Fas, which is an apoptotic‑related protein, has an important role in cell apoptosis. Fas ligand (FasL) binds to Fas and activates apoptosis signal transduction. We previously demonstrated that the efficiency of celecoxib inhibited the proliferation and apoptosis of HT‑29 colon cancer cell line. The BGC823 cell line was used as an experimental model to evaluate the potential role of celecoxib on gastric cancer cell apoptosis. Inhibitory effects of celecoxib on cell viability were determined by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis and laser confocal microscopy. The results of the present study demonstrated that celecoxib inhibited the viability of BGC823 cells in a concentration‑ and time‑dependent manner. Furthermore, the effect of BGC823 cells apoptosis was increased in a concentration‑dependent manner. Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression levels of Fas, FasL, and B‑cell lymphoma‑2 (Bcl‑2). During the celecoxib‑induced apoptosis of BGC823 cells, celecoxib upregulated Fas expression and downregulated FasL and Bcl‑2 expression in a concentration‑dependent manner. These results suggest that celecoxib inhib­ited the growth and induced apoptosis of BGC823 gastric cancer cells by regulating the protein expression of Fas, FasL and Bcl‑2.

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