TCM matrine inducescell arrest and apoptosis with recovery expression of the hepato-specific miR122a in human hepatocellular carcinomaHep G2cell line.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 80% to 90% of liver cancers and it is one of the most prevalent carcinomas throughout the world. Traditional chemotherapy is often developed chemoresistance HCC patients.Matrine is an active component oftraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is a promising alternative HCC drug. In this study, the therapeutic effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of matrine on the human HCC cell lineHep G2 were investigated. High dosage of matrine (1.0 mg/mL) could significantly (P < 0.05) inhibit cell proliferation by 48.39 ± 3.32%, under which cell shrinkage and disruption were observed. Flow cytometry assay showed that the proportion of G1/G0 cells significantly increased, while that of S and G2/M cells significantly decreased after treatment of matrinefor 48 h. These results indicated that cell arrest by matrine appeared. Up-regulation of the hepato-specific miR122a followed by down expression of its targetcyclin G1 (CG1) gene by low concentration of matrine (0.2 mg/mL) was detected using was observed using quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot assays. In conclusion, matrineinducescell arrest and apoptosis with recovery expression of the hepato-specific miR122a in human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep G2 cell line.