Inhibition of compound kushen injection on suppressing proliferation, migration and invasion of SMMC-7221 cells in vitro and its mechanism / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE To explore the inhibition of Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) on the prolif-eration, in vitro migration and in vitro invasion of SMMC-7221 cells and the mechanism. METHODS SMMC-7221 cells were treated with CKI of different dilution percentages (0.0% (cell control), 2.5%, 5.0% and 10.0%) for 24 h. The viability of SMMC-7221 cells was evaluated by MTT assay, while the ability of cell migration and invasion was evaluated by the wound healing and transwell chamber assay, respectively. Cells were treated with 0.0%, 5.0% and 10.0% CKI for 12 or 24 h, before the mRNA and protein levels of NF-kB were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS Compared with the cell control group, the survival rates in 2.5%, 5.0% and 10.0% CKI groups were reduced to (92±7)%, (77±5)% (P<0.01) and (56±7)% (P<0.01), the migration rates to (90±7)%, (50±10)% (P<0.01) and (25±5)% (P<0.01), and the invasion rates to (98±7)%, (51 ±10)% (P<0.01) and (20±5)% (P<0.01), respectively. The NF-kB mRNA levels in 5.0% and 10.0% CKI groups were reduced to (42±9)% and (46±10)% of the cell control group (P<0.01) after 12 h treatment of CKI, and the protein levels of NF-kB were reduced to (67±16)% and (27±11)% of cell control group after 24 h treatment with CKI, respectively (P<0.01). CONCLUSION CKI can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of SMMC-7221 cells in vitro, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-kB signal pathway.