Inhibitory Effect of Melatonin on the Growth of H22 Hepatocarcinoma Cells by Inducing Apoptosis

摘要

Whether melatonin not only inhibits the growth of H22 hepatocarcinoma cells but also induces apoptosis in vitro was assessed. The anti-proliferatiye effects of melatonin on tumor cells was observed by MTT assay and tumor cells growth curve assay. And the apoptosis of the cells was studied by acridine orange fluorescence assay and flow cytometry. The cell cycle of the tumor cells was also observed by flow cytometry. It was found that melatonin could significantly inhibit the growth of H22 hepatocarcinoma cells. Incubated with melatonin, chromatin condensation of the tumor cells was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Compared with control, the percentage of ap-optotic cells was increased, and the proportion of G_0/S increased but that of G_2/M decreased. It was suggested that melatonin could directly inhibit the growth of H22 hepatocarcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis and extending the length of cell cycle of the tumor cells.