ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of aucubin(AU)on the proliferation,apoptosis,and cell cycle of human liver cancer cells line HepG2 and its mechanism of action.Methods HepG2 cells were cultured in vitro,CCK-8 method was applied to screen the optimal dosage concentration of AU.HepG2 cells were randomly grouped into a control group,an AU 12.5 mg/L group(AU L group),an AU 62.5 mg/L group(AU H group),and an AU H+Akt pathway agonist(SC79)group(AU H+SC79 group).The cell proliferation was observed in each group;5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine(EDU)method was applied to detect cell proliferation;Flow cytometry was applied to detect cell apoptosis and cell cycle;Western blot was applied to detect the expression levels of phosphorylated pro-tein kinase B(p-Akt),Akt,p-MDM2,MDM2,p-p53,and p53 proteins.Results AU concentrations of 12.5 and 62.5 mg/L were selected for subsequent experiments.Compared with 0 mg/L AU,the proliferation of 12.5 and 62.5 mg/L AU cells was obviously reduced(P＜0.05);Compared with the control group,the number of suspended and exfoliated cells in the AU L and AU H groups gradually increased.Cells shrunk and became round.The propor-tion of G0/G1 phase cells,the proportion of EDU positive staining cells increased and the expression level of p-Akt/Akt and p-MDM2/MDM2 proteins decreased.The proportions of S and G2/M phase cells,the rate of cell apoptosis,and the expression level of p-p53/p53 protein all increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the AU H group,the above changes in the AU H+SC79 group were recovered(P＜0.05).After AU treatment,the tumor vol-ume and weight of transplanted nude mice decreased.Conclusions AU may inhibit the proliferation of liver cancer cells,induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by regulating the Akt/MDM2/p53 signaling pathway.