Puerarin Induces Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Apoptosis Modulated by MAPK Signaling Pathways in a Dose-dependent Manner.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Puerarin possesses a battery of therapeutic values in diverse disorders, including pro-apoptotic actions in multiple cancers. Herein, we investigated the effects of puerarin on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MTT and flow cytometry were carried out to evaluate the viability and apoptosis of SMMC-7721 HCC cells in the presence of different concentrations of puerarin. Moreover, expression levels, as well as phosphorylation status of several canonical components in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c- Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, were measured by reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis at indicated time intervals.

RESULTS

Puerarin inhibited proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells and promoted their apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent fashion (p<0.05). Both the expression and phosphorylation levels of MAPK proteins were dramatically increased on puerarin treatment.

CONCLUSION

Puerarin could be employed as a potential anti-carcinogen that exhibits pro-apoptotic effects on HCC cells, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with emphasis on MAPK pathways whose initiation may contribute to this process.