TY  - EJOU
AU  - Li, Min 
AU  - Zhang, Mao 
AU  - Zhang, Zhi-lang 
AU  - Liu, Ning 
AU  - Han, Xiao-yu 
AU  - Liu, Qin-cheng 
AU  - Deng, Wei-jun 
AU  - Liao, Cai-xian 

TI  - Induction of Apoptosis by Berberine in Hepatocellular  Carcinoma HepG2 Cells via Downregulation of NF-κB
T2  - Oncology Research

PY  - 2017
VL  - 25
IS  - 2
SN  - 1555-3906

AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic approaches, which causes 
difficulty in the development of effective drugs for the treatment of HCC. Berberine, a major ingredient of 
<i>Rhizoma coptidis</i>, is a natural alkaloid used in traditional Chinese medicine. Berberine exhibits potent antitumor activity against HCC due to its high efficiency and low toxicity. In the present study, we found that berberine sensitized HepG cells to NF-kB-mediated apoptosis. Berberine exhibited a significant antiproliferation 
effect on the HepG2 cells and promoted apoptosis. Both qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining revealed 
that berberine reduced the NF-kB p65 levels in HepG2 cells. Moreover, p65 overexpression rescued berberineinduced cell proliferation and prevented HepG2 cells from undergoing apoptosis. These results suggest that 
berberine inhibits the growth of HepG2 cells by promoting apoptosis through the NF-kB p65 pathway.
KW  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Berberine; NF-κB; p65; Apoptosis

DO  - 10.3727/096504016X14742891049073