Effects Of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid On Proliferation And Invasion Ability Of Cervical Cancer Cell

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of 18β- glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on proliferation, invasion and migration of human cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa and to reveal initially the potential mechanisms of that in the protein level.Methods1. After HeLa and SiHa cells treated with variable dose of GA, we detected the cell proliferation by MTT.2. To study the effect of apoptosis of the cervical cancer cell line HeLa and SiHa by GA, flow cytometer (FCM) was used.3. Transwell assay was used to evaluate the invasion and migration change.4. Western blot was used to detect the expression of protein.Results1. GA treatment resulted in significant, dose-dependent cytotoxicity in HeLa and SiHa cells.2. We observed significant increased apoptosis of HeLa and SiHa cells after 24h treatment with 160μmol/L or 240μmol/L GA compared with the control group (P<0.05), while there was no significant change of cell apoptosis by treatment with 40μmol/L and 80μmol/L GA.3. Transwell chamber assay for detection of invasion ability of HeLa and SiHa cells indicated that the number of invasive and migratory HeLa and SiHa cells was significantly decreased after treatment with 160μmol/L GA(P<0.05).4. HeLa and SiHa cells were exposed to GA for 0h, 3h and 6h and levels of active caspases-3-P17, Bcl-2, Bax, MMP2, MMP9 were examined by Western blot. Active caspases-3-P17 and Bax gradually increased according to the time, while MMP2, MMP9 and Bcl-2 gradually decreased.Conclusion18β-glycyrrhetinic acid can inhibit the proliferation of human cervical cancer cells, it seems to cause cell death in HeLa and SiHa cells by inducing caspase-3 activation and deregulating Bcl-2 and Bax, Further more, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid can depress the invasion and migration of HeLa and SiHa cells. This effect may be connected with decreased MMP2 and MMP9.