紫草素对肝癌细胞SMMC-7721凋亡的影响及其机制

目的: 探讨紫草素对肝癌SMMC-772细胞的作用及分子机制。方法: SMMC-7721细胞分别经0、5、20、80、320 ng/ml的紫草素作用0 h、24 h、48 h和72 h后,适时采用CCK8法观察该细胞增殖的活性,hoechst染色分析细胞的核型变化,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡水平,Western blot证实细胞内蛋白表达水平的改变,通过小鼠体内实验观察该药的抑瘤作用。结果: 本研究体外实验发现紫草素可显著抑制SMMC-7721细胞的增殖活性并诱导其凋亡(P＜0.01),上调基因p53的表达,并抑制AKT、PI3K蛋白的磷酸化,体内实验也证实紫草素可显著抑制荷瘤小鼠肿瘤的生长(P＜0.01),作用效果随用药剂量和时间的增加而增加。结论: 紫草素可通过影响PI3K/AKT信号通路抑制SMMC-7721细胞的增殖,且诱导其凋亡,具有潜在的抗肝癌作用。

The effects of shikonin on liver cancer cells SMMC-7721 apoptosis and its mechanism

Objective: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of shikonin on liver cancer SMMC-772 cells. Methods: SMMC-7721 cells were treated with shikonin at the concentrations of 0, 5, 20, 80 and 320 ng/ml for 0, 24, 48 and 72 h respectively. The proliferative activity of the cells was detected by CCK8 assay. The nuclear type changes of cells was observed after hoechst 33342 staining. Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell apoptosis and death rate. The expressions of proteins in cells were determined by Western blot, and the tumor inhibitive effects were observed through anti-tumor experiment on the BALB/c mice. Results: In vitro experiments, shikonin could inhibit the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells and induce their apoptosis(P＜0.01), up-regulate the expression of p53 gene, down-regulate the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PI3K protein. In vivo study also confirmed that shikonin could significantly inhibit the growth of tumor in tumor-bearing mice(P＜0.01)in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. Conclusion: Shikonin can inhibit the proliferation activitity and induce apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells by affecting the PI3K/AKT signal pathway and has potential anti-liver cancer functions.