cycle analysis was performed, which revealed S phase arrest‐induced apoptosis in HepG‐2 cells by complex 3 , making it a cell cycle‐specific drug.     

Induction of Apoptosis by Ethanolic Extract of <em>Corchorus olitorius </em>Leaf in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2) Cells via a Mitochondria-Dependent Pathway

Corchorus olitorius L., is a culinary and medicinal herb, widely used as a vegetable in several countries in Asia. Many studies have shown that C. olitorius contains several antioxidants and exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activities in various in vitro and in vivo settings. Recently, C. olitorius has been approved for its antitumor activity; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of C. olitorius (ECO) on the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells and gain some insights into the underlying mechanisms of its action. We found that HepG2 cells, treated with ECO for 24 h at a concentration higher than 12.5 μg/mL, displayed a strong reduction in cell viability, whereas normal FL83B hepatocytes were not affected. DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation were evidenced by the increased subG1 population of ECO-treated HepG2 cells. ECO triggered the activation of procaspases-3 and -9 and caused the cleavage of downstream substrate, poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), followed by down-regulation of the inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD) signaling. Moreover, the increased release of cytochrome c from mitochondria with decreased membrane potential demonstrated the apoptosis induced through the caspases cascade. Our findings indicated that ECO might be effective against hepatocellular carcinoma through induction of apoptosis via mitochondria-dependent pathway.     

Daphnoretin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells

In this study antiproliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by daphnoretin in human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells were investigated. Antiproliferative activity was measured with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The IC(50) value of daphnoretin was 3.89 μM after 72 h treatment. Induction of apoptosis was evidenced by apoptotic body appearance and Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit. Flow cytometric analysis indicated daphnoretin arrested the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Western-blot assay showed that the G2/M phase arrest was accompanied by down-regulation of cdc2, cyclin A and cyclin B1. Moreover, daphnoretin inhibited Bcl-2 expression and induced Bax expression to desintegrate the outer mitochondrial membrane and causing cytochrome c release. Mitochondrial cytochrome c release was associated with the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 cascade. Our results demonstrated that daphnoretin caused death of HOS cells by blocking cells successively in G2/M phases and activating the caspase-3 pathway.     

Synergies of urushiol and its pechmann derivative compatible with paclitaxel anti-HepG2 activity

The paper investigated the synergistic inhibitory effects of 1 (triene urushiol), 2 (monoene urushiol), 3 (urushiol pechmann derivative) and paclitaxel on proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. The inhibitory rate of cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay after HepG2 cells were separately treated with compounds 1, 2 and 3 combined with paclitaxel at different concentrations for 72 h. The joint index analysis was used to examine whether those compatible drugs had synergistic effect. The results showed that compounds 1, 2 and 3 had significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and their half inhibitory concentrations IC₅₀ were 29.3, 55.5 and 27.1 μM respectively. The synergistic effect of compounds 1, 2 and 3 combined with paclitaxel significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in vitro.