Effect of Codonopsis pilosula Polysaccharides on the Growth and Motility of Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells by Regulating β-Catenin/TCF4 Pathway. (8th May 2019) - Zhang, Yuan-yuan
Abstract : Objective . To study the effect of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide (CPP) on the growth and motility of HepG2 cells and its possible mechanism. Methods . Cells were randomly divided into Control group, CPP (5 μ M) group, CPP (10 μ M) group, and CPP (20 μ M) group. The proliferation, invasion, migration ability, and expression of proteins involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and signaling pathway of HepG2 cells were detected by CCK8 assay, BrdU staining, Transwell, Scratch test, and Western blot, respectively. Results . Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells cultured in vitro along with the expression level of Ki67 and PCNA protein (P < 0.05 ), decreased the number of invasive cells (P < 0.05 ), and reduced the scratch closure rate (P < 0.05 ). It also adjusted the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), E-cadherin, and N-cadherin (P < 0.05 ). Other than that, downregulation of β -catenin, TCF4, and c-Myc protein expression (P < 0.05 ) was observed as well. Conclusion . Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide can inhibit the proliferation and motility of HepG2 cells cultured in vitro, and the underlying mechanism is proposed to be related to the inhibition of the β -catenin/TCF4 pathway.