Effects of VEGF-A siRNA on the Proliferation,Invasion and Chemosensitivity of HepG2 Cells

Objective To investigate the possible effects of VEGF-A on the proliferation,invasion and chemosensitivity of human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2,we used an RNA interference(RNAi) approach to silence VEGF-A expression.Methods The expression level of VEGF-A of HepG2/siRNA cells was checked by RT-PCR and Western Blot.The inhibitory effect of RNAi on VEGF-A cells invasion in vitro was demonstrated by ECM invasion assay.The in vitro proliferative ability and chemosensitivity of VEGF-A deficient cells were determined by MTT assay.Results The expression of VEGF-A was significantly reduced in VEGF-A /siRNA cells after 30h transfection,compared with both the RNAi control and the VEGF-A cells.The reduced VEGF-A expression also attenuated the proliferative,invasive ability,as well as increased chemosensitivity in HepG2/siRNA cells.Conclusions Our current results indicate that the expression of VEGF-A functionally mediates proliferation,invasion and chemosensitivity of tumor cells and is a potential target for therapeutic anti-cancer drugs.