Anticancer agent icaritin induces apoptosis through caspase-dependent pathways in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Author：

E-ISSN： 1791-3004|11|4|3094-3100

ISSN： 1791-2997

Source： Molecular Medicine Reports, Vol.11, Iss.4, 2015-01, pp. : 3094-3100

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Icaritin is an active ingredient derived from the plant Herba epimedium, which exhibits various pharmacological and biological activities. However, the function, and the underlying mechanisms of icaritin on the growth of SMMC7721 human hepatoma cells have yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the function and underlying mechanisms of icaritin in the growth of SMMC7721 cells. The cells were treated with varying concentrations of icaritin for 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively, prior to cytotoxic analysis. Apoptosis of SMMC7721 cells following treatment with icaritin was measured using flow cytometry. The gene expression of mitochondria and Fasmediated caspasedependent pathways was detected by reverse transcriptionquantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed by Student's ttest and oneway analysis or variance. The present study demonstrated that treatment with icaritin significantly inhibited growth, and induced apoptosis of SMMC7721 cells, in a time and dosedependent manner. In addition, icaritin triggered the mitochondrial/caspase apoptotic pathway, by decreasing the Bcl2/Bax protein ratio and increasing activation of caspase3. Icaritin also activated the Fasmediated apoptosis pathway, as was evident by the increased expression levels of Fas and activation of caspase8. These data suggest that icaritin may be a potent growth inhibitor and induce apoptosis of SMMC7721 cells through the mitochondria and Fasmediated caspasedependent pathways. The present study may provide experimental evidence for preclinical and clinical evaluations of icaritin for HCC therapy.