ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effects of matrine on the proliferation, tumor cell stemness, β-catenin transcriptional activity and AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 and Huh7 cells.@*METHODS@#The proliferation and colony formation ability of HepG2 and Huh7 cells treated with 200, 400, and 800 μg/mL matrine were evaluated with MTT assay and colony formation assay, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of CD90, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and CD133, and dual-luciferase assay was used to detect the transcriptional activity of β-catenin in the treated cells. The effects of matrine on the expressions of protein kinase B (AKT), P-AKT, GSK-3β, P-GSK-3β, P-β-catenin and β-catenin proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were assessed using Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#Matrine inhibited the proliferation of the two HCC cell lines in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The half-inhibitory concentrations of matrine were 2369, 1565 and 909.1 μg/mL at 24, 48 and 72 h in HepG2 cells, respectively, and were 1355, 781.8, and 612.8 μg/mL in Huh7 cells, respectively. Matrine concentrationdependently suppressed colony formation of the HCC cells, producing significant inhibitory effects at 400 μg/mL < 0.01) and 800 μg/mL < 0.001) in HepG2 cells and at 200 μg/mL < 0.05), 400 μg/mL < 0.01), and 800 μg/mL < 0.001) in Huh7 cells. Matrine at 400 and 800 μg/mL significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of CD90, EpCAM and CD133 and the transcriptional level of β-catenin in both HepG2 and Huh7 cells < 0.05 or 0.01). Matrine at 400 and 800 μg/mL also significantly decreased the protein levels of β-catenin, P-AKT and P-GSK-3β and increased the phosphorylation level of β-catenin in both of the cell lines.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Matrine inhibits the proliferation, colony formation, and the expressions of tumor stem cell markers CD90, EpCAM and CD133 in both HepG2 and Huh7 cells probably by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and the transcriptional activity ofβ-catenin.