Effects of simvastatin on the proliferation of HepG2 cells / 中华肝脏病杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of simvastatin on the proliferation, cell cycle and expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HepG2 cells were administrated with simvastatin. Proliferation of the cells was detected by MTT assay, cell cycle was measured by flowcytometry and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression was detected by immunocytochemistry. The results were evaluated by factorial design and one-way analysis of variance.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Simvastatin inhibited HepG2 cells growth in vitro (F(concentration) = 1264, P value less than 0.001; F(time) = 17.466, P value less than 0.001; F(concentration*time) = 35.053, P value less than 0.001) and could arrest HepG2 cells in G0/G1 phase of cell cycle. However, apoptosis of HepG2 cells was not obvious. Simvastatin could also increase cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression (F = 512.133, P value less than 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Simvastatin can inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells in vitro, which may be explained by its effects of enhancing cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein expression and arresting HepG2 cells at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle.</p>