Effects of nerifolin,an isolate from seeds of Cerbera manghas L.,on proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells

Objective:To investigate the effects of nerifolin,an isolate from the seeds of Cerbera manghas L.,on the proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 and the related mechanism. Methods:Effect of nerifolin on the proliferation of HepG2 cells was examined by MTT assay,and its effects on cell cycle and apoptosis of HepG2 cells were assessed by flow cytometry. Effect of nerifolin on caspase-3 activation in HepG2 cells was examined by caspase detecting kit. Results:Nerifolin inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner,with the IC50 values being (2.34±0.08),(0.13±0.01) and (0.06±0.01) μg/ml after nerifolin treatment for 24,48,and 72 h,respectively. The proportion of HepG2 cells in S phase increased with the prolongation of nerifolin treatment,and the proportion in G0/G1 phase gradually decreased (P0.05),indicating that nerifolin blocked HepG2 cells in S phase. Early apoptosis rate of HepG2 cells increased to 22.65%,and caspase-3 activity was significantly increased after nerifolin treatment (P0.01). Conclusion:Nerifolin can inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells by inducing S phase arrest and can trigger apoptosis via caspase-3 dependent pathway.