Safflower polysaccharide inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cells through P38MAPK activation

摘要

Safflower is a traditional medicine that is widely used to treat various diseases. Safflowerpolysaccharide is one of the effective constituents of safflower. This study explored the anti-tumor effect ofsafflower polysaccharide and its possible mechanism. Methods: The MTT assay was used to detect theproliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells (SMMC-7721 cells). We observed cell apoptosis with a fluorescencemicroscope. And we used qRT-PCR and western blot to detect the expression of cell cycle related factors. Results:Safflower polysaccharide could inhibit the growth of SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner and induce itsapoptosis. Compared with the blank group, the cell proliferation-related protein of CDC25B and Survivin weredown-regulated in SMMC-7721 cells treated with safflower polysaccharide, while the cell apoptosis-related proteinlevels of P53 and P38MAPK were up-regulated (P 0.05). In addition, safflower polysaccharide inhibited theprotein levels of CDC2 (P 0.05). Conclusion: Safflower polysaccharide can inhibit the growth of hepatocellularcarcinoma cells by inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis，and the P38MAPK pathway may play animportant role in this process.