Avicularin ameliorates human hepatocellular carcinoma via the regulation of NF‑κB/COX‑2/PPAR‑γ activities

Wang,Zhimin; Li,Fang; Quan,Yuan; Shen,Junye

doi:10.3892/mmr.2019.10198

Avicularin ameliorates human hepatocellular carcinoma via the regulation of NF‑κB/COX‑2/PPAR‑γ activities

Authors:
- Zhimin Wang
- Fang Li
- Yuan Quan
- Junye Shen
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Affiliations: Department of Basic Medicine, Qujing Medical College, Qujing, Yunnan 655000, P.R. China, School of Nursing, Qujing Medical College, Qujing, Yunnan 655000, P.R. China, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hwa Mei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315000, P.R. China
Published online on: April 25, 2019 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2019.10198
Pages: 5417-5423
Copyright: © Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a global public health problem. Therefore, the development of novel and effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of HCC is considered an emergency. Avicularin, a bio‑active flavonoid from plants, has been reported to exhibit diverse pharmacological properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of avicularin in HCC and the underlying mechanism of action. Huh7 cells were treated with avicularin in a concentration‑dependent manner, and the cell proliferation was examined using a 3‑(4, 5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2, 5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay kit. The cell migration and invasion abilities were detected using wounding‑healing assays and Transwell assays. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to investigate the cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis. The activity of nuclear factor (NF)‑κB (p65), cyclooxygenase‑2 (COX‑2) and peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ (PPAR‑γ) were measured by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, respectively. The results indicated that avicularin treatment markedly decreased cell proliferation concentration‑dependently in HCC, and inhibited cell migration and invasion in Huh7 cells. It was also found that the treatment of avicularin markedly inhibited the G0/G1‑phase cells and decreased the accumulation of S‑phase cells in the cell cycle and induced cell apoptosis. In addition, it was confirmed that the anticancer efficacy of avicularin in HCC was dependent on the regulation of NF‑κB (p65), COX‑2 and PPAR‑γ activities. In conclusion, the findings suggested that avicularin serves an antineoplastic role in HCC and may provide a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.

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