MDM2 siRNA mediated proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatoma cell line HepG2

Objective To transfect siRNA targeting MDM2 gene into human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and to observe the expression of p21 and its effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of HepG2 cells.Methods The MDM2 siRNA was transfected into HepG2 by means of LipofectamineTM 2000.There were four groups in this study including siRNA group,negative control(NC) group,Lipofectamine(Lip) group and normal cell group.Reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blot were used to measure the MDM2 and p21 expression at mRNA and protein levels,respectively.The cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and the changes in cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry.Results Compared with normal cell group,NC group and Lip group,the expression of MDM2 mRNA and protein decreased significantly in siRNA group(P0.01),the expression of p21 mRNA and protein enhanced significantly(P0.01).The proliferation of HepG2 cells was markedly inhibited and the apoptosis of HepG2 cells was increased after transfected by MDM2 siRNA(P0.01).Conclusion MDM2 gene may regulate the cell proliferation by interacting with p21.