Study on the proliferation and apoptosis by combining arsenic trioxide with oxaliplatin in HepG2 Cells in vitro

OBJECTIVE To explore the synergistic effect of arsenic trioxide(As2O3) and Oxaliplatin(L-OHP) on the inhibition of proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in human Hepatocarcinoma HepG2 Cell lines in vitro.METHODS HepG2 cells were treated with As2O3 or L-OHP alone,and were treated with As2O3 in combination with L-OHP.The inhibition of proliferation was determined by MTT,and the apoptosis rate was assessed by AnnexinV/PI staining.RESULTS As2O3 and L-OHP at different concentrations could obviously inhibit the growth of HepG2 cell lines.Growth inhibition of HepG2 cell strongly depended on the concentration and the treatment time of As2O3 or oxaliplatin.With As2O3 at the dosage of 0.25-4.0 mg·L-1,L-OHP at the dosage of 2.5-40.0 mg·L-1,the combination of As2O3 and L-OHP effectively enhanced the growth inhibition,compared to separate use of either alone(P0.05).As2O3 and L-OHP at different concentrations could obviously induce apoptosis of HepG2 cell lines.The early apoptosis in HepG2 cell line under 0.5,2.0,4.0 mg·L-1 of As2O3 or 2.5,5.0 mg·L-1 of L-OHP is more significant than control group(P0.01).Combination of 0.5 mg·L-1 As2O3 with 2.5 mg·L-1 L-OHP led to much higher apoptotic rates,as compared with the either drug used alone(P0.01).CONCLUSION As2O3 and L-OHP could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of HepG2 Cells in vitro.,and two drugs could produce a significant synergic effect.