ABSTRACT
Objective To study the antiproliferative effect of DX2, a piperazine derivate of P-elemene, on human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Methods Cell viability was measured by MTT method. Morphological changes were observed by phase contrast microscopy and acridine orange staining. Apoptotic cell ratio was measured by flow cytometric analysis. Protein level was detected by Western blot analysis. Results DX2 Induced apoptotic morphological changes in HepG2 cells and increased the ratio of apoptotic cells. Treatment of HepG2 cells with DX2 increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, induced the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and caused the degradation of ICAD which was the substrate of capase-3. Conclusion DX2 Induces HepG2 cell death via activation of intrinsic mitochondrial pathway.